hoop stains on embroidery

I have a dirty mark around the area where I held the hoop while working my embroidery. How do I clean it without affecting the the fabric and embroidery?

Ah that is a question I am asked a lot, so thanks for bringing it up here.

What I like to do is use some gentle dishwashing liquid in warm water and just leave the embroidery to soak for a while. Every now and then I move it about gently in the water.

Then I rinse and rinse again in clear water and let the project dry naturally to see if the stain is still visible. DO NOT iron it dry at this stage or you may set the stain.

If it isn't quite clean I repeat the above.

Recently I have started using a spare piece of sheeting between the embroidery fabric and the hoop. I sandwich the fabrics together in the hoop and then carefully cut a hole in the sheeting to allow me to work on the embroidery underneath. Then if anything gets grubby it is the sheeting which gets thrown away after I'm finished.

You could also try wrapping your hoop with a finger bandage to try to avoid the problem of marks showing on the fabric.

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starstarstarstarstar 		Birthday gifts appear to be ruined
by: Desparate

I stitched prolifically for 30 years before taking an 8 year break. Now that I am stitching again, the first project had hoop stains that I attributed to printer ink from a printed pattern. I purchased a grime guard and then stitched another project. Once again, I have hoop stains.

Funny, I never experienced this issue for all the years I stitched using a tension hoop.

So far, I have tried Dawn and Oxy-clean with a toothbrush. Didn't work on either project. So now I've decided to put them in a mesh bag and toss in the washer on a gentle cycle. I can't really lose at this point.

The years when I could afford to have my beautiful projects custom framed are over, so I am trying to adjust to framing myself. Hate it. I took up cross stitching again because I am now mobility challenged and need a hobby to help with anxiety.

Believe me, this is not what I had in mind!
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starstarstarstarstar 		Hoop stains on counted cross stitch canvas
by: Anonymous

Won't the colors run if canvas is totally immersed in liquid?
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starstarstarstarstar 		Hoop Stains on Embroidery
by: Anonymous

Try also soaking in shampoo or bubble-bath, my reasoning is if it is gentle enough for the skin it is gentle enough for embroidery! Use bias binding or bandage to wrap round the rings of the hoop.
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I also have put badly stained embroidery in a laundry bag in the washing machine on a 40 degree wash - OUCH!! you may say but desperation!
And it does work, they used to boil embroidered tablecloths/traycloths.
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starstarstarstarstar 		hoop stains on embroidery
by: Anonymous

It sounds more like your hands were responsible for the mark, not your embroidery hoops. That is one of the problems with having to hold your piece up for stitching on it.

Because the mark was most likely made by the natural oils in your hand, I would use a diluted solution of mild shampoo, like No More Tears. Unlike dish detergent, shampoo is formulated specifically to handle human body oils and should be gentle enough for cleaning your work, provided you are using colour-fast thread.

I sometimes will wash my hands every couple of hours when stitching for long periods because even though you may have washed before you started, oils build up and comes back to nurish your hands, whether you want them to or not. :>)

Here is an extra non-stitching tip: Use shampoo formulated for oily hair to clean collar and cuff stains, it works much better than most laundry aids! ~Valerie

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