FiberRemedyReference Matrix 01 · Detergency, Enzyme Kinetics & Fiber Polymer Safety
Stain Chemistry × Textile Fiber Safety Lookup Matrix
Every household stain belongs to one of five chemical families—Proteins, Tannins & Polyphenols, Triglycerides & Waxes, Conjugated Pigments & Dyes, or Inorganic Metal Oxides & Salts—and each family requires a completely different molecular cleavage reaction. Worse, a reagent that rescues a white cotton shirt (such as alkaline protease + sodium percarbonate at pH 10.5) will chemically dissolve a mulberry silk blouse or felt a merino wool sweater. Select your garment fiber below to view its strict pH and temperature boundaries, filter all 28 household stains by chemical class, or read the complete static matrix.
Step 1: Check your garment fiber’s chemical & thermal safety ceiling
Cotton, Linen & Hemp (β-1,4-D-Cellulose): Safe
pH 5.0–11.0 · Max temp 60–95 °C (140–203 °F) (check dye fastness) · Tolerates all 5 laundry enzymes (protease, amylase, lipase, cellulase, mannanase) and sodium percarbonate oxygen bleach. Avoid overuse of NaOCl chlorine bleach, which oxidizes hydroxyls into brittle oxycellulose.Showing all 28 household stains across 5 chemical classes.
| Household Stain | Chemical Class | Primary Reagent & Mechanism | Target Enzyme Class | Water Temp Window | Forbidden Chemicals / Actions | Fiber-Specific Protocol (Cotton vs. Wool/Silk) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh or Dried Blood | Protein | Subtilisin protease + 3% H₂O₂ (on white cotton) | Protease (EC 3.4.21.62) | 65–85 °F (18–29 °C) COLD ONLY | Hot water (>104°F/40°C coagulates hemoglobin), protease on silk/wool | Cotton: Cold saline flush + protease soak + 3% H₂O₂. Wool/Silk: Cold 1% NaCl saline bath + neutral pH 7 syndet only. |
| Egg Yolk & Albumen | Protein | Cold alkaline protease pre-soak + nonionic surfactant | Protease + Lipase | 68–85 °F (20–29 °C) Cold first | Hot water rinse (denatures ovalbumin into insoluble mesh) | Scrape solids, flush cold, soak 30 min in protease detergent (Cotton/Synthetics) or neutral wool shampoo (Wool/Silk). |
| Milk, Cream & Infant Formula | Protein | Protease + Lipase dual-enzyme pre-soak | Protease + Lipase | 75–95 °F (24–35 °C) Cool-Warm | Boiling water before casein proteins are cleaved | Cold rinse first to remove soluble whey; digest insoluble casein curds and milkfat with protease/lipase at 30°C. |
| Underarm Sweat (Fresh Perspiration) | Protein | Nonionic surfactant + protease + sodium percarbonate (cotton) | Protease | 85–105 °F (29–40 °C) | Chlorine bleach (NaOCl reacts with sweat urea/proteins to turn yellow) | Cotton/Synthetics: Enzyme pre-soak + warm oxygen bleach. Wool/Silk: Cool soak with pH 5.5–7.0 wool wash + 1% white vinegar rinse. |
| Dairy Ice Cream & Custard | Protein | Protease + Alpha-Amylase + Lipase triad | Protease + Amylase + Lipase | 70–90 °F (21–32 °C) | High-heat tumble drying before full removal | Flush cold, apply multi-enzyme liquid detergent for 20 min to cleave casein, guar/locust bean gums (mannanase), and milkfat. |
| Gravy, Meat Juice & Broth | Protein | Protease + Lipase + warm surfactant after cold flush | Protease + Lipase + Amylase | 75–105 °F (24–40 °C) | Hot initial rinse (sets collagen/myoglobin proteins) | Cold flush to lift myoglobin, then warm (38°C) enzyme + surfactant wash to emulsify rendered animal tallow and starch thickeners. |
| Red Wine (Anthocyanins) | Tannin | Sodium percarbonate (pH 10.5) or 3% H₂O₂ + surfactant | None (Oxidative cleavage) | 100–130 °F (38–54 °C) on Cotton | Bar soap/alkali alone on fresh anthocyanin (turns red wine blue-gray before oxidation) | Blot immediately; flush cool water; soak Cotton in warm sodium percarbonate; treat Wool/Silk with cool 3% H₂O₂ + neutral syndet. |
| Black Coffee & Espresso | Tannin | Sodium percarbonate oxygen bleach + nonionic surfactant | Lipase (if cream added) | 105–135 °F (40–57 °C) | Ironing before chlorogenic acid tannins are oxidized (caramelizes brown) | If milk/cream is present, digest protein/fat in cool enzyme bath first, then oxidize roast melanoidins with warm percarbonate. |
