To eliminate grease and oil stains from mechanic's clothing, apply dish soap or laundry detergent directly to the affected area, then scrub gently with a brush. For tougher stains, use a pre-treatment spray before washing with hot water.
Engine oil and grease tend to be organic based, so shampoo is a trustworthy detergent to remove them. Lay your stained clothes flat on a table. Use your fingers or a sponge (or anything soft) to rub the shampoo onto the stain. Let the shampoo set for 25 minutes before you rinse the clothes.
Dawn works wonders as a pre-treatment for oil and grease stains. I ``figured that out on my own'' years ago and it's worked very well!
It's best to use dishwashing liquid to remove grease and oil since it cuts through them. When you rinse your clothes in cold water and rub them with dish soap, you'll be able to remove grease and oil. If there are severe stains, use an enzyme laundry detergent for grease and oil and rinse on hot.
For dried, set-in oil stains, first try a clear liquid dish soap, blotting it into the stain before letting it sit for about ten minutes. Rinse with water then soak in warm or hot water for another half hour.
Allow product to soak on stain for 5-10 minutes prior to washing.
½ tablespoons of Tide Ultra Stain Release Liquid per gallon of warm water. Allow the garment to soak for up to 5 minutes, weighting the item with a white towel to keep it totally submerged.
Vinegar will work to remove grease stains from some fabrics. Place an old towel on the underside of the fabric and saturate the stain with a 50/50 mix of white distilled vinegar and water. Scrub the stain with a wet toothbrush and soap until it begins to lift, and repeat until the stain is gone.
FOR SET-IN GREASE STAINS THAT WON'T BUDGE AFTER WASHING
Clean by soaking in a detergent and water solution. Drain and squeeze out excess water. Mix a new solution of detergent and water and repeat treatment until no odor of grease remains. Rinse in clean water.
For oil-based stains and protein stains you'll likely need something more serious, but the Tide Pen is very effective on tannin-based stains (except ink stains—you'll need something more serious for that as well) and food-related stains of all kinds.
Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the stain. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. You'll notice a change in the color of the baking soda as it soaks the grease. Once it has dried, scrape the baking soda off your garment.
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.
Nettuno's Lavatute detergent is specially designed to remove all traces of grease and keep the characteristics and integrity of mechanics' garments intact.
Lestoil directly on grease and oil scrub with soft brush. Follow with a soak in ammonia, Lestoil and the soap of your choice. Then launder.
One effective trick and the best soap for mechanics to combat grease stains is dish soap. Having a quality degreaser on hand can be a game-changer. Many dish detergents are formulated to cut through grease and oil effectively.
The best laundry detergent for oil and grease stains is Fast Orange 22340 grease X, especially for mechanics and those people who are exposed to a lot of grease.
What the company doesn't advertise -- and these days is reluctant to admit -- is that the grease-cutting part of the potion is made from petroleum. "To make the best product out there, you have to have some in there," says Ian Tholking of Procter & Gamble. He says less than one-seventh of Dawn comes from petroleum.
For old or set-in stains, pre-treat the area with a dab of dish soap and let it sit before adding the garment to your regular wash cycle. For stubborn, old, or heat-set stains, use a more vigorous dabbing motion to penetrate the fabric fibers and absorb the ingrained oil. Repeat this process as needed.
Here's how you can give your family's clothes some extra dirt and grease-fighting power with Dawn®. 1. Apply 1 to 2 sprays of Dawn® Powerwash Dish Spray directly to any cotton, polyester, or poly blend fabric* and rub it in using your fingers.
The highest strength industrial degreaser available, Solvalene was created for the toughest degreasing applications. This alkaline fortified, water based degreaser is extremely versatile and can handle most heavy duty cleaning assignments.
With OxiClean™ Versatile Stain Remover powder, you can remove old stains from clothes even after they have dried, grease and oil stains included. Plus, VSR is color safe, so you can use it to restore the life of old clothes and avoid having to buy new ones!