Thick black oil splashing on your clothes is one of the hazards of working on cars. Mechanics and car lovers are familiar with this phenomenon, and even they struggle to remove the stains; that’s why they convert stained clothes into work clothes.
It is possible to get oil stains out of your clothes with simple household products. Car oil stains, alike, will eventually leave the clothes; although, it might take a lot of time and arm muscle strength.
Items That Remove Car Oil Stains from Clothes
These simple items are powerful cleaning agents that can remove even the toughest stains, like car oil, from clothes. Sometimes, it takes multiple tries or a combination of two or three items on this list and a hefty dose of patience.
Always read the care label of the stained clothes before attempting any stain removal technique, and perform a patch test on a small part of the cloth, because you don’t want to damage the clothes.
Acetone
Acetone is a powerful stain removal agent, and if the name seems familiar, it’s because it is the primary ingredient in nail polish remover.
You can get pure acetone in stores, but nail polish remover is a suitable alternative.
Procedure:
- Gently dab at the stain with a paper towel or a towel, removing excess car oil to simplify the stain removal process.
- Place your stained clothes on a surface to expose hidden stains.
- Arrange a stack of paper towels behind the stain to catch the falling ones and prevent further staining.
- Pour the acetone on the stains and leave it for 15 minutes to penetrate the fabric and remove them.
- Rinse the clothes with cold running water.
- Wash the clothes in the washer following the care label instructions.
Shampoo
Many don’t consider shampoo a suitable option for removing oil stains from clothes, but it is. Shampoo washes hair frequently, removing dirt and grease without damaging delicate hair strands. You can also use it to remove car oil stains from clothes without worrying about damaging the fabric.
Procedure:
- Gently dab at the oil with a paper towel or a towel, removing excess oil.
- Arrange the stained clothes on a flat surface, placing a stack of paper towels or cardboard behind the stain to catch the falling oil and prevent it from spreading further.
- Pour a generous amount of shampoo – within reason – on the stains and rub it into the fabric.
- Leave the treatment for 30 minutes.
- Rinse the clothes and wash them in the washer, following the care label instructions.
Dish Soap
Dish soap is a powerful degreasing agent; it breaks down oil molecules into tiny particles that wash away easily with water without ruining the cleaned surface.
Dish soap is helpful when the car oil stain is not fresh.
Procedure:
- Gently dab at the oil with a paper towel or a towel, removing excess oil
- Arrange the stained clothes on a flat surface, placing a stack of paper towels or cardboard behind the stain to catch the falling oil and prevent it from spreading further.
- Squeeze dish soap on the black stain and rub it into the fabric.
- Leave the treatment for 30 minutes, and then rinse it out.
- Wash the clothes following the instructions of the care label.
Aloe Vera
Aloe Vera is an efficient degreaser, but ensure to perform a patch test before moving forward to see how the fabric reacts. This degreaser may only work on tiny stains.
Procedure:
- Gently dab at the oil with a paper towel or a towel, removing excess oil.
- Sprinkle cold water on the stained clothes to make them damp.
- Rub a generous amount of aloe vera on the stains, work it into the fabric, and leave the treatment for 15 minutes.
- Rinse the aloe vera from the clothes and place them in the washer, following the care label instructions.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is an absorbent cleaning agent, deodorizer, and degreaser. It is efficient in removing many stains from several surfaces.
Procedure:
- Gently dab at the oil with a paper towel or a towel, removing excess oil
- Arrange the stained clothes on a flat surface, placing a thick rag behind the stain to catch the falling oil and prevent it from spreading further.
- Sprinkle baking soda all over the stains and leave it for 15 minutes. The baking soda will absorb the oil stains, changing from a bright white color to a dark one.
- Brush or vacuum the baking soda.
- Rinse the clothes with warm water and check for remnant stains.
- Repeat the process if there are still stains.
- Wash the clothes following the care label instructions.
Cornstarch
Like baking soda, cornstarch is an absorbent stain remover. It is an effortless but highly effective way to remove car oil stains from clothes, and it is so gentle that you don’t have to worry about damaging the fabric.
Procedure:
- Gently dab at the oil with a paper towel or a towel, removing excess oil
- Arrange the stained clothes on a flat surface, placing a thick rag behind the stain to catch the falling oil and prevent it from spreading further.
- Pour enough cornstarch to cover the entire stain in a thick layer.
- Let the cornstarch absorb the car oil for 30 minutes, and sweep it away with a soft brush.
- Follow the care label instructions and wash the clothes in the washer.
OxiClean Max Force
This stain remover is suitable if you don’t want to use household items. It is powerful enough to remove car oil stains while being gentle on the fabrics.
However, some fabrics don’t agree with OxiClean Max Force, like wool, leather, silk, or dry clean only fabrics. You should perform a patch test on any cloth to see how the clothes will react to the stain remover.
Procedure:
- Gently dab at the oil with a paper towel or a towel removing excess oil
- Arrange the stained clothes on a flat surface, placing a stack of paper towels or cardboard behind the stain to catch the falling oil and prevent it from spreading further.
- Saturate the stains with OxiClean Max Force and leave the treatment to soak on the clothes for five minutes.
- Place the clothes in the washer, following the care label instructions.