14 ways to remove greasy stains from clothes

It is easy to put greasy stains on clothes, but they are removed with great difficulty. Fat molecules penetrate deeply into the fibers of the fabric and are not removed after normal washing. It is even more difficult to remove old dirt – you cannot do without the help of aggressive agents and powerful stain removers. Our employees have learned the most effective ways to remove grease from clothes and are ready to share them. All offered cleaning products are available and experimentally tested by our employees. They are guaranteed to help solve the problem of removing oily stains from your favorite items made of different materials.

Features and rules for removing greasy stains

Greasy stains are perhaps the most popular stains on clothes. In everyday life, you have to constantly deal with fats of various origins, careless handling of which will certainly leave a noticeable mark on fabrics of any color and texture.

Grease stains can appear after eating, as well as from face cream or cosmetics, oil paint, or a wax candle. Men often have to deal with technical oils and fluids, traces of which are extremely difficult to remove.

Vegetable and animal fats, getting on clothes, quickly spread over the surface and are deeply absorbed into the fibers. In a few hours, a dense structure forms at the site of contamination, which is difficult to process with ordinary washing powder – even after washing, a dark trace remains.

Whatever the origin of the grease stain on clothing, the most important removal rule is to treat it as quickly as possible with a product that neutralizes or absorbs grease. The sooner this is done, the higher the likelihood that there will be no residue after washing.

Our experts give some more tips to make the process of removing the stain more efficient, safe for tissue and human health:

1. Place a rolled-up cotton napkin or diaper underneath the area to be cleaned so that grease and detergents are absorbed into it.

2. When choosing a method for cleaning clothes from fat, you need to act based on the type and color of the material, the age of the left trace.

3. The concentration and aggressiveness of the means used for cleansing should be increased from less to more.

4. Strong solvents must first be tried on an inconspicuous area of ​​the product so as not to spoil the thing. If the fibers of the fabric do not creep and color is not lost, then they can be safely used.

5. The dirt should be cleaned by moving from its edges to the center – this will help to avoid the spread of stains.

6. After pretreatment of the stain, the soiled clothes must be washed with any detergent manually or in an automatic machine at a water temperature of 60 ° C or more (if the type of fabric allows).

7. Treatment of old greasy marks on clothes with strong solvents with a pungent or unpleasant odor must be carried out in durable rubber gloves, clothes with long sleeves and a mask (respirator). You should not neglect your health and safety even for the sake of saving your favorite thing.

How to remove fresh grease stains

The fresher the greasy stain is, the easier it is to remove from clothing. With a high degree of probability, it will be removed by one of the funds suggested below. All of them are safe for the structure of the fibers of the material and will not spoil the color of the thing, therefore they can be used both for cotton fabrics and for synthetic or delicate ones: silk, wool, velvet, chiffon.

Fat neutralizing agents

It is most effective to treat it with a substance that dissolves molecules of animal or vegetable fat immediately after the oil hits the surface of the tissue. You can use any of the tools available in every home:

1. dishwashing liquid;

2. shampoo for oily hair;

3. foam or shaving gel;

4. toothpaste

You should proceed as follows:

1. apply a sufficient amount of the product to the dirt so that it completely covers the stain (before applying foam or paste, you can pre-moisten the cloth with warm water);

2. wait 5 minutes;

3. rub the stained area with a toothbrush or napkin (sponge, cotton pad);

4. wait another 10-15 minutes;

5. rub the fabric again well at the place of contamination.

After these actions, you need to thoroughly rinse the item or wash it with detergent.

Fat adsorbing agents

If there is no possibility of instant washing or washing clothes, you can use an equally effective way to remove fresh greasy stains – apply one of the powdered products:

1. potato starch;

2. talc;

3. dentifrice;

4. baby powder;

5. mustard powder;

6. grated chalk;

7. salt;

8. soda.

Powders have grease-absorbing properties, therefore, when applied to fabric, they quickly absorb it. You just need to pour a small amount of any powder on the stain, crush it into the fabric with a spoon, and after 20-30 minutes shake it off with the absorbed fat. After processing, the item can be washed or wiped with ethyl alcohol or any alcohol-containing liquid – eau de toilette or vodka.

