Oil stains are the greatest enemy, not to mention a nightmare, for anyone who’s particular about their clothing, and even more so for anyone who ever laundered such a dirty garment and witnessed how time and time again the stains refused to come out - making the piece of clothing fit for the trash.
The solutions aren’t usually powder and liquid detergents, which promise mountains and deliver molehills, but rather clever, surprisingly effective, and amazing tricks which remove these stains rather quickly. The following 9 simple and original methods should be tried the next time you encounter a particularly stubborn oil stain on your favorite garment.
1. Cornstarch and vinegar
You may be familiar with cornstarch and vinegar from your home kitchen as a product for cooking, baking, seasoning and preparing various dishes, but you’ll be surprised to hear that their combination also creates a good stain remover, which can suck out any stubborn oil stains on your clothing.
Here's how:
- Sprinkle some cornstarch on the stains and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then remove the starch from the garment with a brush.
- Dip a microfiber cloth in a little vinegar, and gently rub the oil stains until they completely disappear.
- Leave the garment to dry in the open air.
2. Coca-cola
It’s a little strange to think that coke, which is often a source of stains on its own, can also be a solution to hard stains, but it turns out that it is. The reasons that coke can be such a powerful cleaning fluid are the phosphoric acid and carbon dioxide in the drink, which can dissolve and eliminate almost any stain, especially oil spots.
Here's how:
- Pour some coke on the stain and let it sit for about two hours.
- Wash the piece of clothing in the washing machine, and hang it to dry.
3. Aloe Vera Gel
If you try to remove oil stains with Aloe Vera, the same magic formula used to soothe redness and keep the skin healthy, you’ll find that the gel is also very effective for your dirty clothes, which will be as clean and clear as your skin is after using it.
Here's how:
- Dip the stained clothes in cold water, and then apply 100% aloe vera gel.
- Rub the gel on the stain for a few minutes, then rinse the garment with a little cold water.
4. Chalk
Your kids may like to use chalk, to scribble or draw along the sidewalk, but you can take advantage of these colorful writing and drawing tools in a different way that will help you remove annoying, irritating stains from your clothing.
Here's how:
- Crumble white chalk into powder. Sprinkle the powder on the stain, rub it in a little, and then leave it for fifteen minutes.
- Rinse the chalk powder from the garment after fifteen minutes. If the stain is still there, continue to rinse with cold water. A short round in the dryer will complete the job and remove all stains.
5. Shampoo
It turns out that this product, which is usually used as a way to clean our hair, has very effective properties in the fight against hard oil stains in clothes.
Here's how:
- Cover the oil stain with a little shampoo, and use a soft cloth to rub it in.
- Let it sit for fifteen minutes and then put the piece of clothing in the washing machine and wash regularly.
- Hang the garment to dry.
6. Soda bicarbonate and water
Soda bicarbonate, used mostly in baking and cooking, also contains considerable cleaning properties against the most difficult stains.
Here's how:
- Make a paste by mixing water and soda bicarbonate, apply it to the stain and let it sit until it’s completely dried.
- Use a brush to remove the paste from the garment. Check if the stains have been completely removed, and if not, proceed to step 3.
- Give the garment another treatment by pouring a small amount of dishwashing liquid on the stains, and then soak it in hot water for 20 minutes. After the stain has disappeared, dry the garment as usual.
7. Salt and rubbing alcohol
If you want a deadly combination against the bothersome, disturbing stains that can be made from readily available materials that you are likely to find in your kitchen and medicine cabinet, this is the method for you. The combination of rubbing alcohol and simple table salt can save the dirty clothes you were sure you’d have to throw away.
Here's how:
- Mix salt with rubbing alcohol (3: 1 ratio), then spread the mixture over the greasy stains, and let it be absorbed into the garment for about 15 minutes.
- Wash the clothes as usual and repeat the procedure if necessary.
8. Talcum powder and liquid laundry detergent
Talcum powder, usually used for diaper rashes, has the ability to act against stubborn oil stains. Sprinkling a bit of talc on a stain, as described in the instructions below, and then using a laundry liquid to remove it completely, can do wonders for any garment.
Here's how:
- Use a paper towel to wipe the stain as much as possible before starting treatment.
- Sprinkle with a little talcum powder.
- Let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe the talcum powder off using a paper towel.
- Apply some water and detergent to the stain. When the detergent begins to foam, use an old toothbrush and rub the stain with circular motions. Use the toothbrush on both sides of the stain (inside and outside.)
- Wash the entire garment with detergent. Hang to dry, and avoid drying in a dryer, as such drying may prevent the stain from being removed and may actually cause it to stick to the clothing.
9. WD - 40
Lubricants such as WD-40 can surprisingly help remove stains of any kind. However, for the safety and protection of the garment, before using such products to clean the stain, spray a little on the garment to make sure no damage is caused to the fabric. In addition, avoid using this method on silk.
Here's how:
- Spray the stain with WD-40- and let it sit for 20 minutes.
- Remove the grease from the garment by soaking it in hot water.
- Wash the garment in hot water with a detergent.
- Dry the garment and check that the stains have been removed.