| Black & Green Tea (Theaflavins) | Tannin | Sodium percarbonate or glycerine + dilute citric acid pre-treat | None (Redox/Solvent) | 105–135 °F (40–57 °C) | Alkaline soap without oxygen bleach (fixes brown polyphenol mordants) | Soften aged tea tannins with vegetable glycerine for 15 min, flush, and soak Cotton/Linen in 50°C sodium percarbonate. |
| Blueberry, Blackberry & Cherry | Tannin | Boiling water pour-through (Cotton) + sodium percarbonate | Pectate Lyase + Amylase | 105–140 °F (40–60 °C) Cotton; 85°F Wool | Ammonia or high-pH soap without oxidizer (shifts flavylium cation to blue quinoidal base) | Pre-loosen fruit pectin with pectate lyase or mild citric acid, then oxidize anthocyanin chromophores with percarbonate. |
| Cola & Caramelized Soft Drinks | Tannin | Alpha-Amylase + warm sodium percarbonate soak | Alpha-Amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) | 95–120 °F (35–49 °C) | High-heat pressing (caramelizes residual fructose/glucose into yellow-brown stain) | Rinse cold to dissolve sugars, then oxidize Class IV sulfite-ammonia caramel color with oxygen bleach. |
| aged Yellow Linen Storage Stains | Tannin | Warm sodium percarbonate (2 tbsp/gal) 2-hour soak | Cellulase (trace polish) | 110–140 °F (43–60 °C) Cotton/Linen | Chlorine bleach (NaOCl forms oxycellulose, weakening antique linen tensile strength by >30%) | Soak Cotton/Linen in 50°C sodium percarbonate to cleave oxidized lignin and hemi-cellulose degradation chromophores; rinse with 1 tsp citric acid. |
| Collar & Cuff Body Sebum Rings | Triglyceride | Alcohol ethoxylate nonionic surfactant + Lipase + sodium carbonate | Triacylglycerol Lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) | 105–130 °F (40–54 °C) | Cold water wash alone (solid sebum wax esters & squalene do not melt below 35°C) | Scrub collar crease with neat liquid HE detergent + lipase, rest 20 min, and wash at 45–50°C to exceed sebum melting point. |
| Butter, Margarine & Cooking Oils | Triglyceride | Dawn liquid syndet (SLES/amine oxide) + Lipase + warm water | Lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) | 110–135 °F (43–57 °C) | Heated dryer if any translucent oil shadow remains (triggers free-radical polymerization) | Pre-treat dry fabric with neat liquid dish or laundry surfactant, work in gently, rest 15 min, and wash at highest fiber-safe temperature. |
| Salad Dressing & Mayonnaise | Triglyceride | Cool Protease/Amylase pre-soak followed by warm Lipase wash | Lipase + Protease + Mannanase | 85 °F first, then 115 °F (46 °C) | Very hot water on step 1 (coagulates egg-yolk lecithin/protein emulsion) | Two-stage treatment: cool enzyme pre-wash to cleave egg yolk and xanthan/guar gum, then warm surfactant wash to emulsify vegetable oil. |
| Motor Oil, Bike Chain & Axle Grease | Triglyceride | Waterless hand cleaner (d-limonene / mineral spirits) + nonionic surfactant | None (Hydrocarbon solvent) | 105–130 °F (40–54 °C) after solvent | Putting solvent-treated clothes in dryer before full aqueous surfactant wash (fire hazard) | Place paper towel under stain, dissolve non-polar petroleum hydrocarbons with d-limonene or isopropyl myristate, scrub with Dawn dish soap, then wash. |
| Lipstick & Liquid Foundation Makeup | Triglyceride | Isopropyl alcohol (70–91%) or micellar oil remover + surfactant | Lipase (for castor/lanolin esters) | 95–115 °F (35–46 °C) | Rubbing dry with water (spreads hydrophobic iron oxides and titanium dioxide into yarn pores) | Lift wax/silicone binder first with isopropyl alcohol or neat nonionic surfactant on a cotton pad, then wash in warm enzyme detergent. |
| Candle Wax & Crayon Paraffin | Triglyceride | Ice-cube brittle fracture + absorbent kraft paper warm-iron blot | None (Phase-change wicking) | 150 °F (65 °C) soleplate wick | Hot wash without mechanical scraping (melts paraffin across the entire laundry load) | Freeze with ice cube and pop off bulk wax; sandwich between brown paper bags and press with warm dry iron to wick C20–C40 alkanes; spot-treat dye with IPA. |
