Grease Stain Removal Tips

Woman treating stained t-shirt.

Grease stain removal tips. No matter how neat your family of eaters is, there is bound to be a grease spot or oil stain on clothes now and then. 

These simple and easy-to-follow grease stain removal tips can make your clothes look fresh and clean again, putting your mind at ease when dealing with stains.

These little reminders of family life needn't become a permanent memory on your clothes. 

Dish Soap Grease Stain Removal Tips 

Grease stain removal on clothes can be tackled like washing a sink full of greasy dishes—with dish soap.

Because dish soap is designed to break up surface grease and allow it to rinse away, it's uniquely qualified to remove grease stains on clothes.

  • Place the garment stain side down on white paper towels. (Printed paper towels could transfer ink color to your clothes.)
  • Squirt a dime-sized amount of dishwashing liquid on the backside of the stain. Gently massage the dish detergent into the stain center and work your way to the edges. Give it a minute to work its breakdown magic on the fabric.
  • Rinse the treated area under warm to hot running water for a minute or so to remove the dish detergent. The water temperature will depend on what the fabric can handle. For 100 percent cotton, you can usually use hot water.

Laundry Detergent Pre-Treatment

grease-stain-detergent-19

To use laundry detergent to remove grease stains, rub a few drops into the stain and let the detergent work for 3-5 minutes.

Wash the grease-stained item separately from the rest of your clothes in the warmest water temperature safe for the fabric. Add a little bleach or bleach alternative to the wash water. 

Extend the wash cycle to give the garment some extra time in the spin cycle. With a top-loading washer, wait 6-8 minutes into the cycle, stop it, and spin the dial back for another 10 minutes.

Grease Stain Removal Tips With Absorbent Powder and Dry Cleaning Fluid

The best way to remove fresh grease spots is to give them a one-two punch of absorbent powder (such as cornstarch, salt, baking powder or talcum powder) and dry cleaning fluid.
  • Apply absorbent powder and let it sit until the dust has absorbed as much of the stain as possible. Brush away the absorbent remnants with a stiff-bristle brush.
  • Sponge-blot the treated area with dry cleaning fluid, working outward from the center using light strokes. Allow it to dry completely before wearing.

WD-40

Place the garment on paper towels, stain side up. Spray the greasy area with WD-40 multi-Use spray. Let stand 10 minutes.

Then, turn the garment over and spray the underside. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes. Using paper towels, blot on some hand dishwashing liquid, replacing the towels as they absorb the grease. 

Rinse the treated area, and wash it separately from the rest of your laundry.

Lestoil Heavy Duty Cleaner

Woman pouring solution on t-shirt stain.Pour Lestoil directly on the grease stain and allow it to sit for 20 minutes before washing.
Pour Lestoil concentrated heavy duty cleaner onto the grease stain, and let it soak into the fabric for 20 minutes before washing.

And if you're washing a large load of greasy laundry, add some Lestoil to the wash water to get the entire load clean and grease-free.

Lestoil is also suitable for removing grease from fabric on sofas, chairs, carpets, and concrete driveways.

Inspect The Stained Area Before Drying

Before placing the garment in the dryer, inspect the treated area to ensure your grease stain removal efforts have been successful. 

If you can still see any residue, repeat one of the stain treatments above and wash again until the stain is entirely removed. Once the stain removal process is complete, dry the garment as usual.