Oh, the woes of laundry. It’s a necessary evil to keep your clothes looking great, but sometimes life (and stains) can get in the way and make the process all the more difficult. Lucky for us, stain removal can be quick and painless with the right products. Go ahead and grab that stained shirt in the back of your closet, and let me teach you how to remove the five most common stains.

Oil or Grease

Try to pre-treat these stains as soon as they appear so they don’t have time to set into clothing fibers. Dab a little dish soap or Pine Sol on the stain to help to loosen the grease before laundry day. If it’s an older stain, or if it’s on a fabric that shouldn’t be laundered, break out the cornstarch! Lay the garment down flat and put an anthill-like mound on the guilty stain. Wait at least an hour before brushing off the powder, and then launder the fabric as normal.

Red Wine

It’s best to stick to a tried and true product, such as Wine Away, when trying to remove these evil and almost-impossible-to-remove stains. Customers have heralded this solution’s success rate in eliminating even the most deadly “Bachelor”-esque crime scenes – but maybe you should make the switch to white wine.

Blood

Your own saliva can work in a pinch. If you can’t handle bodily fluids, hydrogen peroxide or saline solution are two easily found solutions that will help lift the stain.

Chocolate

Start off by removing any excess of that melted Hershey’s bar with a knife. Rinse the fabric with cold water, not hot – it may seem counter-intuitive, but the hot water may end up setting the stain even further. Next, rub in some detergent and let it soak in cold water. If the stain fails to lift after several tries, Shout or another stain removal spray should do the trick.

Ink

Getting rid of pen stains is kind of tricky. You don’t want to mess with a fresh ink stain or else it might bleed and further soak into the fabric. So in the name of The Beatles, let it be for at least a few minutes. If your stain came from a water-based pen or marker, blotting it with some detergent might be all you need. But if you’re facing one from a permanent marker, it’s time to break out the alcohol. Literally.

Grab a bottle of rubbing alcohol or acetone nail polish and make sure to test it on a hidden part of the fabric first. If there is no damage, try blotting the stain with a clean white towel and a little bit of either product. This method should help at least lighten the stain, if not completely remove it.

Don’t forget, stains can easily disguise themselves in wet fibers, so don’t be fooled if everything looks normal right out of the wash. Make sure to completely air dry your clothes when attempting stain removal techniques. If you put stained clothes in the dryer, the heat will further set the stain into the fibers and make it impossible to remove in the future.