Stain disappearing when the clothing is dry?

[Jan49]

I splashed tomato pasta sauce on a white polyester skirt leaving an orange stain the size of 2 10p pieces. I couldn't get it off so when it had been through the washing machine and came out still stained, I left it aside. A few days later I picked it up, wondering if I could find a way of covering the stain (Dulux white paint?!) and in the meantime it had dried and the stain is gone. How did that happen?

I think this has happened to me before with a stain that wouldn't come out of something but was gone when the item dried.

Are there elves that sort these things out when I'm asleep?

Was it in the sun? I always find the sun removes a red food stain better than any stain remover

No, it was over a bannister on the landing with no window and it's been rainy and cloudy here. When I had this exciting "experience" before, I'd left the item somewhere right in the sun and I thought the sun must have bleached out the stain like you say.

I'm going with the elves because I want it to be true. A house elf like Dobby would be good.

The exact same thing has happened to me. I had a t shirt that had the same type of stain on it. I washed it a couple of times and the stain wouldn't shift, I was a annoyed as one wash was with that Airel stain remover. In the end I thought sod it and hung (inside) to dry. Upon drying the stain had gone :)