How To Get Oil And Grease Stains Out Of Clothes?
QUICK ANSWER
Blot up excess oil with a paper towel. Apply liquid dish soap (Dawn) directly to the stain, work in with your fingers, and let sit 5 minutes. Wash in the hottest water the fabric allows. Check before drying since heat permanently sets any remaining oil stain.
Oil and grease stains are among the most stubborn clothing stains because oil bonds to fabric fibers and repels water. Regular laundry detergent and water alone often leave the stain visible. The trick is using a degreaser (dish soap is the cheapest and most effective) to break the oil bond before washing. The same method works on cooking oil, butter, grease, salad dressing, makeup oil, motor oil, and most other oil-based stains.
Why are oil stains tricky?
Oil and water don't mix. Standard laundry detergent is designed for water-soluble stains; oil-based stains slip through the wash without bonding to the detergent. The visible oil stain is the oil saturating the fabric fibers, refracting light differently than dry fibers. Cooking oil, butter, motor oil, hair products, makeup, salad dressing, and most kitchen grease all behave similarly. The solution is using a surfactant (like dish soap) that breaks the oil into smaller particles that water can carry away. This is the same chemistry dishwashing soap uses to cut grease on dishes.
How do you treat fresh oil stains?
Act fast. Blot up excess oil with a clean paper towel or cloth (do not rub which spreads the stain). Sprinkle cornstarch, baby powder, or salt over the stain to absorb any remaining liquid; let sit 5 to 10 minutes, brush off. Apply 1 to 2 drops of liquid dish soap (Dawn is the standard, but any grease-cutting dish soap works) directly to the stain. Work the soap in with your fingers in small circular motions. Let sit 5 to 15 minutes. Wash in the hottest water the fabric allows with regular detergent. The longer the soap sits, the more grease it breaks down.
What about dried-on oil stains?
Older oil stains need more work. Same starting point: apply liquid dish soap directly, work in, let sit 15 to 30 minutes (longer for older stains). For really stubborn stains, make a paste with dish soap and baking soda; apply, work in with a soft toothbrush. Let sit 30 minutes. Add Lestoil (commercial degreaser) for the toughest stains; apply, scrub, let sit. Wash in hot water. Check before drying since heat permanently sets any remaining oil. May require 2 or 3 treatment cycles for set-in old oil stains. Each cycle reduces the stain further.
What products work best?
Dish soap (Dawn) is the cheapest and most effective for most oil stains. Other proven options: Lestoil (commercial degreaser, available in laundry aisle), Pine-Sol (cleaning product also works on grease), WD-40 (counter-intuitive but the petroleum solvents in WD-40 dissolve other petroleum products like motor oil and grease; apply to stain, let sit, then wash with dish soap to remove WD-40 residue), and commercial enzyme cleaners (OxiClean MaxForce, Shout Triple Acting). For makeup stains specifically, dish soap usually works; for motor oil and bike grease, Lestoil or WD-40 followed by dish soap.
Oil and grease stains come out with the right surfactant: dish soap (Dawn) for most cases, Lestoil or WD-40 for tougher cases. Always pretreat before washing. Wash in hot water if the fabric allows. Check the stain before drying since heat permanently sets any remaining oil residue. Multiple treatment cycles often outperform one aggressive attempt. The same dish soap method works on fresh and old oil stains; older stains just need longer dwell time.
More Stain Removal Questions
Mystery Question?
Mystery Question?
Mystery Question?