How to Maintain a White Tablecloth

Soak up stains as quickly as possible after they occur. For greasy stains, like spilled gravy, spoon up as much excess as possible, and then sprinkle flour or artificial sweetener over the remaining stain to soak it up. Sprinkle salt over spilled red wine to soak up the liquid. Apply water to spilled coffee.

Soak a stained white table cloth in cold or lukewarm water with a small amount of laundry detergent. Rub the stained fabric against itself to remove as much of the stain as possible. Use an enzyme laundry detergent for wine stains.

For coffee stains that contain milk or cream, use a dry cleaning fluid to blot up the stain.

Allow spilled candle wax to harden, and then chip away the excess. Place paper towels under and on top of any remaining stain. Apply a warm iron to the paper towels, which will cause the towels to soak up the wax.

Wash linen or cotton white tablecloths in hot water with bleach. Fill the washer tub and add bleach as directed, then add the tablecloths. Set the washer to allow for a soak cycle. For extensive staining, allow the tablecloth to soak overnight in hot water and an enzyme detergent.

Dry-clean white silk tablecloths after stain removal.