| Turmeric & Yellow Mustard (Curcumin) | Pigment | Liquid surfactant + glycerine pre-treat + direct sunlight UV-A photobleaching | Alpha-Amylase (for mustard starch) | 85–110 °F (29–43 °C) | Alkaline soap or ammonia before rinsing (shifts curcumin keto-enol tautomer to vivid blood-red!) | Never panic when alkaline detergent turns yellow turmeric bright red (reversible pH indicator shift at pH > 8.5). Wash and hang damp in direct sunlight for 2–4 hr. |
| Tomato Sauce, Ketchup & Salsa (Lycopene) | Pigment | Cool surfactant + Amylase/Mannanase + UV sunlight or oxygen bleach | Amylase + Mannanase + Pectate Lyase | 85–105 °F (29–40 °C) | Hot water or heated dryer (drives hydrophobic C40 lycopene polyene into polyester fibers) | Flush from reverse side with cool water, treat with liquid detergent + oxygen bleach, and dry in direct sunlight to cleave conjugated double bonds. |
| Grass & Leaf Stains (Chlorophyll / Xanthophyll) | Pigment | 70% Isopropyl alcohol solvent lift + Protease/Cellulase detergent | Protease + Cellulase | 85–105 °F (29–40 °C) | Acid vinegar pre-soak (converts magnesium-chlorophyll into olive-brown pheophytin pigment) | Dab with 70% isopropyl alcohol (avoid on acetate rayon) to solubilize porphyrin ring, then wash with protease + oxygen bleach. |
| Ballpoint, Gel & Permanent Marker Ink | Pigment | 91% Isopropyl alcohol (or ethanol) capillary blotting on dry fabric | None (Organic solvent) | 75–95 °F (24–35 °C) | Acetone on acetate/triacetate/modacrylic fibers (dissolves the fiber into plastic glue!) | Place dry microfiber towel underneath, drip 91% IPA through ink, and tamp repeatedly until solvent runs clear; flush with liquid detergent before washing. |
| Fugitive Dye Bleed (Pink/Blue Color Run) | Pigment | Sodium dithionite (Rit Color Remover / Carbona Color Run) reductive bath | None (Reductive cleavage) | 120–140 °F (49–60 °C) Cotton | Chlorine bleach (strips original garment dye unevenly) or heated dryer (locks migrated dye) | Keep wet! Soak in warm sodium dithionite (Na₂S₂O₄) + sodium carbonate bath to selectively reduce unbound azo/reactive dye molecules. |
| Raw Indigo Denim Crocking (Transfer) | Pigment | Neat nonionic surfactant + warm sodium carbonate + oxygen bleach | Cellulase (on cotton receiver) | 100–120 °F (38–49 °C) | Acidic washes (insolubilizes vat indigo pigment inside receiving yarn) | Rub transferred indigo particles with neat liquid HE surfactant and a soft brush to disperse surface micro-crystals, then wash warm. |
| Yellow Underarm Antiperspirant Crust | Inorganic | Acidic chelation (white vinegar / citric acid / acidic rust-out) + Lipase/Protease | Lipase + Protease | 95–115 °F (35–46 °C) | Chlorine bleach (oxidizes aluminum-zirconium-protein complex into permanent dark brown) | Dissolve insoluble Al/Zr hydroxide polymer plugs at pH 2.5–3.5 with 1:1 white vinegar or citric acid + surfactant scrub, then wash warm with enzymes. |
| Iron Rust Spots (Ferric Oxide Fe₂O₃) | Inorganic | 2% Oxalic acid (Bar Keepers Friend / Whink) or lemon juice + salt in sunlight | None (Reductive chelation) | 95–120 °F (35–49 °C) | Chlorine OR oxygen bleach (both are oxidizers that permanently precipitate Fe³⁺ rust!) | Dissolve and chelate insoluble Fe³⁺ into soluble ferrioxalate [Fe(C₂O₄)₃]³⁻ using warm dilute oxalic acid for 5–10 min, then neutralize and rinse thoroughly. |
| Red Clay, Garden Soil & Mud | Inorganic | Dry mechanical brushing + dispersive polyacrylate/citrate surfactant soak | Cellulase (anti-redeposition) | 85–115 °F (29–46 °C) | Rubbing wet mud into fabric (drives <2 µm kaolinite/hematite platelets inside yarn lumen) | Let mud dry 100%, vacuum and brush off dry crust, then soak in detergent containing sodium citrate/carboxymethylcellulose anti-redeposition polymers. |
| Hard-Water Gray Scum & Soap Curd | Inorganic | Sodium citrate (2 tbsp) or Borax chelation strip bath | None (Divalent ion chelation) | 115–135 °F (46–57 °C) | Adding more soap or fabric softener (precipitates additional Ca(RCOO)₂ calcium stearate) | Soak grayed towels/cotton in warm water with 2 tbsp trisodium citrate + 1 tbsp washing soda for 2 hours to chelate Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ ions. |
