Whether you’ve been outside working on your bike or inside cooking up a delicious dinner for the family, there’s one thing you need to keep an eye out for – oil stains! Oil stains happen easily – one little splash in the wrong direction and your t-shirt may start to look a little worse for wear. The good news is that the stain doesn’t have to be permanent. Here’s how to get oil stains out of clothes – even your most delicate fabrics!
How to Remove Oil Stains from Everyday Cottons
The good news about everyday cottons is that they’re incredibly durable and hardwearing, which means these clothes can withstand practically anything that’s thrown at them without becoming damaged. If you’ve spilt oil on your cotton shirt while cooking dinner, don’t panic – all you need is a solvent that can break down greasy particles and oil stain removal becomes a piece of cake. Rubbing alcohol, which you can buy from chemists, is a good choice, or even acetone-based nail varnish removers can be effective.
The trick is to apply the solvent to the back of the stain, not the front, and then use a clean cloth to blot from the back, pushing the oils out of the fabric, rather than encouraging them deeper into the material. (Remember to test any stain removing solution on a small hidden area of the garment first). Rinse in warm water, wash as normal following the instructions on the garment care label, and your shirt should look, feel, and smell much fresher.
Top tip: For an easy way to get stain removal power into your wash (as well as clothing care and added freshness) you can't go wrong with high quality washing capsules, like Persil Washing Capsules. Just pop them into the drum before adding your pre-treated oil-stained clothes, and let them get to work. They dissolve fast to get to work quickly.
Removing Oil Stains from Synthetic Fibres
Like cotton, synthetic fibres are also very durable and hardwearing, but you do need to take a little extra care with some types of synthetic material to prevent the fabric from melting. Some synthetic fibres may not respond well to solvents and high temperatures, so a great method for these materials is to pre-treat using a gentle yet power-packed laundry detergent like Persil liquid.
Using the clever dosing ball, apply Persil liquid directly to the stain and allow to soak for 30 minutes – this will allow it to penetrate deep down and tackle the oil stain head on.
Persil liquid is an excellent oil stain remover, promising full stain removal for bike oil, and helping to remove stains caused by palm oil. Rinse and wash at 40 degrees – there’s no need to boil your clothes, with Persil you’ll see great results even at lower temperatures.
How to Get Oil Out of Fabric that’s Delicate
If you’ve accidentally dripped oil onto delicate fabrics like wool or silk, you may think that removing the stain will be impossible. Although wool and silk can’t be treated with the same ferocity as cotton and synthetic fibres, removing oil stains can still be relatively easy. The secret is to draw out as much oil as possible before washing.
Oils can be drawn out of fabrics by applying a thick layer of an absorbent powder – baking soda (the same stuff you use to make cakes!) and baby powder are good options because they’re gentle and mild and shouldn’t cause any damage to the material.
Leave the powder on overnight, and then brush off in the morning – the powder should have consumed most of the oil. Then, wash at 30 degrees with Persil Non-Bio Liquid, a gentle detergent that will protect and clean your delicates.
Now that you know how to remove oil stains from clothes, including all the insider tips, tricks, and secrets that’ll give you fresh, clean garments quickly and easily, there’s no need to worry when frying in the kitchen, eating oily snacks, or fixing the car. You’ll have everything you need to wave goodbye to those unsightly stains, and say ‘hello’ to great looking outfits.
How do you get oil stains out of clothes?