I work in a cafe, any clothes I wear get covered in grease. How can I get the grease out of my clothes?
Karen from LA
I just wanted to let you know that after reading it here, I tried the "Greased Lightning" on several shirts with all kinds of stains (armpit stains - yuck, food grease stains, food stains), and it worked. I mean I was about to throw these clothes in the trash, and they are like new again. I have a "mystery stain" I'm going to try it on next. Thanks.
By Guest
The best thing, that is also very fast to take out grease stains is a liberal spray of a cleaning substance called Mean Green. You can get it at most general stores and such. All you need to do is spray the spot with the Mean Green and then throw it in the wash. If it does not come out the first time try spraying and then making a paste with some laundry detergent and water and rub it on the spot and throw it in the wash.
By Andrew
S.
Syd from Dunkirk, MD
I just recently found a product my mother used to use when I worked in a potato chip factory. The product is Lestoil and I found mine at K-Mart. Beware that it has a gasoline type smell. I washed my items a couple of extra times to get rid of that smell, but no more grease stains. I'd cooked bacon with no splatter screen and my favorite t-shirt looked like my front had been rained on. Good Luck.
By Leigh Ann
By Jana from Cedar Hill
I had the same problem until I saw it on Oprah, she had the Queen of Clean on, who recommended spraying the grease stain with WD40 to regenerate it and then clean with some dish detergent and launder as usual. I've tried everything else and this works each and every time. Make sure you use a good quality dish detergent such as Ivory, otherwise you may be left with a yellowish stain where the grease spot used to be. On other types of messy stains such as chocolate, ink marks and finger paint, waterless hand cleaner works wonders.
By Franca from Canada
Ian
By Syd from Dunkirk, Md.
By ThriftyFun
Linda Cobb recommends shampoo. It works. Get the book. Linda Cobb, "The Queen of Clean". (02/21/2006)
By Juanita
I have a Lacoste that I don't want destroyed, so will any of these methods destroy or bleach the shirt?
Editor's note: First, consider whether it is food grease or petroleum grease. If it is food grease, rubbing some regular Dawn dishwashing liquid into the stain with some warm water, should be all you need. Then launder as usual. Any dishwashing liquid will do, but Dawn does very well with grease.
If it is petroleum grease or car grease, try some WD-40 followed by Dawn. Neither of these should bleach or destroy the shirt. (03/04/2006)
By Mark
Talcum powder sprinkled on to the stain and then washed usually works very well. (03/16/2006)
For grease, the best thing is to get it out of the fabric before it sets, use powder or soft chalk to absorb the grease and then brush it off. Continue re-applying until the grease is all absorbed. They used to make a good stain-removing chalk, but I use my mother's old one and haven't seen one around in a while. (Maybe children's sidewalk chalk would work.) Even face powder will do in a pinch.
I am also messy and carry around Shout wipes in my purse for immediate spills. Remember, with any stain, being quick on the draw is vital. They have that "modern" spot cleaner (I don't know the name of the ingredient) that you also can get more cheaply in spray cans for home use. Use it and then blot with water. For knits, I use an old toothbrush to get the stain from all of the fabric. For grease stains on dark fabric a liquid spot remover is better, we used to use lighter fluid and there is one available in fabric stores. Polyester blends spot with grease, but if you pre-treat before you put it in the wash or sometimes, even use powder on the spot after wards, you can get the greasy spot out eventually. Careful, most stains set with hot water so try to remove/treat before putting in the regular wash. That's especially true of protein stains, like egg or blood, which have to be removed with cold water. (03/16/2006)
By pam munro
Let peroxide soak on blood stains then wash. You may have to do it once or twice but it does work the best honestly. (03/23/2006)
By Dawnita
My husband is a mechanic. When he comes home, he is covered in grease. I found that what works the best for his clothes is to spray them with Shout. When I go to wash his clothes, I will add a 1/2 cup to 1 cup (depends on how bad the stains are) of table salt and a can of Coca Cola to the wash cycle. This has helped tremendously to remove new stains and after a few washes, a lot of the old stains are gone as well. (07/15/2006)
By MarlenaD.
This may sound odd, but try staining the entire shirt.
If the stains are shadowy, say from greasy food or something. Seriously, I just soaked a bunch of shirts in vegetable oil and hot water in the bath tub, then let them sit for a few days. I washed them three times, and done. The color becomes a bit darker because now the entire shirt is one big stain, but no worse for wear. I wouldn't recommend doing this with really nice fabrics, but if nothing else works, what have you got to lose? It worked for me. (10/16/2007)
By stain it all
I have always used Goo Gone on my oil and grease stained clothes, mainly cotton clothing. It has worked wonders for me. I just spray a little on the stain and rub it off with a toothbrush, then wash it with water. The only bad thing is that after washing and drying my clothes it sometimes leaves a ring from the Goo Gone, but that is easily solved with another wash cycle. Hope this helps. (08/15/2008)
By Maggie
I swear by this stuff called Carbona for fat and grease stains. I get it from Walmart or the grocery store. (09/16/2008)
By elma23
The best way to clean black engine grease from jeans is to rub butter on the stain before washing. (02/08/2009)
By SM
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