When one is cooking, baking, or just generally working in the kitchen making food, oil stains become an unfortunate but common mishap. That pesky olive oil and its greasy stains become an enormous problem especially if it’s a favorite t-shirt or dress, or if one’s in a hurry and just wanted a last-minute pick me up to tide them till food was served.
Unlike other food stains, olive oil stains might not destroy the clothing article but they do, however, tend to leave dark spots on the area of the fabric where the olive oil splashes.
Alas, getting the olive oil to leave the fabric can be as difficult as separating two lovers who are meant for each other. Don’t worry, the oil stains are going through a teen phase, we just need a few tricks for the oil stain and fabric to realize they are not soul-mates and will not be living happily ever after, but you will, however, get your clothes back stain free.
How to get Olive Oil Stains out of Clothing Articles
One of the most crucial pointers one can learn to get olive oil stains out of clothes is to remember not to run the stained fabric underwater. Since water and oil don’t mix, the water can create a protective coating around the stain, preventing other substances from reaching and removing it.
Unfortunately, while we cannot run the stained fabric underwater, we cannot let it dry completely either. Once the stain dries, then it might set into the fabric forevermore.
The trick to getting olive oil stains out of clothing is by using a paper towel or napkin or whatever soakable material you have on hand to soak up as much of the oil and its residue as possible. This will make it easier for the olive oil stain to be removed easily.
Here are a few tips and tricks that will help you to get olive oil stains out of different clothes:
- Clean with liquid dish-washing soap
- Clean with liquid dish-washing soap and baking soda
- Clean with liquid dish-washing soap, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda
- Clean with liquid dish-washing soap, baking soda and water displacing lubricant
- Clean with liquid dish-washing soap, cornstarch
- Clean with liquid dish-washing soap, cornstarch and pen/pencil
- Clean with detergent from store
- Clean with shampoo
- Clean with aloe vera
- Clean with hairspray
1. Cleaning with Liquid Dish Washing Soap:
The first method for cleaning olive oil stains out of clothes involves nothing but the handy dish-washing liquid soap. It is available in every household which makes this trick super-nifty and swift. And basically, just about all olive oil spills take place in the kitchen, where our handy dandy liquid dish soap is kept.
Follow the below-given steps to remove olive oil stains with just liquid dish soap:
- Step1:
Blot out any and every surplus amount of oil with a tissue, paper towel, napkin, or any other absorbent material. More importantly, hold out against the need to run the fabric underwater, it’ll just do more damage instead of fixing things.
- Step 2:
Squeeze out a few droplets of the liquid dish-washing soap onto the stained part of your clothes. Massage it for a few minutes but do not, in any case, massage it too roughly. That could result in the olive oil stain diffusing more thoroughly in the fabric. Instead, rub it gently and let the dish soap do its job.
- Step 3:
Let the dish soap stay on the stain for a minimum of 5 minutes at the most.
- Step 4:
Finally, rinse the oil stain on the fabric underwater. Make sure the water is at a high temperature or at least warm.
2. Cleaning with Liquid Dish-Washing Soap and Baking Soda:
While using dish soap is incredibly handy but sometimes the oil stains need a bit more fire-power to leave. That is where baking soda comes in. Anyone who works in the kitchen knows that baking soda is a truly magnificent substance that comes very useful when cleaning.
Of course, adding some water will be needed as well as towels or tissue papers to clean up the baking soda.
Let’s run over the steps for this trick:
- Step 1:
One more time, no running the oil-stained cloth underwater. Instead dab at it with tissue paper, napkin, any absorbent material. Let it absorb all the excess grease and oil. Additionally, hold yourself back from rubbing fingers over it, pat-patting it with your hands, trying to wipe it away. Neither of them will magically make the oil stain disappear and will, in fact, make a bigger mess.
- Step 2:
After mopping up as much of the oil as physically possible, get the baking soda and smear a generous amount onto the oil stain. Rub it down as best as you can.
