How to Get Grease Stains Out of Your Favorite Clothes

Grease stains can make you feel like you’ve just ruined a favorite shirt or pair of pants. Whether you’ve been fixing up your bike or deep-frying a meal — grease and oil are common culprits for stains.

While the grease-covered clothes might seem like a lost cause, they are not! We have two foolproof methods for removing those stains and getting back to wearing your favorite clothes.

Use Cornstarch to Remove Grease Stains

Cornstarch works to remove grease stains by absorbing the grease and lifting it out of the fabric.

Follow these six steps:

1. Sprinkle the stain with cornstarch to absorb some of the grease from the fabric.
2. Flush the backside of the fabric with cold water to remove the cornstarch and push the stain out of the fibers of the fabric.
3. Spray the area with a dish soap cleaning solution. To make the cleaning solutions, mix 1 tbsp. dish soap + 10oz water in a spray bottle.
4. Blot the dish soap solution with a clean rag.
5. Pretreat the area with stain remover.
6. Launder with hot water.

Once the clothing has come out of the wash, check the area for the stain. If it’s still present, repeat the steps until the stain is completely gone. Make sure you don’t put the clothing in the dryer until the stain is completely gone. This will set the stain.

Use Dish Detergent to Remove Grease Stains

Just like it removes grease and oil from your dishes, dish detergent can also pull grease from clothing.

Follow these four steps:

1. Apply the dish detergent directly to the grease stain. Rub the detergent in to saturate the affected area and let it sit for a few minutes.
2. Wash the clothing as instructed on the garment label.
3. Check clothing for any sign of the stain, again being careful not to dry it if the stain remains.
4. Repeat steps if necessary.

Have more questions about how to remove stains? Check out Molly Maid’s blog on Stain Treatment 101, and learn when to use hot or cold water to remove stains.

Looking for a deeper clean at home? Contact the professionals at Molly Maid by requesting a free estimate online.