1. The Four Fiber Polymer Families and Their Chemical Boundaries
Before touching a stain with any reagent, identify the macromolecular backbone of the textile. Every garment yarn falls into one of four polymer architectures with sharply different acid, alkali, enzyme, and solvent tolerances:
| Fiber Polymer Class | Chemical Backbone & Bonds | Safe Wash pH Window | Max Safe Temp | Safe Enzymes & Bleaches | Destructive Reagents (NEVER USE) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Natural Cellulose (Cotton, Linen, Hemp, Ramie) | Linear β(1→4) D-glucose chains; strong inter-chain H-bonding; wet tenacity is 10–20% higher than dry. | pH 5.0 – 11.0 (alkali-loving) | 60 °C / 140 °F (whites 95 °C) | All 5 enzymes + Sodium Percarbonate (OxiClean) + Sodium Dithionite. | Concentrated mineral acids (hydrolyze β-1,4 glycosidic bonds); repeated NaOCl chlorine bleach weakens fibers. |
| 2. Animal Protein (Merino Wool, Cashmere, Silk) | Polyamide peptide chains (-CONH-); wool keratin cross-linked by covalent cystine disulfide bridges (-S-S-). | pH 4.5 – 8.0 (isoelectric pH ~4.8) | 30 °C / 86 °F (low agitation) | Neutral nonionic/amphoteric syndets; cool dilute 3% H₂O₂ spot treatment only. | Protease enzymes (digest silk/wool!), Sodium Percarbonate / Soda Ash (pH 10.5 cleaves -S-S- bonds), NaOCl Chlorine Bleach (dissolves wool). |
| 3. Regenerated Cellulose (Viscose Rayon, Modal, Lyocell, Acetate) | Short-DP wood-pulp cellulose chains (`DP 300–700` vs. `3,000+` in cotton); loses 40–50% tenacity when wet! | pH 6.0 – 9.0 | 30–40 °C / 86–104 °F (mesh bag) | Mild neutral/enzyme detergents; gentle oxygen bleach (except on acetate). | Acetone on Acetate/Triacetate (dissolves cellulose acetate into sticky plastic!); heavy wringing or high-spin twisting while wet. |
| 4. Synthetic Polymers (Polyester PET, Nylon 6,6, Elastane/Spandex) | Hydrophobic ester (PET), amide (Nylon), or polyether-polyurethane (Elastane) chains; oleophilic (attracts body oil). | pH 6.0 – 10.5 | 40 °C / 104 °F (30 °C for Spandex) | Lipase + Protease + Nonionic alcohol ethoxylates + Sodium Percarbonate. | Chlorine bleach on Elastane/Spandex or Nylon (degrades polyurethane elastic recovery and yellows nylon); dryer heat >60 °C sets oil stains into PET. |
2. How Surfactant Micelles and Sinner’s Circle Remove Insoluble Soils
In industrial detergency science, stain removal is governed by **Herbert Sinner’s 1959 Four-Factor Circle**: **Chemistry** (surfactants, builders, enzymes, bleaches), **Temperature** (Arrhenius reaction rate vs. protein coagulation ceiling), **Mechanical Action** (drum drop-agitation vs. wool felting limit), and **Time** (soak duration allowing radial diffusion into yarn lumens). Whenever you reduce one parameter—such as lowering temperature to `30 °C` and reducing agitation for delicate garments—you must compensate by **increasing pre-soak time and enzymatic specificity**.
Water alone has a high surface tension (`γ = 72.8 mN/m` at `20 °C`) that beads up on waxy sebum or cooking grease. Adding **anionic surfactants** (such as linear alkylbenzene sulfonate, `LAS`, or sodium laureth sulfate, `SLES`) and **nonionic surfactants** (alcohol ethoxylates, `AE_7–9`) drops surface tension to `~28–32 mN/m` and drives **oil roll-up**:
Young-Dupré Oil Roll-Up Contact Angle Equation on a Textile Fiber:
cos(θ_ow) = (γ_fs - γ_fw) ÷ γ_os
where:
γ_fs = Interfacial tension between fiber and oily stain
γ_fw = Interfacial tension between fiber and aqueous wash liquor (lowered by surfactant!)
γ_os = Interfacial tension between oil droplet and water (lowered from ~50 to <2 mN/m)
When surfactant adsorption drives cos(θ_ow) → -1 (θ → 180°), the liquid oil bead detaches
spontaneously from the fiber and is solubilized inside the hydrophobic core of surfactant micelles!To understand how the four chemical stain families interact with enzymes and oxidizers in detail, read The Four Classes of Stains: Protein, Tannin, Oil & Dye Removal Chemistry, Laundry Enzymes Explained: Protease, Amylase, Lipase, Cellulase & Mannanase, and Why Hot Water Coagulates Blood and Protein Stains Into Fabric Fibers.