Q&A for How to Remove Grease or Oil Stains from Clothing

Wipe away as much of the stain as possible with a paper towel. Use mild dish soap and warm water to wash the stain in the sink, and then place the item in the washer with regular laundry detergent on a warm water cycle.

Apply baking soda to the stain and rub it in vigorously. Let it sit for half an hour and then brush it away. You can also spray a mixture of warm water and vinegar directly on the stain—just let it sit for a few minutes and then drop the item in the wash with warm water and regular laundry detergent.

Mix some baking soda with a little bit of warm water. Using circular motions, brush the mixture into the stain with a small bristle brush until you see the stain subside. Then, wash the jeans in a warm water cycle with regular laundry detergent. You can also add vinegar to the wash cycle to make sure that the stain is completely removed. To finish things off, dry the jeans on a low heat dryer cycle.

Yes. It is a common absorbent, as are baby powder and cornstarch.

It depends on how long you've left the stain, and how big or little it is. If it is small, you may have a chance of the item's survival.

Yes, first heavily douse your grease stain with hairspray, using a paper towel in between the fabric and the spray. Allow it to soak for thirty minutes, and then put it in the washing machine for a regular wash. Air-dry your clothes when finished in the washing machine, and you should be good to go!

Try putting a quarter-cup of distilled white vinegar in the washer with your uniforms; this will strip away many of the odor-causing agents that laundry soaps may miss, as well as making the fabric softer, brightening whites and making colors more vivid, and keeping your washing machine cleaner. You might find it especially helpful to soak your work clothes in 1/2 cup vinegar in a gallon of water for a half-hour first.

This article is for oil-stain spots of any size and number on any washable piece of clothing, so you can have one stain or many, but you have to repeat some of the processes for each stain and then launder the item, as stated.

Yes you can use baking soda for this.

I work with machinery and get oil and grease stains frequently on my clothes. I wear white t-shirts almost exclusively because bleach seems to get them clean every time. My t-shirts are cotton. I wash them in bleach then rewash to get them smelling fresh. I always air dry them.

Usually dry cleaners use bleach free gentle stain removers that don’t always get grease and tough stains out. Most will redo the item free of charge to try to get the stain out again, but I would just try using a stain remover that doesn’t require using water.

Yes, but be careful as using too much might make the color of the clothing fade.

Completely cover the stain with Dawn dish soap. Rub in and set aside to dry. Wash normally in the washer, then air dry.

Sprinkle talcum powder over the area and slightly rub in. Leave overnight and wash as normal, repeating the process as required.

Most down that I have encountered is washable in the washer, usually on a delicate setting, unless the fabric on the item is finicky. If the item material is washable, spot clean it first following the guide above, depending on material. Once you have completely removed the spot on the down item, place it with 2-3 clean tennis balls into the dryer on the low or air dry setting. The tennis balls keep the down fluffed while drying. The fluffing is vital. Use one dryer sheet to keep static out. Use any spot cleaner sparingly and follow their instructions.

Using your gas or electric dryer on high heat, or even medium heat, will set the stain. Unfortunately, it will be almost impossible at that point to get the stain out.

Try Dawn dish detergent or WD-40.

My husband always gets grease stains on his clothes and washes them without my knowledge. When I find his shirts with grease stains have been washed and dried, I simply put Dawn dish detergent on the spot(s) and rub it into the material for a few seconds, then rewash in the washing machine on cold/warm and air-dry. This has always removed the old stains.

Use rubbing alcohol to remove ink. It can be a little tricky depending on the size of the ink spot. For small spots like a pen mark, put some rubbing alcohol on a clean cloth and apply to the area. Then dab or press down firmly with a clean cloth or paper towel to absorb it. The rubbing alcohol will break up the ink and bleed but don't panic. The ink will transfer onto the paper towel when you apply pressure to absorb the rubbing alcohol. Repeat the process until the ink is gone Be sure to use a clean part of the paper towel or cloth each time you dab and press down on the fabric, so you won't transfer ink back to the area.

The answer would depend on the dyes used in the fabric. A test in an inconspicuous area is needed. Vinegar or any other acid would be ill advised for cotton, linen or hemp fabrics.