If you preheat starch, salt or any other powder to 50-600C in a frying pan (or in the oven or microwave), then the time of its effect on a greasy spot can be reduced to 5-10 minutes without losing its effectiveness.

The advantage of absorbent products is the ability to remove fresh stains from items for which only dry cleaning is provided. After powder treatment, use alcohol to permanently remove the greasy residue.

Laundry soap

Laundry soap (brown 72%) copes well with many types of dirt. It also removes greasy stains perfectly. You should moisten the stained area with warm water and lather it generously with soap. In case of contamination on a large area of ​​the product, you can soak it for 2-3 hours in a basin with ½ bar of soap crushed on a grater. During this time, periodically rub the fabric with your hands or a brush.

Ammonia

An ammonia solution well removes greasy stains (dilute ammonia in a 1: 1 ratio with water). The thing must either be soaked in this solution for 1-2 hours, or ammonia should be applied to the contaminated area for the same time and rubbed with a brush.

Micellar water

The micelles in the makeup remover and face impurities are excellent at attracting fat molecules to themselves and dissolving them without leaving a trace. For efficiency, you can rub the stained area with a brush. Micellar water can also remove residual fat after treatment with absorbent powders.

Tracing paper (parchment paper) and iron

You can not use any detergents at all and iron the contamination with an iron through blotting or parchment paper, tracing paper (you can use paper towels or, at worst, toilet paper).

Mode of application:

1. turn on the iron at the highest possible temperature for this type of fabric;

2. put paper folded in several layers on both sides of the fabric;

3. iron on the right and wrong sides of the fabric with a hot iron until the grease is completely absorbed into the paper.

This method is also good for fabrics that only dry clean.

Large amounts of oil spilled on clothing can be quickly removed with bread crumb. The fresher the baked product, the higher its absorbency. The crumb should be gently applied to the stain, at the end press a clean piece with force for 5-10 minutes to remove the remaining fat. Then the soiled item can be wiped with alcohol and washed in the usual way.

How to remove old grease stains

3 hours after the clothes are soiled with grease, it is more difficult to remove them without traces. It is even more difficult to remove stains from already washed and dried items.

But, you should not despair – you can still cope with a difficult task. All the same improvised means available in every home will help in this. But to remove old stains, we recommend combining them with various solvents: gasoline, turpentine, acetone.

An old greasy stain should be pre-treated with steam before cleaning. It is best to use a steam generator or iron with a steamer function for this purpose. But you can hold the soiled item for a few minutes over a pot of boiling water or a kettle. This will soften the stubborn fat – it will move away from the fibers of the fabric faster and better.

You can start removing fear of grease marks from clothes using the least aggressive means. To do this, we use laundry soap and dishwashing detergents, but we strengthen them with additional components.

Method 1: laundry soap + sugar

How to apply:

1. wet a greasy place with warm water and soap it well;

2. wait 4-6 hours;

3. rinse the treated area under running hot water;

4. soap the fabric again;

5. pour granulated sugar on top;

6. wait 5-10 minutes;

7. rub with a brush;

8. put the thing in a plastic bag and tie it tightly;

9. leave for 8-10 hours;

10. once again it is good to rub the problem area;

11. wash a thing in a washing machine.

Sugar in this case is used as an abrasive – it enhances the effect of laundry soap. But when cleaning delicate fabrics, you need to be careful not to rub too hard so as not to ruin the item.

Method 2: dishwashing liquid + soda

How to apply:

1. drip a few drops of 'Fairy' onto the stain;

2. sprinkle with soda on top;

3. rub with a toothbrush;

4. leave for 3-4 hours;

5. rub the dirt thoroughly again;

6. rinse and wash the item.

Baking soda enhances the fat-dissolving properties of the dish detergent, acts on the fabric gently but effectively cleans it of grease marks.

Both methods are suitable for removing old fat from any material, for colored and for white clothes. If necessary, repeat the cleaning procedure several times until the stain disappears completely.

If the previous methods did not help, we use heavy artillery. There are 3 methods that can be used to remove traces of grease from light colored cotton and linen fabrics.

