Dear Home-Ec 101,
Okay dames, got a good one for you…how on EARTH do you get those little grease splatter stains off of your favorite shirt?!? I’ve tried everything, but my fave sweater still sits shelved…waiting to be worn…poor sweater. Thanks.
Signed,
Swearing at my Splattered Sweater
We face the grease splatter dilemma all the time. Lisa has quite a few aprons she always forgets to wear when cooking, and Heather has a house of eight, so aprons aren’t happening. Now, you say you’ve tried everything, so we will give you several things that have worked for us.
Always check your clothing’s care tag before treating specialty fabrics like wool and delicates, which may require dry cleaning.
The rule of the road is the faster you treat a grease stain the easier it is to get out. But don’t worry–there are methods to remove old grease stains from clothes, even if the grease has dried and sat – it will just take longer.
If the grease splatter is fresh, gently blot with a paper towel, then use a pretreatment solution or dish soap. Paper towels can help draw grease out of the fabric, while dish soap can help break up stains rather than letting them set in.
Dawn Dishwashing Liquid has worked miracles in getting grease off many surfaces – including Lisa’s t-shirts that somehow always wind up with a grease stain front and center. Make sure it is the original blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid.
Another one we have that works like a charm is Simple Green. If you have a NON HE top loader, you can use it in your laundry. This will not work in a high-efficiency machine. After the machine has filled with water, add a quarter cup (No more than 1/4 cup!) of Simple Green in addition to your normal laundry detergent. You can also put a 50/50 mix of Simple Green and water directly on the spots. This has never failed us when dealing with grease stains.
If you have tried all this to no avail, you might try some OxiClean, though we have never had to try anything else once we used Dawn or Simple Green.
Submit your household questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.
Thanks! I’ve never tried the Simple Green before…now I’ve got a new weapon to introduce to the fray!
I know this is a really really old post….but I thought maybe someone would look it up sometime.
I have heard people use cornstarch or baby powder to remove grease stains. Apply DRY powder to DRY garment. Let sit overnight. Wash per usual.
I use Grease Lightning. I literally spray it directly onto the stain. (I figure if it takes the color out it doesn’t matter ’cause I wouldn’t have worn it anyway covered in grease spots!)
My mother uses Murphy’s Oil Soap. Apply full strength Murphy’s to oil stain. It is a bit thick so spread it around. Wash garment as usual in the hottest water possible for the fabric. DO NOT DRY IT IN THE DRYER. Hang garment to dry. Once it is dry repeat the process. (My Mom swears it comes out the second wash.) And, in case you are wondering, its a case of like vs. like. The oil in the Murphy’s absorbs the oil from the shirt.
ALSO ~ Note about the fibers: IF your oil stain is on polyester GOOD LUCK getting it out of the garment! Polyester is made from petroleum products so when you get oil on it the fibers can literally merge the new oil making the stain a permanent fixture of your garment.
I still give it a try myself, just in case that greasy polyester stuff hasn’t absorbed my bacon grease! LOL