How to remove grease stains on clothes at home, effective methods

Solid oil is a technical material consisting of many components. It is designed to provide protection and extend the service life of various mechanisms. Many car enthusiasts who don’t know how to wash grease from clothes often face the problem of selecting cleaning products. To combat stubborn stains, you can use both improvised means and household chemicals.

The complexity of the stains is explained by the fact that the oil mixture firmly eats into the fabric fibers of the jacket, trousers and other things. When deciding what you can use to wash grease from clothes, you need to be guided by the type of material, the size of the dirt and the type of lubricant. It can be medical, greasy and synthetic, so no one is safe from grease stains. If you can’t deal with them at home, you’ll have to go to the dry cleaner.

Rules for removing stains

If the oily substance on the surface of the fabric has not yet dried, it can be cleaned with a soft cotton cloth. It will absorb the grease, preventing its further spread and the occurrence of additional stains. To avoid worries, you need to find out in advance what you can use to wash grease.

Old stains must be softened with hot water and steam before immediate cleaning. Treatment with the cleaning composition is carried out carefully. Movements are directed from the edges of the spot to the center. After completing the procedure, the affected item must be washed, dried and smoothed. Get rid of unpleasant odors using air conditioning. To enhance its effect, the cleaned item is dried outside or in a room equipped with a ventilation system.

The following rules must also be observed:

Washing temperature should not exceed 45 degrees

The water temperature for washing should not be more than 45 degrees.
Processing must be done from the wrong side. In this case, you need to put an absorbent cloth under the dirt.
Chemicals must be used in full accordance with the instructions that come with them.
Before wiping off the grease, the affected fabric must be prepared for processing.

Many people use several methods at once to get maximum effect. Particular care should be taken when cleaning dyed, delicate and synthetic materials. Aggressive agents can damage the tissue structure. In this case, you need to use gentle methods. If during cleaning it was not possible to wash away the oil contamination, you should contact a specialist.

Helpful Tips:

try to get rid of stains as quickly as possible, do not leave them until they dry completely, otherwise it will be much more difficult to get rid of the stains. In 90% of cases, a fresh stain can be removed very easily and quickly.
Do not wash work clothes together with your everyday clothes. Grease stains can transfer to the fabric next door and you will end up with a pile of dirty clothes.
Always read labels on clothing and do not use products that may harm the structure of the fabric. You may remove the stain, but in return you will get something that has lost its color and shape.
Do not subject things made of thin fabric to mechanical stress, do not rub them with a brush or sponge. Clothing will stretch at the point of impact or may even tear. You can use a brush to clean canvas work clothes, jackets or jeans.
Do not pour all the products you found at home onto the stain. Some products can react chemically with each other and ultimately leave your items in disrepair.
Observe safety precautions when working with flammable substances. Use gloves when working with strong chemical products and protect your skin from burns.

How to wash grease from clothes

Stains from technical grease can be removed using various means. The most commonly used are ammonia, white spirit, acetone, and ethyl alcohol. Usually the procedure does not take much time. The cleaning composition can be left on the fabric for no longer than one hour. After using solvents, the affected item of clothing should be washed in a soapy solution. Another mandatory step is rinsing in running water. It will be useful for every housewife to know how to wipe grease off clothes.

Petrol

Using it you can remove fresh dirt. The cleaning agent must be purchased at a hardware store. After using the solvent, the damaged area must be treated with ammonia. To consolidate the effect, the procedure is repeated using denatured alcohol. Then all that remains is to wash the item in the usual way. Gasoline can be mixed with soap shavings. Cotton pads are used to apply the finished mixture. If solvent gets on a clean cloth, it may streak.

Turpentine

It needs to be poured into a bottle and heated using a water bath. After such preparation, the solvent is carefully applied to the resulting stain. The composition should be kept on the fabric for 40-60 minutes. Then it is treated with ammonia. The last step is to wash the affected area on the clothing in a soapy solution. Turpentine is classified as a flammable material, so safety precautions must be observed when using it. This substance copes well with both the stain itself and the stains that remain after its removal.

Vinegar

To prepare the cleaning composition, you will need warm water (500 ml) and table vinegar (2 tbsp.). A cotton pad is moistened in the resulting mixture, which is then used to remove dirt. If the stain is too large, the volume of water and the number of tablespoons of acetic acid must be doubled. You need to soak the item of clothing in this solution for 2-3 hours. The next step should be rinsing and washing normally. To increase effectiveness, you can add bleach or stain remover to the cleaning composition.

Car shampoo

It is present in the standard kit of every driver and auto mechanic. Car wash products can be purchased at a specialty store. After applying the cleaning composition to the stain, the item should be left alone for 30-40 minutes. To enhance the effect of the shampoo, you can use a brush. Processing ends with washing. In this way, you can eliminate both fresh and old grease stains.

Stain remover

When choosing what to wash grease with, you should focus on the delicacy of the fabric and the complexity of the contamination. When using the stain remover, you must follow the instructions that come with it. The cleaned fabric should be rinsed in warm running water. This method is used to remove fresh grease stains. To remove old stains, you need to select more effective products.

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Particular attention should be paid to the consistency of the cleaning composition. Powdered ones are used as a base for preparing a mushy paste. Products sold in liquid form do not require prior preparation. When choosing formulations, preference should be given to stain removers that are used to remove oil and grease stains.

Dishwashing liquid

One of the most popular methods used to combat grease stains. Dish gels are good at degreasing stained surfaces. To achieve the desired effect, the composition is left on the affected item for half an hour. The liquid is washed off using running water. The same effect can be achieved by using talc, table salt, and crushed chalk.

