Laundry Tips

How to Clean Oily, Greasy Stains from Your Laundry

February 03, 2022

Blog How To Clean Oily Stains

We all know the feeling. You get a drop of oil on your shirt, and now it is ruined. However, you shouldn’t hastily throw out your oily clothes.

Our laundry experts at The Great American Laundromat have compiled these easy tips to help you try to get those pesky oil stains out of your clothes.

Why Is Oil So Hard To Get Out of Laundry?

Oil is a water-repellant, meaning that a regular soak will not do the trick. It also darkens fabric over time. That means that the longer you leave oil stains sitting on your clothes, the less likely you will remove the stain—even with proper treatment.

When washing your clothes after trying to remove an oil stain, consider using the powerful Persil laundry detergent. Before washing, let’s look at our top four methods to remove an oil stain before it’s too late.

The Dish Soap Method

Dish soap effectively removes oil, as companies design the soap to eliminate grease on your plates, pots, and pans. Dawn dish soap is one of the best products to use for this method.

To complete the dish soap method, you must:

  1. Put a piece of paper or cardboard between the oil stain and the other part of your article of clothing.
  2. Blot, don’t rub, the oil stain to get any excess liquid out.
  3. Apply the dish soap. You can either rub it into the fabric with a soft cloth or use a toothbrush if the fabric is hefty enough. A toothbrush also helps with extra scrubbing for tough stains.
  4. Let the dish soap sit for at least ten minutes.
  5. Rinse, then soak the piece of clothing in hot water for about an hour.
  6. Wash and dry as usual. Unsure about how best to dry your garments? Check out these helpful drying tips.

If the dish soap method does not work immediately or you have a particularly tough oil stain, we recommend pairing it with the baking soda method.

The Baking Soda Method

Baking soda remains a well-known stain remover. Brands like Arm & Hammer are fantastic at removing stains (they even act as a great detergent for post-stain removal!). Follow these steps for the baking soda method:

  1. Repeat steps 1 and 2 of the dish soap method.
  2. Apply the baking soda to the stain. Make sure the baking soda is caked on. Let sit for 10 minutes and watch for a change of color in the powder.
  3. Scrape off the baking soda and rinse with hot water. Then apply more baking soda.
  4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the baking soda does not change color.
  5. Wash and dry clothes as usual.

If you pair the baking soda method with the dish soap method or simply want to try a different technique, you can:

  1. Do steps 1 and 2 of the dish soap method. You can then apply dish soap to the stain or simply use baking soda.
  2. Add a few drops of water to the baking soda to make a paste. Rub the stain with a soft cloth or toothbrush, depending on how delicate the fabric is.
  3. Cake on more paste and let it harden on the oil stain. Leave for approximately one hour.
  4. Rinse out the baking soda.
  5. If you want, soak the article of clothing in hot water for an hour or simply wash and dry as usual.

The Cornstarch Method

If the dish soap or baking soda method does not work for you, you can try using cornstarch. To do the cornstarch method, you must:

  1. Do steps 1 and 2 of the dish soap method.
  2. Apply cornstarch to the stain. You don’t need as much cornstarch as baking soda.
  3. Allow the cornstarch to sit for 15 minutes to an hour.
  4. Remove the cornstarch with a toothbrush or damp cloth.
  5. Wash the article of clothing in cold water and dry as usual.

How To Get Even Your Toughest Stains Out

Sometimes it’s best to wash your clothes at the laundromat. Laundromats like The Great American Laundromat have enough space for washing even your biggest items, such as blankets or military uniforms. After removing a stain, you can easily clean your clothes with our fast and effective washing machines.

We have locations in Clarksville, TN, and Oak Grove, KY. Our services even include dropping off your clothes so that we can wash, dry, and fold them for you! Call our Tennessee location at (931) 546-8551 and our Kentucky location at (270) 697-5071 to find out more.

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