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Lift the excess without rubbing, then choose your treatment by the base of the product rather than its name. Water-based

Let the smudge dry, flake off what you can with a dull edge, then work dish soap or liquid detergent

Blot the excess, then cover the mark with a dry absorbent — cornstarch or baking soda — for thirty minutes.

Do nothing. Let the mud dry completely — hours, not minutes — then brush and scrape the crust off outdoors.

Check the fibre content label first. If the garment contains acetate, triacetate or modacrylic, acetone dissolves the fabric, not the

Find out which paint it is before you touch the stain. Water-based paint — latex, acrylic, emulsion, kids’ poster paint

To get red wine out of clothes, blot — never rub — then cover a fresh stain with table salt

Reach for an acid, never for bleach. Chlorine bleach makes a rust stain darker and more permanent. Use a commercial

To get soy sauce out of clothes, blot the excess, flush from the back of the fabric with cold water,

Adhesive responds to exactly three things: cold, which makes it brittle enough to pick off; a solvent, which dissolves it;

Harden it first. A bag of ice held against the tar turns it solid enough to chip off with a

To get tomato sauce out of clothes, scrape off the excess with a spoon, run cold water through the back