- Step 3:
Leave the baking soda on the stain for a good 10 to 15 minutes, waiting for it to dry. Another nifty piece of advice is to brush or sweep away the crusty dusty baking soda instead of running it underwater. Prevents a mess.
- Step 4:
This should have done the trick but if the stain is particularly stubborn, perform steps 1 to 3 again.
- Step 5:
Now, spritz out a blob of dish-washing liquid soap onto the stained fabric. Like mentioned above, massage the dish soap gently, don’t go too wild. That might cause damage.
- Step 6:
Leave the cloth be, for a minimum of 5 minutes. Wait patiently and let the dish soap do its thing.
- Step 7:
Wash out the soap with water that’s high temperature or at the very least warm.
- Step 8:
That is one stubborn stain if it hasn’t gone by now. And in case it hasn’t gotten the hint yet, then proceed to do steps 5 to 7 again.
- Step 9:
Finally, if after all this, you see even a small hint of an oil stain, make sure to dry the clothes au natural instead of tossing them in the dryer. The reason for this is not that we want to add additional work to your pile, but the dryer’s extremely strong heat might cause that pesky oil stain to stick.
3. Cleaning with Liquid Dish-Washing Soap, Baking Soda and Water Displacing Lubricant:
Remember that lubricant kept in your store for squeaky hinges and doors. Well they’re not just for that anymore. A more popular brand, WD-40, can also be used for clearing out olive oil stains from clothes. Additionally, you’ll need Q-tips, a bowl, an unused toothbrush, and a piece of cardboard.
Now let’s go get rid of that stain:
- Step 1:
Cut out or bend the piece of cardboard such that it can be inserted under the piece of stained fabric but also is peeking out. Make sure that it’s not hidden under the cloth.
- Step 2:
Now grab your lubricant or more specifically, WD-40 and if the stain is large then directly spray the WD-40. Otherwise, coat a bowl with the WD-40 and use a q-tip to apply it to the stain.
- Step 3:
Apply a generous amount of baking soda onto the WD-40 using a toothbrush, rubbing it in a bit. Make sure to not wash off the WD-40.
- Step 4:
Leave it be for a while and you’ll notice that the baking powder absorbs the oil and becomes clumpy.
- Step 5:
Brush off the baking soda clumps from the article of clothing.
- Step 6:
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the baking soda stops clumping up, indicating no more oil left to absorb.
- Step 7:
Wash the clothes as you usually would, although, might find a lot of baking soda remnants.
4. Cleaning with Liquid Dish-Washing Soap, Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda:
This method is quite similar to the second trick, just with an additional ingredient; Hydrogen Peroxide, for those incredibly hard to get out stains.
However, a teeny-tiny problem of using hydrogen peroxide is that it might ruin the coloration of dark clothes.
Before doing this trick, do a small test by dabbing a very small amount of hydrogen peroxide on the corner or hemline of the clothes.
If it happens to leech out color, then might wanna look down for different tricks, but if nothing happens then lets power ahead through the steps:
- Step 1:
Douse the oil stain completely with hydrogen peroxide.
- Step 2:
Apply a super generous amount of baking soda onto the hydrogen peroxide, enough so that it makes a dumpy, muddy mixture and is quite thick.
- Step 3:
Squeeze out the liquid dish soap on top of the muddy mixture.
- Step 4:
Add more baking soda again, but this time, considerably reduce your generosity.
- Step 5:
Get a new or unused toothbrush and scrub the whole baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and liquid dish soap mixture quite thoroughly. Put your back into it.
- Step 6:
Leave it be for anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour. Let the magic happen.
- Step 7:
Finally, wash out your cloth along with the muddy mixture on it.
Never place an oil-stained garment in the dryer. The oil will be bonded to the cloth fibers by the high heat of the dryer, making it much more difficult to remove later.
5. Cleaning with Liquid Dish-Washing Soap and CornStarch:
As we keep going, you can very obviously see the magic of liquid dishwashing soap. For this trick, instead of the all-powerful baking soda, we’ll use cornstarch. However, if there’s no cornstarch available, cornmeal will do in a pinch as well.
