What gets oil out of clothes without fading the color? I just started working at an Italian restaurant. My aprons are green and burgundy and they show the spots where I got the stains out from before.
Catie C., San Diego
It’s true that sometimes what gets oil out of dark clothes can cause the color to fade. But here are some tips to help you solve that problem in the future. For a complete list of all the stain removers you can try on your clothes, take a look at https://www.tipsbulletin.com/how-to-get-oil-stains-out-of-clothes/
When you first notice the grease on your apron, blot at it to remove as much as you can, but don’t rub it into the material. Then, if you want to pre-treat it with a stain remover, choose carefully.
Some laundry aids require a hot wash, but this may fade the dye of the fabric. Others carry a warning not to let them sit for too long on your clothes because they leach the color. In the end, it’s best if you have a stain remover that will let you wash in cold or warm water.
Next, try soaking up extra oil with cornstarch or baby powder. Not only will these powders help to get rid of oil stains on clothing and other surfaces, but they can also get that nasty cooking grease smell out of clothes at the same time. Sprinkle the powder liberally on the spot, then let it sit for half an hour.
Brush off the powder and the stain should be gone with it. Finally, you may find that dish soap is your best tool for removing greasy spots from clothing because it dissolves oils well.
Both of these solutions can also work for cleaning slime off a shirt or other piece of clothing or even furniture or the carpet. Scrape off excess slime with a blunt knife or scraper before treating the spot so that you will be less likely to smear it into a larger area. Then, you can treat the slime stain itself.
You’ll see that some folks even use WD-40 to get rid of old spots, but this substance will leave its own stain if it is not cleaned correctly.
Air dry your clothes instead of using the dryer. This way you can see if the oil is gone without it setting permanently in the fabric like it will in the dryer.
