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" It&amp;#039;s practically an autopilot move: Spot stain. Dab with water, and pray it comes out. And sure, often this works just fine. But there are times when this standard practice might do more harm than good. 1. Pollen At first sight of this sneeze-inducing yellow powder, you&amp;#039;ll probably want to brush it away and blot the excess with water. But your efforts will be futile: Water can cause the pollen to dissolve and seep further into the fabric, and if you brush the delicate powder with your hand, you&amp;#039;ll just rub it in more. Instead, gently shake to remove as much as you can, and then use tape to carefully lift the remaining particles. 2. Ink If your daily multitasking efforts result in work shirts dotted with pen, you&amp;#039;ve probably tried to dispel the stains with water. Next time don&amp;#039;t: Water might make the ink stain spread. Instead, sponge with rubbing alcohol or a dry-cleaning solvent, like Afta Dry Cleaning Solvent and Spot Remover. 3. Mud Water won&amp;#039;t do much to banish mud from little rascal&amp;#039;s clothes \u2014 in fact, it&amp;#039;s best to first do nothing when you spy a muddy spot. Wait for it to dry into dirt that you can easily brush away. Then treat what remains with a prewash stain remover, like Shout Advanced Gel, and launder as usual. 4. Oil This salad-dressing staple (that somehow always ends up on your blouse) repels water, so blotting it with a little Poland Spring won&amp;#039;t help remove the stain. Instead, pat it with talcum powder to absorb some of the mess, and then treat the spot with a prewash stain remover as soon as you can. Photo: Jamie Grill/Getty NEXT: How to Remove Even the Peskiest Makeup Stain \u00BB "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/tips/a25188/blot-water-stains/>