Chemistry in your cupboard

What is Vanish?

Figure 1: Vanish Oxi Action

Rarely a day goes by without some incident involving a stain, from a blob of ink on a shirt to a glass of red wine spilt on a brand new white tablecloth. Some stains can be removed simply with soap and water but others are more problematic.

There is a vast folklore of tips and tricks for stain removal with everyday substances - some of which work and others which are just old wives‘ tales. Does methylated spirits really remove biro ink and, if so, why? Does pouring salt on a red wine stain really help or does it just give the illusion of doing something with a substance that is handily placed on the table?

Nowadays there are a variety of products on the market that help remove stains. Here we will look at the chemistry behind some of the Vanish range made by Reckitt Benckiser. Like many products, Vanish stain remover is a brand rather than a single product. Different stains have different chemical make-ups and therefore need different methods of removal - there is no universal stain remover.