Washing clothes can be simple until stains in your fabric happen. This makes laundry day more hassle than it already is. Sometimes it can be easy to remove. Other times, it just takes so long. The key to getting rid of grease is to do it as soon as it happens. While grease stains are difficult to remove, it’s possible with the right step.
In this article, you’re going to learn about:
- General grease stain removal tips
- Stain removal on clothes
- Grease removal on delicate clothing
- Removal of stains using a washing machine
Let’s get into it.
4 Methods on How to Remove Grease Out of Your Clothes
When your cloth is stained, there are a few immediate steps that you can take before the stain gets worse:
- Act quickly because a minute can make a difference.
- Read the care label first before doing anything.
- Gently blot the stain, and never scrub
- Scrape off the large stains carefully.
- Don’t machine-dry clothes with an oil stain on them.
How to Get Grease Out of Clothes
When chemical bonds form in the fabric of a garment, the stain becomes almost impossible to remove. That’s why removing the stain quickly is vital, just like how you deal with soy sauce stains.
Here are easy and valuable ways to remove grease stains using different products:
Baking Soda – Best for Fresh Stains
When it comes to fresh stains, immediately pouring baking soda on the stained area will help absorb and lift the grease from your clothes.
Effectively remove stains using baking soda with the following procedures:
- Use a washcloth or a paper towel to wipe away any extra oil.
- Scatter baking soda over the damaged fabric and let it sit for 24 hours.
- After a day, remove the baking soda using a vacuum or brush.
- Spray a vinegar-and-water solution on the afflicted area.
- Use soap and a brush to scrub, then rinse.
- If the stain persists, repeat the procedure.
Dishwashing Detergent – Best for Tough Stains
A dishwashing detergent’s ability to get rid of grease can be helpful for tough stains. This is especially true if you spill cooking oil on your clothes and need to remove the stain quickly.
Follow these tips when using dishwashing detergent:
- Lay the stained garment on a flat surface.
- Cover the stain with a diluted mixture of water and regular dishwashing liquid.
- Gently dab the detergent into the mixture using your fingers.
- Rinse the dishwashing liquid off
- Keep repeating the process for particularly resistant stains
| Fun Fact!
The amount of laundry detergent varies depending on the water you use. Using a regular amount of detergent (two tablespoons) is best if you have medium and hard water. However, with soft water, you only need ½ tablespoon of detergent. |
Chalk – Best for Fresh Stains
Yes, you read it right. You can also use chalk powder to remove fresh stains. Technically, it works the same way as baking soda by absorbing the oil from the fabric.
Here’s how you can do it:
- Use a paper towel to remove extra oil or food from the clothing.
- Apply chalk to the entire area and wait a few minutes for the oil to soak thoroughly.
- As soon as the stain appears, wash the stained item.
Salt – Best for New Stains
There are 12 edible types of salt, and you might not think about it when removing new stains. However, you’ll be surprised that salt can be helpful if used properly.
Check these easy steps to use it:
- Sprinkle salt on the stain right away to prevent it from settling.
- Wait for the salt to absorb the grease before using a soft brush to remove it.
- Repeat as necessary to remove the stain.
- Wash as usual.
| ✅Pro tip:
Double-knit fabrics can be tricky when cleaning grease. When dealing with double-knit fabrics, you can use the following steps:
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If done correctly, the steps above can successfully remove the grease stains in your clothes.
However, delicate clothes are a different story.
How To Remove Grease Stains From Delicates
In removing stains from your delicate clothes, you must be careful to avoid damaging them. For example, silk is a delicate and expensive fabric requiring utmost care and protection.
To give that special care to your delicate fabrics, here are tips to help remove stains from your delicates properly:
- Cover the stain completely with talcum powder, baby powder, or cornstarch.
- Leave the garment somewhere warm for a few hours or overnight. The warm temperature will help the power absorb the grease.
- Remove the powder from the garment.
- Repeat the process if the grease remains.
- Wash the garment as usual.
It might be tempting to just put your stained clothes and delicates on the washing machine. However, before you do that, check if using a washing machine to remove grease stains is a good idea.
How to Get Grease Out of Clothes in a Washing Machine
You might consider a laundry service wherein you’ll pay an average of $6.20 per load. Sadly, using a washing machine for fresh stains is not advisable. It might just make the situation worse. Grease comes from fatty and oily substances that do not react well with water, even with the hottest setting.
But if you want to use your washing machine to remove grease, you’ll need a strong detergent or acid to emulsify and break up stains. Try to use one of the methods above before tossing your stained clothes into the washer.
Be careful to check the stains in your clothes before putting them on the dryer because “baked” stains are even harder to remove.
Bottomline
You cannot avoid having grease stains, but the tips in this article should make it manageable for you to deal with them and keep your clothes looking fresh and spotless.
As a general rule, when cleaning your clothes, always follow the care label before attempting to remove unwanted stains on your clothes.
FAQs on How to Get Grease Out of Clothes
Can vinegar remove greasy stains?
Yes, you can use vinegar to remove grease from your clothes. Vinegar contains distilled acetic acid that is mild enough not to hurt your fabrics but strong enough to dissolve residues like oil and grease.
What happens if you leave an oil stain untreated?
Oil stains might not seem much at first, and it might be tempting to deal with it later. But the problem with leaving grease, such as cooking oil stains, on your clothes is that they can get darker and permanent if they aren’t taken care of.
Where can I get grease stains from?
Items like cooking oil, butter, mayonnaise, bacon fat, sunscreen lotion, and facial creams can all result in grease-based stains.