- Step 1:
Instead of dabbing at the stain or throwing tissue paper or kitchen towels at it, we’re going to directly apply cornstarch to it.
- Step 2:
We’re going to let the cornstarch rest for a good 30 minutes to an hour. Put a hold on doing anything to the stain for the time being.
- Step 3:
Next, put over a generous amount of dish soap on top of the corn starch. Do not attempt to wipe off the cornstarch before this.
- Step 4:
Massage the cornstarch and dish soap mixture gently into the stain. We do not want to be too rough and permeate the stain further through the cloth.
- Step 5:
Wash out the article of clothing alongside the cornstarch and dish soap mixture, make sure to leave no drop behind.
6. Cleaning with Liquid-Dish Washing Soap, CornStarch and Pen/Pencil:
Here’s another method using cornstarch instead of baking soda and of course, a pen or a pencil along with some towels, a big piece of paper, and a tub or the sink works too if there’s no tub.
- Step 1:
Apply a generous amount of cornstarch onto the stain, making sure to cover it completely.
- Step 2:
Let it rest for 30 minutes then dust off the cornstarch.
- Step 3:
Do steps 1 and 2 again, or maybe even a third time.
- Step 4:
Place the stained cloth onto the piece of paper and draw its outline of its shape onto the paper.
- Step 5:
Fill the sink or tub with ice-cold water.
- Step 6:
Add dish soap into the water. Mix them together, taking care that no suds or bubbles should be formed.
- Step 7:
Submerge the cloth into the water, making sure to immerse it completely.
- Step 8:
Leave the stained cloth and let it come up to the top of the water. After 3 minutes, pull it out but don’t wring it, no matter how wet. Let it drip onto towels.
- Step 9:
Drain the tub/sink, then refill it again with cold water.
- Step 10:
Immerse the sweater back into the water to try and rid the clothes of the soapy remains. Steps 9 and 10 can be repeated as many times as necessary.
- Step 11:
Roll the article onto the towel and let it soak up all the water.
- Step 12:
Unroll the article from the towel.
- Step 13:
After the article is dry, place it on the paper outline to make sure it doesn’t shrink while being washed.
7. Cleaning with Detergent
The easiest way is to run to the store and buy a stain-removing detergent.
- Step 1:
Dab at the oil stain with an absorbent material to remove excess grease or oil.
- Step 2:
Follow the instructions given on the back of the detergent pack. Repeat if necessary.
8. Cleaning with Shampoo
If you don’t want to run out to the store but have shampoo available, we can use that too. In a pinch, it’ll suffice;
- Step 1:
Blot using an absorbent material to wipe off excess oil or grease.
- Step 2:
Pick any shampoo that does not have a strong color or scent.
- Step 3:
Cover the entire stain with the shampoo.
- Step 4:
Instead of using hands, get an unused toothbrush and scrub the stain gently.
- Step 5:
Wait for 5 minutes.
- Step 6:
Leave the shampoo remnants and transfer them to a washing machine.
- Step 7:
Wash with hot or warm temperature water.
9. Cleaning with Aloe Vera
If you don’t have shampoo available but aloe vera is right there then substitute shampoo with aloe vera in the shampoo trick steps and it will work just as well. A word of caution, liquid aloe vera works better than aloe from the plant.
10. Cleaning with Hair Spray
Hairspray is another major household item that can be used to get rid of oil stains. The reason hairspray works is because of the alcohol content in it which loosens up the oil, and thereby vanishes when washed.
- Step 1:
Cover the entirety of the stain with a thin sheen of hairspray.
- Step 2:
Transfer the article to the washing machine without removing the hairspray.
- Step 3:
Wash the clothes and run them through a dryer, all stain-free.
Unfortunately, olive oil causes stains, and accidents do happen. Fortunately, its taste, as well as its health benefits, trumps its small fault.