Welcome to the Mac-Gray laundry forum! I am Steve Boorstein, The Clothing Doctor. I will be your clothing care expert. I spent 20 years in the high-end drycleaning business, but I've also written four books on laundry and hosted two DVDs on clothing care, so I know about dirty laundry! Write me about caring for everything made from fabric; washing, cleaning, stain removal and storage.

Before I begin answering questions, let's get a few facts straight:

Before you treat a stain, make sure you know if it's watery or oily!

• Water-based stains contain water, NO oil.
  • You can identify water-based stains such as coffee, wine, beer and blood because they have a ring around the outside (like a road map).
  • Water-based stains need water or club soda (and an occasional "stain stick").

• Oil-based stains contain oil, but NO water, so water and soap will not help to remove them!
  • Oil-based stains such as butter, mayonnaise, and olive oil will look blotchy and have NO ring around the stain.
  • Most oily stains require drycleaning.
  • Oily stains that do not come out in the wash will look blotchy after washing.

Know a few first aid hints:

• Never rub a fabric — blot only with a dry white cloth or napkin.
• Be careful about putting water or club soda on dryclean-only clothing, such as silk and acetate, because they can bleed the dye and cause rings.
• If in doubt, blot with a dry white cloth and STOP, until you can write me or show the garment to a professional.

Click on a category below to see frequently asked questions along with my helpful hints to keep your laundry clean!