You can spray a commercial degreaser like OxiClean Max Force Spray or Shout Advanced Grease Busting Foam to break down oil. Alternatively, mix liquid dish soap and water in a spray bottle, or spray the stain directly with hairspray and let it sit before washing.
To get a grease stain out of clothing, act quickly by blotting up excess oil. Cover the spot with dish soap, scrub gently, and add baking soda to lift the stain. Let it sit for 15 minutes, then rinse and wash the garment in the hottest water recommended for the fabric.
The best degreasers for clothes depend on the type of stain. For most everyday oil or grease spots, a specialty laundry pre-treater is highly effective. For severe, set-in, or industrial grease (such as motor oil or cooking fats), a heavy-duty household degreaser, laundry booster, or even dish soap works best.
Acetone is a great degreaser. Not only does it effectively remove large amounts of grease, but it evaporates quickly without leaving behind extra residue. However, this solvent is not suitable for use on some plastic and rubber surfaces, and is extremely flammable.
White vinegar offers natural acidity that may help remove some grease stains from fabrics. Dab a small amount of white vinegar on the stain before treating with dish soap.
Hydrogen peroxide is highly effective at removing grease and oil stains, especially when combined with a surfactant like Dawn dish soap. While dish soap breaks down the grease, the peroxide acts as a bleaching agent to lift the residual pigment out of fabrics or surfaces.
Both baking soda and white vinegar are excellent, gentle alternatives to bleach, but baking soda is the better choice for directly whitening and brightening dingy whites.
Though dish soap is great as a stain pretreatment option, it's not meant for direct use in a laundry washing machine. That's because dish soaps are uniquely formulated to break up grease and stuck-on food particles with foamy suds—something you don't want to happen in your washing machine.
If you're cooking and have a grease spill, you can clean it up immediately before it becomes a problem later. One easy way is to sprinkle flour over the spill. Let the flour sit for a few minutes to absorb the grease and then you can easily wipe it up.
Isopropyl alcohol is a powerful degreasing agent, making it valuable in industries where machinery and equipment are exposed to grease and oil build-up. Whether it's in automotive, manufacturing, or food processing, isopropyl alcohol can effectively remove stubborn grease and ensure smooth machine operation.
Talc, Cornstarch, or Chalk
These items can even remove stains if you promptly catch the oil or grease drip on fabric. Simply sprinkle the oily stain liberally with baby powder, talcum powder, or cornstarch; you can also rub the area with white chalk.
Are baking soda and vinegar helpful in removing oil stains? Yes, they are. Douse the stain with white vinegar, then apply a paste made of equal parts baking soda and vinegar. If this doesn't work, immerse the item overnight in a bucket of water containing a few tablespoons of detergent and vinegar.
Yes, Dawn is a powerful degreaser. Its highly concentrated surfactant formula is designed to break down and lift oily, greasy build-up.
HOW TO REMOVE OLD GREASE STAINS FROM CLOTHING. To remove old grease stains, pretreat with dish soap or stain remover, soak in warm water, wash in the warmest water safe for the fabric, and always line dry. Avoid machine drying, as leftover grease may be flammable and heat can set the stain.
To clean years of baked-on grease, ditch harsh scrubbing and use a chemical degreaser (like sodium hydroxide-based oven cleaner) or a heavy-duty degreaser like LA's Totally Awesome. Apply the cleaner, cover the area with plastic wrap to lock in moisture, let it sit overnight, and easily wipe the dissolved grease away.
Toothpaste
Take a non-gel toothpaste and smear a small dab of it on the stain. After smearing the toothpaste, use a toothbrush to gently rub it into the fabric. Next, rinse the fabric in cold water and repeat the process as many times as required.
Vinegar cuts through grease naturally due to its acetic acid content. When mixed with warm water, it dissolves oil and leaves surfaces streak-free.
Mix 2 parts hydrogen peroxide and one part DAWN in a small dish. Apply to the oil stain, work it in well. Allow to sit for 30 minutes, then launder as usual. Again, air dry to be sure the oil is gone.
For most fresh grease or oil stains, let Dawn soak on clothes for 15 to 30 minutes before washing. For larger stains or set-in marks that have already gone through the dryer, you can safely leave it on for several hours or overnight.
Best Homemade Degreaser
Use a mixture of hot water, a squirt of dish detergent, a small pour of white vinegar, and a teaspoon of baking soda. Double up on the ingredients you add to your water for really tough grease.
Yes, you can safely mix Dawn dish soap and OxiClean. Combined, they create a powerful stain-fighting solution. Dawn cuts through grease, while OxiClean’s oxygen-based bleach lifts away organic stains.
The Amish wash clothes using non-electric wringer washers powered by diesel, gasoline, or compressed air. More traditional groups rely on hand-cranked agitators or heavy-duty washboards. They clean the garments with homemade soaps made from lye, lard, and natural oils, enhanced with washing soda and borax.
You may not want to use baking soda on certain delicate or sensitive fabrics like wool, cashmere and silk. Add baking soda to your washer tub before a laundry load, but you may want to avoid using it in the rinse cycle as it can cause fabrics to stiffen.
While there is no single "impossible" stain, hair dye, mustard, and oil/grease are widely considered the hardest to remove.