When it comes to laundry offenders, grease stains are undoubtedly one of the most bothersome. Not only are they easy to get, but they are also challenging to remove.
Luckily, your grease-stained clothes don’t have to end up in the trash bin—we have listed some pretty effective ways you can try to prevent throwing away your favorite shirt.
Keep on reading to learn how to get grease out of clothes.
What to Do to Remove Grease From Fabric Effectively?
Even if you are using a nonstick cookware set without using additional grease or are being super careful while preparing and eating your food, you’re still in danger of getting that annoying greasy stain on one or more of your clothing items.
One of the biggest problems with treating grease stains is that they often go unnoticed until you wash and dry your clothes. Unfortunately, by doing so, you “bake” the grease into the cloth, thus setting the stain in. In this case, it becomes much more difficult to get grease out of clothes, but not impossible.
Before we take a look at all the ways how to remove grease stains from clothes that have already been washed, let’s first examine the steps you should follow if you happen to notice a stain on time.
Act Fast
If you want to remove grease from clothes quickly and efficiently, you stand the best chance if you don’t give it time to set in the fabric.
Most steps of removing grease from fabric involve blotting the stain with a plain paper towel, avoiding rubbing since you will only push the substance into the fibers.
If you happen to get a grease stain on your favorite clothes while eating out, you can use a small amount of artificial sweetener or salt on the stain to prevent it from setting.
Check the Clothing’s Care Tag
Some fabrics may require dry cleanings, like delicates and wool, so you should always check the label before removing grease stains from clothes to make sure you can treat the clothing with various products.
If you’re still unsure what fabric you are dealing with and are worried about the clothing shrinking, you can’t make a mistake with cold water (although it may not be as effective for flushing out stains).
Once you have determined the type of material, you can check the following steps that show you how to get grease out of clothes made of various fabrics.
How to Get Oil Stains Out of Cotton or Linen Clothes
- Start by taking a butter knife or any other blunt knife and scraping off excess grease.
- Then, use a clean cloth or paper towel to gently work the affected area and rub either liquid dish detergent, pretreatment spray, or liquid laundry detergent into the stain and let it sit for several minutes.
- Before putting the item in the washing machine, rinse the detergent or liquid dish soap thoroughly.
- The final step is to let the clothing air dry, avoiding machine drying since the heat can set the potential remains of the stain.
How to Get Grease Stains Out of Clothes Made of Chenille or Corduroy
The steps for removing grease stains out of washable chenille and corduroy items are also super easy.
- The first step includes applying baby powder or cornstarch to the stain since they will act as absorbents.
- Let them sit for several minutes before you gently brush them off.
- These couple of steps are ideal for treating smaller stains and are perfect for those who wonder how to get grease out of clothes without washing. However, if you deal with bigger oily stains, you should apply a stain pretreatment product following the instructions.
- Finish by washing the clothing item according to its care tag and then let it air dry.
Grease Stain Removal Out of Leather Clothes
If you accidentally spill something greasy on your leather jacket, don’t despair since there is an easy way to fix it. However, you need to have some patience since removing grease from clothes made of leather takes up time.
- Start by gently blotting the stain to remove extra oil.
- One of the best options for treating greasy stains on leather is using quality saddle soap, while the alternatives include some absorbent powder, such as cornstarch or baking powder.
- Once you treat the affected area, let it sit for several hours or, even better, overnight, after which you need to brush the powder off and repeat the process if necessary.
- Note that you must finish by treating the leather with a leather conditioner or cleaner because this cleaning method can be drying.
How to Remove Grease Stains on Lycra, Spandex, Polyester, or Nylon
- If you wonder how to get oil stains out of clothes quickly and easily, the safest thing is to immediately treat the food stains on polyester or nylon with an aerosol pretreatment for stains and have it washed.
- If you don’t have a pretreatment product for oily stains, you can use liquid detergent to rub it into the affected area. If the stain has already set in, you also need to scratch the grease area with detergent.
- The second step includes washing the item with the warmest water you are allowed to use for the particular clothing item. Once washed, leave the garment air dry and repeat the steps if needed.
- After washing and drying the item, inspect the affected area. If you still notice some stains, wash using liquid chlorine or color-safe bleach, depending on whether you’re using it on white or colored clothes.
How to Get Grease Stains Out of Wool
- Similar to all of the methods for getting grease out of clothes already listed, start with gently scraping off as much oil as possible using a dull knife.
- The following step includes applying baking soda or cornstarch to the surface of the wool and letting it sit for an hour or longer.
- Brush off the product and then repeat the second step if needed.
- If you notice the stain still clinging on, mix a little vinegar with cold water and apply it to the stained area.
- Carefully blot the area with clear water and let it dry.
FAQ
How do you get dried grease out of clothes?
Dried grease stains are not ideal, but you can get grease out of clothing by performing a few additional steps. It’s important not to wet the stain since it will only saturate the fabric around the grease and leave you no room to get the grease out.
However, if you have already washed the clothes and the oil has been baked into the fabric, you need to pre-treat the stain with an enzyme-based cleaner and the standard pre-treatment you’d use.
What removes grease from fabric?
There are several products you can use as a grease stain remover. Depending on the type of material you are working with, you can try:
- liquid dish soap
- pretreatment spray
- liquid enzyme detergent
- baby powder or cornstarch
- quality saddle soap
- baking soda
- vinegar
Can baking soda and vinegar remove grease?
You will be glad to know that these products commonly found in kitchen cabinets are a natural stain remover and degreaser. However, be careful, as some fabrics react to the vinegar, so before you start removing grease stains, test your clothing item to make sure you won’t ruin your clothes even further.
So, how to get cooking grease out of clothes using vinegar?
If you mix some baking soda with vinegar, you will create a powerful combo that forms a bubbling foam that will loosen and remove grease from surfaces. While the vinegar breaks down the grease, the baking soda acts as a soft abrasive to lift the stain. Once the stain is out, wash your clothes as usual and air-dry.
Conclusion
As you have seen, removing grease stains from garments isn’t an impossible nor a difficult task to perform. If you want to know how to get grease out of clothes quickly and more efficiently, the key is to act fast.
Still, even if the stain is old and dried, the above examples show it can be cleaned, though you might need to take some additional steps and arm yourself with extra patience.
