How to Clean Grease from Clothes

Use dishwashing liquid. The easiest and simplest way to clean any grease stains from fabrics is to rub a lot of concentrated dishwashing liquid directly onto the stain. Dishwashing liquid doesn’t contain harsh chemicals, so you don’t have to worry about fabric damage. Moreover, the formula of dishwashing liquid is specially formulated to dissolve grease. Use a small brush (an old toothbrush works great!) to scrub the stain in a circular motion for a few minutes. Add more dishwashing liquid if necessary. Leave it on for at least 30 minutes before putting it in the washing machine. Wash in warm water with strong wash. This method uses only one ingredient, and the results are amazing!

Sprinkle baby powder over the stain. As soon as you can, sprinkle a small amount of baby powder on fresh oil stains on your clothes. The talcum powder is fine enough to be able to get between the fibers of the fabric and absorb oil. Leave the baby powder on the cloth to “soak” for about 10-15 minutes, then wipe it off. If the oil stain is still visible, put the garment in the washing machine and wash it in cold water. This combination method is very effective. Once the clothes are dry, you won’t see any more oil stains!

Rub chalk on the oil stain. Blackboard chalk is a fine powder that easily absorbs oil on clothes and makes cleaning easy. Use white chalk to rub the stain, or scrape a little powder on the stain. Wait about 10-15 minutes for the powder to absorb the oil and brush it off. If the stain remains, you can wash it in cold water. The next rinse/squeeze cycle will finish the job and remove the stain.

Coat the cornstarch on the stain. Yes, cornstarch is a fine powder (as well as baby powder and chalk) that are great at absorbing oil from new and old stains as well. Sprinkle a small amount of powder on the stain and let it sit for 15 minutes. You can then brush off the powder or leave it as it is and put it in the washing machine. Wash with cold water, and the oil stain will be gone!

Sprinkle talcum powder over the oil stain. You don’t have the above powders available? Try using talcum powder to remove stains. Follow the steps described above – sprinkle a small amount of powder over the oil stain, let it sit for 10-15 minutes. After a short wait for the powder to absorb the oil, you can throw your clothes in the washing machine and wash them in cold water.

Prepare a solution of salt and rubbing alcohol. This solution is most effective on stains on thick fabrics, such as denim or linen. Mix one part salt with three parts rubbing alcohol, then pour over the grease stain. Use a soft cloth to rub the mixture on the stain to soak into the fibers. Let the solution soak for 10-15 minutes, then wash as usual. After being washed and dried, your clothes should be free of grease stains! ^[1]

Use dishwashing liquid. There’s a reason people use dishwashing liquid to clean up spills – dishwashing liquid can magically dissolve stubborn grease stains. Look for an oil-soluble dish soap (these contain a special type of oil-eating bacteria). Rub dish soap on the stain and rub it with a soft rag. You can then put the clothes in the washing machine and wash them on the normal cycle. Clothes are usually clean immediately after one wash, but you can repeat the process if stains remain. ^[2]

Use dry cleaning solvent. If you’re willing to spend a little extra, you can buy a dry cleaning solution specifically designed to clean grease stains. These products often come in liquid form in spray bottles or are used to iron clothes. Because it’s dry cleaning, it works almost immediately, and your clothes will be as clean as new again. ^[3]