How To Remove Grease Stains

Looking to get rid of grease stains on your stove top or oil splatters on your clothes?

This could happen when you are working under your car, getting oil-based makeup on your clothes or while deep-frying food in the kitchen.

It can get very tricky when it comes to grease stain removal. Oil and water do not mix; you need to use other solutions to separate the oil particles, and then rinse them away with water. So, the method for grease stains removal is unlike any other stains.

Say goodbye to grease and oil stains with these simple tips:

Pre-Wash – Using Baby Powder

Right after the incident occurs, absorb any excessive grease using a paper towel. Dab the paper towel on the surface of the fabric with an up-and-down motion (and not side-by-side motion). This is to avoid smearing the grease into a bigger surface area.

Next, generously cover the grease stain with baby powder, rub it in well and leave it for 5 minutes. Any baby powder found in stores would do the trick as it could absorb oil particles. Baby powder is very useful especially since it doesn’t damage any type of fabric. If you do not have baby powder, the alternatives are using cornstarch, baking soda, white chalk or even salt.

After 5 minutes, remove the powder by simply turning the fabric over and shaking the powder off. Keep in mind that no water should be in contact with the stain during this whole process.

Using Newspapers

Newspapers are terrific for grease absorption, especially for larger areas, say the kitchen floor, stove top or your garage floor. Those brown paper bags, often used for greasy foods, are also great for absorbing traces of grease and oil.

Washing The Fabric

Rub dishwashing detergent with only a few drops of water onto the stain with your thumb until it foams up. Be sure to cover the entire stain area. Grease-fighting detergents would add a bonus to its effectiveness, but are not necessary.

Next, use a brush to gently scrub both the outside and inside surface area until the stain vanishes. Repeat this step for more persistent grease stains.

Take note that not all fabrics can be treated with strong dishwashing detergent. Always test the solution on a small, inconspicuous part of the fabric to see if it causes the fabric to decolorize. For an alternative solution, you can also mix 1 part of water and 2 parts of white vinegar, or a bar soap for the treatment, as it is not as strong as dishwashing detergents.

After that, wash the fabric according to its laundry instructions. Dry the fabric in a cool environment instead of exposing it to heat, as heat will cause the grease stain to set.

Washing In The Kitchen

Dampen a cloth with white vinegar and water, then use it to remove grease or oil stains from your kitchen counter or table. The wonderful thing is that this vinegar solution is able to eliminate odours on those surfaces too.

Adding some baking soda to your dishwashing detergent while doing your greasy dishes, will make washing your dirty dishes much easier.

Remove the pesky grease stains from your stove top or backsplash by sprinkling some cornstarch and wiping down those greasy marks with a damp cloth.

The above are just some simple ways to remove grease stains with the use of some common household items. Bookmark our page and stay tuned for more!