How To Get Out Grease Stains From Fabric
Don’t panic if you spill grease on your clothes or the couch. Start tackling it instead.
Up next in Stains & Laundry (82 videos)
No matter what you spilled on your clothes or furnishings, we can tell you how to get it out.
You Will Need
- Salt, baking soda, cornstarch, or talcum powder
- A gentle brush, like a pastry brush
- Colorless dishwashing liquid
- Hot water
- Laundry prewash detergent
Steps
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Step 1
Dry it out
Sprinkle the stain with salt, baking soda, cornstarch, or talcum powder. Let it stand for 30 minutes, and then brush it away with something gentle, like a pastry brush. Repeat until as much grease as possible has been absorbed.
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Step 2
Pretreat it
Gently rub colorless dishwashing liquid into the stain and let it stand for a few minutes.
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Step 3
Soak it
Soak the item in hot water for 30 minutes.
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Step 4
Rinse it
Flip the item over and run hot water through the back of the stain until it is thoroughly rinsed. If the stain is gone, launder as usual.
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Step 5
Make a paste
If there's still some stain, apply a paste of three parts baking soda to one part water. Let it dry, then brush it off.
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Step 6
Pretreat again
Dab on some laundry prewash detergent and let it stand for 10 minutes.
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Step 7
Wash it
Toss it in the machine and wash it with hot water.
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For really stubborn stains, replace half the laundry detergent with baking soda.
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Step 8
Repeat as needed
If you can still see the stain, repeat the entire process.
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The price paid for used french-fry grease -- which can be converted to biodiesel fuel -- tripled from 2005 to 2008.