Ammonia + turpentine

Salmon perfectly removes fresh grease stains, but to get rid of old ones, you need to add turpentine to it. After mixing the products in a 1: 1 ratio, apply with a napkin to the stained area and rub in. After waiting 15 minutes, rinse under running water.

This method is well suited for removing greasy stains from denim, leather, bologna, knitwear.

Gasoline or acetone

These products are strong solvents and cope well with grease stains. To remove, it is necessary to moisten a napkin or cotton wool in one of the products and carefully, with dabbing movements, moving from the edges to the center, treat the stain. Residual grease and solvent can be removed with absorbents or bread crumb.

After cleaning, the item is washed with the addition of a conditioner to get rid of the unpleasant odor. You can preliminarily rinse it in a basin or rinse it under running water.

Potato starch + gasoline

A powerful starch-gasoline blend for stubborn grease stains:

1. mix 1 tsp. starch with 1 tbsp. refined gasoline to a mushy state;

2. apply the mixture with a cotton swab and rub it into the dirty area;

3. wait 15-20 minutes;

4. rinse with warm water.

Then wash the item as usual in the washing machine.

The above cleaning products are not suitable for delicate fabrics and colored items. They can permanently damage the structure of the fabric and discolor the treated area. You can use the following methods to remove oily marks.

Glycerin + ammonia

Glycerin and ammonia are sold in any pharmacy. They are inexpensive (15-20 rubles), but they cope with greasy spots very effectively.

Instructions for use:

1. heat glycerin to a temperature of 400C and apply with a cotton pad or gauze on the problem area of ​​the tissue;

2. wait 30 minutes;

3. rub the dirt with a toothbrush;

4. remove the remains of glycerin with a clean napkin;

5. wipe the trace with cotton wool dipped in ammonia.

After processing, you need to wash your clothes in the usual way. Before washing, it is advisable to lather the place of contamination with laundry soap.

Hot brine

In this way, you can restore the original appearance of any delicate clothing that can be soaked. You need to act like this:

1. dissolve 1 cup of salt in a bowl of hot water;

2. soak stained clothes in it for 40-60 minutes;

3. rub the fabric well, paying attention to the soiled area.

4. wash with detergent in the machine.

Salt solution can be used to remove stains from silk, guipure, wool, chiffon.

Industrial household chemicals

Household chemicals manufacturers have developed many different all-purpose stain removers that are designed to remove a wide variety of stains. You can choose the right product for white and colored clothes, for natural or synthetic fabrics.

If oil gets on your clothing, immediately moisten the stained area with any of the popular stain removers:

1. Vanish Oxi Action;

2. Antipyatin;

3. Amway;

4. Ecover Ecological Stain Remover;

5. ACE Oxi Magic.

But most of them remove only fresh grease stains well, and cannot cope with old ones. To solve this problem, you need to use stain removers specially designed for removing greasy stains or products based on bile soap:

1. Dr.Beckmann Expert fats and sauces – perfectly removes impurities based on vegetable and animal fat;

2. Lion Top for removing stains from collars and cuffs;

3. Frau Schmidt 'Double Action Formula';

4. Dr.Frash for removing stubborn stains of various origins;

5. gel for removing stains based on Dr. Beckmann bile soap;

6. Heitmann Liquid Bile Soap.

These stain removers remove the most stubborn stains from white and colored items very delicately, without harming the product. Unfortunately, the products are rarely sold in the household chemicals departments in supermarkets, but they are easy to purchase by placing an order in the online store.

Conclusion

Greasy stains on clothes are not a sentence. They do not dissolve in water and do not lend themselves to the active substances of washing powder, but there are many effective means for their removal. Eliminate fat from the surface of the fabric immediately. You can use for this purpose a variety of products that can be found in every home: from table salt to shaving foam. Fresh stains are best removed:

1. dishwashing liquid;

2. ammonia;

3. laundry soap.

To get rid of old greasy marks from your favorite things, you will have to strengthen the available cleaning products with additional components or use solvents (gasoline, acetone). Special industrial stain removers are also suitable.

The main thing when removing fat from clothes is to follow the rules and be careful.

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