(Family Features) Why do some stains seem to come right out, while others never go away? If you’ve done laundry for any length of time, you know that not all stains are the same. It all depends on the chemistry of the stain, the type of fabric and the type of laundering treatment you use.

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all kind of treatment. There are different types of laundry detergent ingredients that work best for each of the stain types.

For example, more than half of dollars spent on liquid detergents are spent on enzyme detergents. (Enzymes speed up the reactions that break up stains so that they can be washed away more easily.) While these products may work wonders on grass or blood, they might not work as well on other tough stains like wine or ring-around-the-collar.

Here are some more tips and tricks to help you get rid of some of the more common stains.

Before You Wash

Many stains need pretreating of some kind in order to effectively remove them.

Pretreating – This means treating and sometimes completely removing a stain before you launder the garment. Some common methods of pretreating include:

• Using a prewash soil and stain remover.
• Applying and rubbing in a liquid detergent or a paste made of water and a powdered detergent.

Prewashing - If you have a heavy or greasy stain that might not come out in a regular washing, prewashing could help. Most washers have a prewash cycle.

• Use a detergent in a prewash.
• Follow up with a regular wash, using detergent according to label directions.

Soaking – This can be an effective way to loosen heavy stains. You can soak in a basin, laundry sink or washer.

• Mix detergent into water or wash cycle before adding the clothes.
• Follow label directions on detergent, but most often, a 30-minute or longer soaking period in warm or cool water is called for.

Stain Removal 101

The longer a stain sits on a fabric, the harder it will be to remove. So always treat and wash stains as soon as possible.

When treating, place stained area face down on a clean paper towel or white cloth. Apply stain remover to the underside of the stain, forcing stain off the fabric surface instead of going through it.

• Adhesive (tape, chewing gum, rubber cement) - Apply ice or cold water to harden surface; scrape with a dull knife. Saturate with prewash stain remover. Rinse, then launder.
• Baby Formula - Pretreat or soak stain using a product containing enzymes. Soak for at least 30 minutes or several hours for aged stains. Launder normally.
• Beverage - Soak stain in cool water. Treat with pre-wash stain remover, liquid laundry detergent, or a paste of powder detergent and water. Launder with fabric safe bleach.
   
• Blood - New stains should be soaked in cold water for 30 minutes. Rub detergent into any remaining stain. Rinse, then launder. Dried stains should be pretreated or soaked in lukewarm water with a product containing enzymes, then laundered.
• Chocolate - Gently scrape off excess chocolate. Treat the stain with a prewash spray. Follow up with an enzyme detergent to remove residue before washing.
• Cosmetics - Treat with prewash stain remover, liquid detergent, a mixture of detergent and water, or rub with bar soap. Work into dampened stain until outline of stain is gone, then rinse. If greasy stain remains, soak in an enzyme product. Rinse and launder.
• Grass - Treat with prewash stain remover, or soak with an enzyme product. If stain  remains, launder in hottest water safe for the fabric, with a fabric-safe bleach.
• Mud - Let dry, then brush off as much mud as possible. For light stains, pretreat with a paste of dry detergent and water, liquid detergent, or a liquid detergent booster; launder. Pretreat heavy stains by presoaking with a laundry detergent, a product containing enzymes.