Laundry stripping is a deep cleaning method that removes residue from detergent, hard water, fabric softener and body oils from “clean” sheets, towels, and other items.
How it works: Strong liquid laundry detergents are effective at breaking down oils. Instructions: Rub a small amount of liquid laundry detergent directly onto the stain. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Wash the item in the warmest water safe for the fabric. Best for: Set-in or larger oil stains.
Laundry stripping is to remove build up from hard water, liquid laundry detergent, fabric softener/dryer sheets and body oils but it won't remove the stains per se. Since the towels are white, your best bet is bleaching them in hot water overnight, that will make a dent in those.
The Miracle Spot Remover, which you can make yourself with one part Dawn dish detergent and two parts hydrogen peroxide. Put them in a spray bottle and use it on your grease spots. It doesn't work all the time, but it certainly does work most of the time. It's good for all kinds of stains.
Oil doesn't dissolve by itself... otherwise we would have no petroleum industry! You can combine it with lye (drano) and water to make soap. Do a little at a time, the soap you create will help wash away the oil! Note- that the reaction with lye will produce a lot of heat. Another reason to do a tiny bit at a time.
Use an astringent
A gentle astringent³ toner is one of many oily skin remedies. Use once a day to remove excess oil and keep oily skin at bay. As with cleansers, be careful not to overuse astringent toners—doing so might cause skin to produce more oil as a result.
If oil has saturated the towel or there are too many small stains to individually target, pretreat the towel by soaking it in a strong laundry detergent, then wash as usual. You can dry the towels in a dryer, but be sure to double-check the towels to ensure all stains are gone.
After rigorously testing 37 laundry stain removers, Shout Advanced Grease Busting Foam earned a spot as our best overall pick for its high stain-removing performance, ease of use, and practical price point of just $6. This foaming spray is formulated to remove tricky oil and grease stains from food and auto care.
Yes, there are many common household items that work great when dealing with oil stains on clothing. Tide Liquid Laundry Detergent, clear dish soaps, white vinegar, and warm water can all work well at breaking down and lifting even the most stubborn oil stains.
Oil can be drawn out of clothes by blotting with a paper towel and allowing baking soda to absorb it, similar to how you would get gasoline out of clothes. Another way to draw oil out of clothes is to use dishwashing liquid.
Fill your bathtub, sink or a large bucket with hot water. Add borax, washing soda (sodium carbonate — not baking soda) and laundry detergent in a 1:1:2 ratio. For a bathtub, add ¼ cup borax, ¼ cup washing soda and ½ cup laundry detergent. Stir until all three ingredients dissolve completely.
Laundry stripping is harsh on fabrics and can cause damage if done too often. You can often tell if fabrics could benefit from stripping by feeling them. Do they have a sticky feeling? Have your towels lost their softness and absorbency?
That's where Good Housekeeping Seal star Tide Hygienic Clean can go to work. It's formulated to better penetrate fibers and dissolve and remove body oils you might not be able to see. It also helps brighten clothes without bleach, so it's safe for even the brightest colors.
However, using too much fabric softener can leave your bedding with a bit of a waxy residue.
The petroleum-based product creates stubborn oil stains that require specific treatment methods to remove completely from fabric fibers. While regular washing alone might not do the trick, you'll be glad to know there are several effective techniques to tackle Vaseline stains.
Reach for OxiClean™ Max Force™ Spray or Gel Stick to fight back with 5 different powerful enzymes and stain fighters.
Oil-based makeup tends to be one of the most stubborn stains to remove. Since oil doesn't dissolve easily in water, it can cling to fabric fibers, making it difficult to wash out. For these stains, dish soap and rubbing alcohol are great tools. Dish soap breaks down oil, while alcohol helps to lift the stain.
Hot water is an essential step in the process of how to get body oil out of sheets. There is no one best laundry detergent for removing body oils. Use a detergent that is compatible with your washing machine and doesn't irritate your skin, wash with hot water, and have a good wash routine.
For particularly stubborn stains, a pre-soak can work wonders. Fill your sink or a bucket with warm water and add a capful of your chosen detergent. Let your linens soak for about an hour before washing - this gives the detergent time to really work its magic on those oil molecules.
OxiClean™ Max Force™ Laundry Stain Remover Spray helps to loosen and remove set-in stains, plus gets rid of grease, oil, grass and more stains on laundry items.
How it's done: All that's needed to remove body oil stains is a paintbrush and shampoo. Use the brush to spread the shampoo over the area that's stained with body oil, and then clean the same way the garment is normally washed.
Wash stained sheets with a degreasing solvent
Laundry detergent won't be enough. We recommend Orange Linen Degreaser. Degreasers are specialized and separate cleaning agents that remove organic soils such fats, oils, and proteins.
The best way to spot treat these stains is to apply a small amount of dishwashing detergent first to the area like Dawn Dishwashing Detergent®, since it breaks down grease. Then create a paste with your regular laundry detergent and a non-chlorine booster such as Oxyclean® OR Borax® and soak overnight in warm water.