If you’ve ever spilled oil on your clothes, you know how frustrating it can be to get the stain out. You may have used every stain remover you can think of, but nothing seems to work. The good news is that there are some simple steps you can take to get the oil stain out of your clothes.
When it comes to removing oil stains from clothing, there are many different ways that you can go about doing this. This is because there are a lot of different types of oil stains that can be on your clothes, and you need to know how to get rid of each of them.
Common Oil Stain Removers
- WD-40
- Baking Soda
- Hot water
- Dish soap
- Shampoo
- Bar soap
- Laundry soap
- Cornstarch
- Baby powder
- Lighter fluid
How to Get Oil Stains Out of Clothes
Using Dish Soap
Dish soap is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you’re trying to get out stains from fabric. The reason for this is that it’s so easy to find, affordable, and readily available at most grocery stores and big box retailers.
You can use dish soap with just about any type of stain, but it works best on grease-based ones such as cooking oil and engine grease.
Baking Soda to Remove Oil Stain
Baking soda is a great natural cleaner and can be used to remove many types of stains from fabric. It is particularly effective at removing oil stains from clothes, carpets, and upholstery. It works by breaking down the oils in the stain so that they can be washed away with water.
The baking soda does not completely remove the stain (the oil must be removed using other methods), but it does help to lighten it so that it becomes less obvious.
WD-40
This is one of the most popular products for removing oil stains on clothes. It works great on oil-based stains, but it can also remove water-based stains. The main ingredient in WD-40 is petroleum distillates, which is why it works so well on oil-based stains.
If you have a large area to clean, you can use 1 gallon of warm water with 1 cup of castile soap, 1/2 cup of ammonia and 5 tablespoons of WD-40. Mix this solution into your washer along with your laundry detergent as usual.
Shampoo
Shampoo is one of the most common ways people try to remove oil stains from clothing. It won’t work for every type of oil stain, but it can be effective on some types, especially ones from cooking oils, like vegetable or canola oil.
To use shampoo as an oil stain remover, blot up as much of the oil as you can with paper towels or a clean rag and then apply a bit of shampoo directly to the stained area of clothing.
Rub gently and rinse thoroughly with warm water until all traces of shampoo are gone. If any residue remains, repeat this process until no more oil comes out from under the fabric. Then wash in warm water with detergent as normal.
Bar soap
Bar soaps are effective at removing oil stains. Add a dab of soap to the stain, then rub it in with your finger. Let the soap sit for 15 minutes, and then wash as usual.
Bar soaps can also be used on clothes that have been stained by grease or cooking oils. To remove these stains, rub a bar of soap into the stained area and let it sit for 15 minutes before washing as usual.
Cornstarch
Cornstarch is another great way to remove oil stains from clothing because it absorbs moisture and oil very well making it an ideal option for getting rid of greasy messes like motor oil or cooking oils without having to scrub too hard at your fabric or use harsh chemicals that could damage your clothes further.
Sprinkle a little cornstarch onto the stain and let it sit overnight; then brush away any excess cornstarch before washing your clothes as normal
