Summer fruits make some of the best desserts, whether cooked or eaten fresh from the garden. Just imagine grilled plums, peach cobblers, fruit-filled pies and bowls of fresh blueberries and raspberries. Summer fruits are ripe, sweet and juicy -" and stain makers. After all, fruits were used to make dyes for centuries, so they longer they sit, the harder they are to remove.

Summer Fruit Spills

But, spills happen. So, how do you prevent them from staining? First scrape any excess fruit off of the garment. If the garment is labeled -�dry clean only,-� don't try to treat the stain at home. Take it to any DELIA'S Cleaners as soon as possible. Be sure to tell us what fruit made the stain and how it was prepared. Sugar and other additives can impact the way the stain must be treated.  

Keep in mind that even if the fabric can be washed at home, water and home treatments may set stains permanently. Or they can remove surface stains but leave color that has seeped into fibers, which may re-appear over time.  

If you prefer washing the garment, try these tips from the FoodNetwork experts. First, flush the stain out with cold water. Pat the area dry and apply plain white vinegar. Next work a laundry pretreatment or liquid detergent into the fabric with your hands and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. Launder the piece in cold water. If the discoloration remains, try soaking the garment in a solution of color-safe bleach and then washing it again.

TIP: Watch out for watermelon: The stains from this water-y fruit seem to disappear when they dry. If left untreated, however, the watermelon juice will oxidize into pale yellow or brown stains that are almost impossible to get out. To keep this from happening, tackle watermelon stains before you forget about them.