Margarine or butter

In the absence of all the above compounds, improvised means are used. In this situation, butter or margarine will do. The product should be placed on the stain in a neat, even layer. It should remain on the fabric for about 30 minutes. Thanks to animal fats, the solid oil will soften. The next step is to remove the stain using dishwashing gel, tar or laundry soap. At the last stage, the fabric is rinsed with running water.

Radical methods for removing grease

If you happen to stain your favorite trousers in particularly high-quality, thick grease, the stains from which just don’t want to come off, it’s worth trying a combination of several methods and means. For example:

Lubricate the stains with butter and set the item aside for one hour. After this, moisten the stain generously with turpentine, rub and set the item aside for another quarter of an hour. After this, wash with powder.
Soak the contaminated area of fabric with gasoline and leave for ten minutes. During this time, prepare a solution of ammonia - dissolve 2 tablespoons of ammonia alcohol in two liters of water. Clothes should sit in this mixture for 2-3 hours, then they can be washed as usual.
wipe the stains with a cotton swab dipped in pharmaceutical glycerin, and then soak in a solution of ammonia. Prepare it as indicated above.

If the fabric is thick, you can use an old toothbrush or a stiff sponge to treat stains.

You can rub your work clothes as much as you like: even if the fibers of the fabric get damaged and come apart a little, it’s okay. but good, high-quality items need to be processed and washed only by hand.

Chemicals against grease stains

In addition to the compositions already listed, stain removers and bleaches are used to remove grease stains.
These substances can have a gentle and aggressive effect. Depending on the type of fabric, they are used as a main or auxiliary product. It is best to purchase oxygen purifiers. If chlorine is present, the color or structure of the fibers may be affected. Multiple treatments may be required to achieve maximum effect. To prevent stains from appearing, you need to work with lubricants in clothes that you don’t mind throwing away. Without knowing how you can remove grease stains, it is not recommended to start cleaning.

Modern formulations of increased efficiency

For those who do not trust folk remedies, or have not received the desired result from using them, there are the following approaches:

Stain remover. We take any stain remover that is suitable for a specific type of fabric. Apply the composition to the contaminated part of the clothing and leave for as long as indicated in the instructions. After this, take a toothbrush with soft bristles and lightly scrub the area where the profile product was applied. Next, rinse the fabric in cool water and, if necessary, repeat the manipulation from the very beginning.

Car shampoo. Quite an unusual, but very effective option for influencing solid oil. We take a little shampoo, apply it without diluting it to the traces of technical oil and leave for half an hour. There is no need to rub anything; after the specified time, we simply rinse the product in cool water. If the stain still does not come off, then apply the shampoo to a still damp cloth and this time rub it lightly to form a small amount of foam. We wait another half hour and again rinse the item in cool water. After such exposure, the formation must go away, otherwise nothing can save the tissue.

The best way to deal with grease stains on fabric is by professionals. If there is such an opportunity, then you should think about visiting a dry cleaner. This is especially true in cases of stains forming on capricious, very bright or white things, children's clothing and various types of home textiles.

Reading time: 5 minutes

Solid oil is widely used both in industry and in everyday life, so practically no one is immune from greasy, difficult-to-remove stains left on clothes. Getting rid of such stains is not easy, but if you know how to wash grease from clothes, then you can clean such stains at home.

It is used to lubricate parts of working metal structures and mechanisms in door locks (regular and automobile), various levers and friction units, and is used for long-term preservation of various parts and tools that are susceptible to corrosion; grease also replaces garden varnish when pruning trees.

Solidol is a thick plastic mass (ointment) of brown color, which consists of petroleum products, oils and synthetic or natural fatty acids. When it comes into contact with fabric, it is absorbed into the fibers and leaves an oily residue. It cannot be washed with plain water, so you have to use special cleaning products.

As soon as you notice that your clothes are stained with grease, you need to take them off and blot the stained area with a paper towel or napkin to get rid of excess grease.
Do not place such clothes in the dirty laundry hamper or wash them with other clothes.
Before removing grease from clothing using any specialized or folk remedy, check the reaction of the fabric. Apply it to a clean white rag and wipe the item in an inconspicuous place (collar lapel, cuff, inner seam) or on a piece of the same material sewn on the wrong side specifically for these purposes. If the dye is stable and the rag is not stained, then the product can be used on the entire product.
Do not immediately use highly concentrated liquids; it is better to carry out the procedure several times with a weak solution, and if the contamination remains, increase the concentration.
You need to treat stains from the edges to the center and do not rub in different directions, so as not to increase the area of the contaminated area.
Since grease leaves greasy marks, you will have to use solvents to get rid of them. Be careful when working with concentrated liquids and take precautions: wear gloves and a mask, open all windows.
Also follow safety precautions - do not bring flammable liquids close to fire sources.
When treating stains, place a board covered with a clean cloth under the contaminated area so that contaminants do not get onto the clean areas of the item.
Solid oil is not washed out with cold water, and if it comes into contact with too hot water, fats can polymerize.

If the stain is fresh

The situation becomes somewhat clearer if not much time has passed since the “tragedy”. Then the chances of success increase, which means there is hope of removing the contamination. An oil stain that has become ingrained and has saturated the base of the fabric is more difficult to remove, and sometimes almost impossible.

Most often, measures are taken immediately, so it is doubly useful to know all the possible ways to remove stains. And there is still a last resort - going to dry cleaning. But you can try to solve the problem yourself, in an attempt to save your favorite jeans or shirt from premature disposal. Practice shows that fresh lubricant contaminants are removed the first time. The main thing is to take action in time.