I learned how to remove grease and oil stains from clothes with household items!
I recently discovered grease or oil stains on my favorite brown tank top. No idea what I got on myself. I was so upset I didn’t notice the stains until I was doing my laundry, which meant the stains had set. So, I did what we all do, I took to the internet! I knew there had to be a way to remove grease and oil stains from clothes.
Luckily, there was no shortage of articles on the subject. But, I needed a remedy that wasn’t going to take the color out of my dark brown top along with the stain. I ended up piecing together a bunch of info from my research and, miracle of miracles, it worked! Plus, I already had everything I needed here at home. These treatments work on clothes and tablecloths made of cotton, cotton blends, polyester, and synthetic fabrics.
Prevent The Stain From Setting
If you can catch a grease or oil-based stain as soon as it happens (ahem, salad dressing), follow these steps to keep the stain from setting. This has worked for me many times. If the stain is old or already set, jump to the treatment below that outlines how to remove grease and oil stains from clothes.
- Soak Up The Excess – Soak up as much of the grease or oil as you can with a paper towel, napkin or whatever is handy. Be sure to put your hand on the other side of the fabric with a paper towel or cloth so the stain does not bleed through. The last thing you want are matching oil stains on the back of your clothing.
- Apply Absorbent Powder – Lay the garment flat and put a clean folded cloth or paper towel behind the stain so it doesn’t leak through. Then cover the stain generously with an absorbent powder, such as cornstarch or baking soda, to soak up the remaining oil. I usually use baby powder since that’s what I have upstairs and it’s made of cornstarch.
- Let It Sit – Let the powder sit on the stain/s overnight to absorb the oil.
- Wash – The next morning, shake the powder, cornstarch or baking soda into the sink or trash. You should see a white haze of powder where the stain is/was. Wash the garment in the hottest temp the fabric will allow.
- Check – Carefully check the garment to see if the stain is gone. If you’re not sure, hang it to dry, Do NOT put it in the dryer, which will make the stain more difficult to remove. If the stain is still there, move on to the stain treatment below.
How To Remove Grease & Oil Stains From Clothes
What’s great about this stain treatment is you probably already have everything you need at home. It works on clothes, tablecloths and other items made of cotton, cotton-blends, polyester and synthetic fabrics.
What You’ll Need
- A Piece of Cardboard
- Cotton swabs
- Multi-Use WD-40
- Baking Soda
- A Spoon
- An Old Toothbrush (for cleaning only from this day forth)
- A Grease Cutting Liquid Dish Soap, such as Ajax or Dawn (full disclosure, I used Ivory because that’s what I had)
Stain Treatment
1. Protect The Fabric
Do not skip this step. Place a piece of cardboard behind the stain to protect the backside of your garment. If you don’t, the stain will transfer through the fabric.
2. Reactivate The Stain
Over the sink or garbage, not your garment, spray some WD-40 on the end of a cotton swab. Then roll the cotton swab over the grease or oil stain to “reactivate” it. You don’t need a lot, the WD-40 will spread when absorbed by the fabric.
3. Absorb The Grease or Oil
- Use a spoon to sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on each stain.
- Then use an old toothbrush to gently work the baking soda into the stains. Use small circular motions so as not to fray the fabric fibers.
- As the baking soda absorbs the oil and WD-40, it will start to get lumpy.
- Shake the lumpy baking soda off the garment into the sink or trash and repeat.
4. Repeat
Repeat step 3 until almost no lumps form. You will be left with a fine powdery “stain” where your oil stains are.
5. Treat Remaining Grease
Pour a dollop of grease-cutting liquid dish soap on each stain and use the toothbrush to work the liquid soap into the stain. Again, use a gentle circular motion.
Let the dish soap sit on the stain for at least 30 minutes or leave it overnight.
6. Wash & Hang To Dry
Wash your garment as usual in the hottest temp the fabric will allow. Afterwards, check that the stains are gone. If you’re not sure, do NOT put the garment in the dryer. Stains on dark fabrics can be difficult to see when they’re wet, so it’s best to hang the garment to dry.
If the stains remain, repeat the treatment process again.
The above process removed the grease stain from my brown tank top on the first try. There was no trace of the stain or frayed fabric where I had treated it. Just FYI, my tank is a cotton-poly blend.
Notes
- This stain removal process works best on cotton but it does work on synthetic fabrics too. You just may need to repeat the treatment process.
- Do not attempt to treat stains on “dry clean only” garments at home.
- If you’re concerned about the above treatment damaging a garment, do test patch. Try it on a small, unseen section of fabric.
Need To Remove White Stains From Dark Clothing?
I’ve got a clever product that will remove white and light-colored stains from dark clothing without leaving behind lint or fuzz. Check out my post A Simple, Inexpensive Way To Remove White Stains From Dark Clothing.
Please let me know if this stain removal process works for you!
All items are in stock (unless noted otherwise) at time of publication.
