How to Get Grease Out of Clothes

Even a tiny little greasy spot on clothes surface looks really ugly. Grease is wet and sticky and so clings to the fabric. In case, it gets penetrated into the woven fiber of the clothes, getting grease out of clothes can be a frustrating experience. When you ask yourself how to get grease out of clothes, then the first thing that comes to your mind is that of a degreaser. These commercial products are specially formulated for tackling grease stains from fabric. It has to be applied before washing the clothes. Then the clothes are kept untouched overnight. Next day, the clothes should be washed normally.

How to Get Grease Out of Clothes

Many people avoid use of degreasers as they fear that the chemical present in them can be harmful to their clothes. Moreover, these products are ineffective if you have already washed your stained clothes. You can try one of these following items to get grease out of clothes after washing:

Liquid Dish Washing Detergent: This soap helps to get rid of some of the toughest greasy residues from pots and pans. Apply it directly on the stains and let it get soaked into the fabric for around 30 minutes. Then rub the area gently with your fingers or with a sponge. Then wash off the clothes normally.

Shampoo: Like a dish washing detergent, shampoo too helps to get grease and grime out of your clothes. Therefore, you can apply it on the clothes for removing oil stains. Take a clear or white shampoo for this purpose. Apply it in the same way as you applied the dish soap.

Alcohol: Dilute about half cup of alcohol with same quantity of water. Apply it on the stained part of the cloth and let the mixture get absorbed into the fabric of the cloth for a few minutes. This will help the stain to disappear in one application. However, if it does not then you may have to re-apply it one more time. After removing grease stains from clothes, wash it normally.

WD40: Most people have this water displacing spray in their homes which is widely used on various surfaces for preventing corrosion from water. Try it on the greasy stains of your clothes as well. Spray it directly on the stain and leave it untouched for about half an hour. Then give it a normal wash. The best part of this product is that it is equally effective on any old greasy stains.

Butane Lighter Fluid: This is another excellent option available with you. Place the clothing to be treated on a flat surface and pour a small amount of lighter fluid on the spot. Then rub your fingers gently on the fabric so that it spreads all over the stain properly. Handle lighter fluid with great caution. After the stain removal, you have to wash the cloth.

Tips on Treating Fresh Grease Stains

The best way to get grease out of clothes is to take some prompt action on the fresh stains. Normal washing with regular laundry detergent does not help to get oily stains out of clothes. Here are a few important tips on how to remove grease stains from clothes instantly:

• Scrape out fresh grease from the clothes as much as possible with the help of a spatula.
• Use white paper towel to extract some of the greasy substance from the cloth. You have to repeat it a number of times with fresh new towels for best results.
• Sprinkle a generous amount of talcum powder or cornstarch on the sticky substance. Wait for few hours and then brush off the area with a soft bristled brush to remove the powder. This will help you to get rid of the stickiness and thus prevent spreading of the stain to other parts of the cloth.
• After washing a grease stained garment in a washing machine, do not put it in the dryer. This will set grease permanently on the fabric of the clothes.
• If the stain is on a delicate fabric, then it has to be taken to a professional dry cleaner for dry cleaning. Do not try to clean it up at home.

Before using any of the products mentioned above, on your clothes, test it on a hidden patch of the clothing. After removing the stains, wash the clothes separately so that no grease residue spreads to other garments.