Egg stains should be washed or sponged with cold or lukewarm water before any hot water is applied. Sometimes a large part of the stain hardens on the surface of the material and may be scraped off with a blunt knife.

One of the following agents should be used to remove egg stains:

1. Cold water followed by hot water and soap, as in ordinary laundering.

2. Cold water followed by a grease solvent. Allow the stained place to dry after being sponged with cold water. Then apply the grease solvent (pages 292 to 293).

Fly paper (sticky).

See "resinous substances," page 301. Turpentine and kerosene are especially effective.

Fruits and berries (fresh).

Practically all fruit stains, when they are fresh and still moist, can be removed with boiling or even warm water. After they have dried, they become much more difficult to remove. The color of some materials may be affected by the organic acids present in certain fruits like the grapefruit and lemon. In such cases the color can generally be restored by the methods used for acid stains.

The following agents are satisfactory for fruit or berry stains:

1. Boiling water, for white or fast-colored washable materials. Stretch the stained material over a bowl or other vessel, holding it by a string or an elastic band, if necessary, and pour boiling water upon it from a teakettle held at a height of 3 or 4 feet so that the water strikes the stain with some force. With some stains, especially those in which fruit pulp was present, a little rubbing alternated with applications of boiling water is helpful. A stain remaining after this treatment frequently can be bleached by hanging the wet material in the sun to dry.

2. Warm water, for silk, wool, and other delicate materials. Sponge the stains.

3. Lemon juice and sunlight. Stains remaining after treatment with boiling water can often be bleached by moistening with lemon juice and exposing to the bright sunlight.

4. Lemon juice or oxalic acid. A stain which turns blue or gray and cannot be removed readily by boiling water sometimes can be loosened by moistening with a little acid, which restores its original color and renders it more easily soluble in the boiling water. If necessary, apply the acid several times, alternating with boiling water.

5. Potassium permanganate (p. 286). Treat the stains first with boiling water (see No. 1).

6. Javelle water (p. 285).

7. Hydrogen peroxide made slightly alkaline with ammonia. Stains remaining on silk or wool (white or fast color) after sponging with warm water frequently can be removed with a little hydrogen peroxide.

8. Warm water as in No. 2, followed by alcohol. Sponge the spots (p.284).

Fruits and berries (cooked).

In many cases changes in cooking render the stains from cooked fruit much easier to remove than those of fresh fruit. In fact, they often are removed from a fabric by ordinary laundering. Stains from some cooked fruits, however, especially the dark red and purple fruits and berries, such as cranberries and black raspberries, are similar to the fresh fruit stains in being set by alkaline substances.

One of the following agents should be employed:

1. Boiling water (see No. 1, under "fresh fruit stains").

2. Warm water. Sponge delicate fabrics.

3. Soap and water (ordinary laundering). This does not apply to the dark-colored (red or purple) fruits and berries. Treat them in the same way as fresh fruit.