Getting Rid of Grease Spots on Fabric

It’s a nightmare to find grease spots or lip-gloss on favorite items of clothing or fabric, but no matter how careful you are, eating, cooking, working on cars, or inadvertently leaving lip-gloss in a pocket can result in grease or oil spots on fabric items. Sometimes grease spots go unnoticed, and they end up set-in and forever embedded in fabric. Greasy spots from lip-gloss, cooking oil, or automotive oil can ruin an otherwise good article of clothing, piece of furniture, or other fabric.

The following information provides methods for getting rid of grease and oil spots on clothes, furniture, and other fabric items. Try these easy methods of getting rid of fresh grease and oil spots, lip-gloss, and set-in grease and oil stains. You just might save a fabric item that would otherwise be ruined and discarded.

Precautionary Statement

If you are hesitant to try the following remedies for removing grease and oil or lip-gloss from fabrics and clothing, test an inconspicuous area first. If the fabric remains colorfast and intact, proceed with cleaning the fabric or garment as instructed. After fabric is stained, you really have nothing to lose but greasy oily marks.

Textured Fabric

Greasy oil spots can be difficult to get out of textured fabric because of the nooks and crannies. If a spot of grease, oil, or lip-gloss hasn’t set-in, cover it with cornmeal. Gently brush the spot with cornmeal, allow the cornmeal to remain on the spot for at least eight hours. The cornmeal will absorb the oil. After eight hours, brush away the cornmeal, treat the mark with one of the grease removers mentioned below, and wash the item as directed.

Smooth Fabric

Cornstarch is great for removing oil, grease, and lip-gloss marks from smooth fabric. Simply sprinkle cornstarch on fresh grease, oil, or lip-gloss marks, gently work the cornmeal into the fabric, and allow it set for at least eight hours. Cornstarch will absorb the greasy marks, and after the cornstarch is brushed away, and spot treat the area with one of the grease removers listed here. Wash the item as usual, and the greasy marks should be gone.

Knit Fabrics

We’ve all heard how club soda is great for removing wine stains from fabric, but did you know that club soda also removes greasy marks from knit fabrics? If you have a knit fabric article with oil or grease spots, pour club soda over the spot. Allow the club soda to work for several minutes, treat the spot with one of the oil removers mentioned below, and wash the item as usual.

Mechanic’s Hand Cleaner

Hand cleaner for mechanics is great for removing grease and oil from hands, and it also works to remove greasy marks from fabric and clothing. Treat the greasy mark with mechanic’s hand cleaner as you would use any pretreatment, and wash the item as directed.

Shampoo

Since shampoo is specifically meant for hair, it contains products that break up oil and grease. Work shampoo into greasy marks, and wash the item as usual. If you don’t have time to wash the item in a washing machine, work the shampoo into the marks, rinse the area, and dry it with a hair dryer.

Set-in Grease Stains

Once fabric or clothing have been washed and dried, greasy stains are more than likely set-in. Grease removing products aren’t likely to work on set-in stains, but luckily, oil removes oil. Soften a greasy stain with WD-40, and work dishwashing liquid that contains degreaser into the stain. Wash the item as usual, and the set-in stain should be gone or much less visible than before.