Easily Fix Oil-Stained Clothes And Fabrics With Items You Already Own

Picture the scene. You are frying up some bacon before heading out the door. The heat is up a little too high and grease starts splattering out of the pan — and directly onto your favorite outfit. You need to act quickly before the stain sets, but you don't have a lot of time to spare, especially since you have to change outfits. All you need is a little baking soda to continue with your day as planned. Of course, stains don't always conveniently attack while we are at home, like when you spill salad dressing down your front at a work lunch. While it is best to tackle these stains right away, you don't have to chuck your clothes in the trash. Grease and oil are some of the toughest stains to get out of clothes because they don't break down in water, but with a few household items like baking soda, there is hope. 

There are so many ways to use baking soda. It's used for baking, deodorizing, cleaning, teeth whitening, and making volcanoes erupt for the school science fair. It is also great for absorbing moisture, and is used to draw out grease and oil from clothes (you can even use it to remove those pesky oil stains in your driveway). 

To remove grease stains from your clothes, you'll need a paper towel or napkin, baking soda, cardboard or an old towel, liquid dish soap, and an old toothbrush. First, place a piece of cardboard or an old towel inside the garment to keep the stain from spreading to the other side. Next, blot the stain with a paper towel to remove as much excess oil as possible. Pour baking soda over the stain and wait 24 hours. If you would like the garment ready sooner, you can wait 10 minutes, scrape it off, rinse in hot water, then apply more baking soda and repeat until the stain is mostly lifted. 

Rinse the baking soda off with water, then scrub dishwashing liquid into the stain with an old toothbrush. Dishwashing liquid is formulated to remove grease and oil from dishes, so it works better on these stains than laundry detergent. Make sure the stain is completely removed, then wash as normal. It is recommended that you line dry your garment, since it can be hard to tell if the stain is completely gone while wet, and placing it in the dryer can make the stain set. It is more difficult to remove grease stains from already washed clothes, but not impossible. 

Out of baking soda? Baby powder and cornstarch also absorb moisture and will yield similar results.