Sometimes, we can’t help getting messy in the kitchen, so we end up soiling aprons and clothes with vegetable oil. If you’re worried, you should put your mind at rest, because vegetable oil may seem hard to remove but they’re not.
You can get rid of vegetable oil smears from your clothes in a few moves. So if you’re considering turning that oil-stained shirt into a rag, then you’re in luck because we bring you 10 different ways to get rid of vegetable oil stains. Find out.
10 Ways to Get Vegetable Oil Out of Clothes
Vegetable oil has formidable staying power, sometimes leaving dark patches even after a few washes. For vegetable oil stains, you need a unique strategy for getting them out of your clothes if you don’t want to waste your effort. Keep reading to find 10 of the best ways to get rid of vegetable oil stains. Take a peek:
1. Cornstarch & Dishwashing Liquid
Extracting as much vegetable oil from the fabric in question is the first step in the right direction. This way, you only focus on the stain – not the oil – when it’s time to wash the cloth. If you have cornstarch at home, then you’re in luck because you would be needing it now.
Sprinkle cornstarch liberally over the stain and lay the garment on a flat surface. Allow at least 30 minutes for the cornstarch to absorb as much vegetable oil as possible. If you’re not in a hurry, it’s even better to wait for one hour.
After that, apply dish soap to the spot and gently work it into the fabric using a nail brush. Finally, wash according to the garment’s care label’s instructions. You can also use cornstarch to extract excess oil when you need to get oil stains from food out of clothes.
2. Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
Dishwashing detergents, ranging from tablets to solutions, are designed to remove greasy and oily stains. If you have extracted as much oil as you possibly can using cornstarch, then this is the next logical step.
Apply a few drops of Dawn dishwashing liquid to the stain and rub it in with your hands. After that, rinse off the spot and toss the garment in a washing machine.
If the oil stain on the garment has been dried multiple times, dab the oil stain with Dawn concentrate. Keep it wet for at least 24 hours. Then use an old toothbrush to gently break up the grease before washing the cloth. If the stain persists, repeat the process.
3. Baking Soda & Dawn Dishwashing Liquid
Grease stains can be tough, that’s why you have to go tough when oil stains leave oily shadows even after multiple washes – by using a paste of baking soda and Dawn dishwashing detergent.
Mix baking soda and an appropriate amount of Dawn to form a consistent paste. Next, cover the entire vegetable oil stain with the paste and wait for 30 minutes to one hour before washing the cloth.
4. Dr. Bronner’s Sal Sud Biodegradable Cleaner
Dr. Bronners Sal Suds comes highly recommended because of its excellent track record of eliminating stubborn stains including vegetable oil. So if you’re in the market for an elite-level vegetable-oil buster, look no further than Dr. Bronner’s cleaner.
Apply some Sal Sud on the stain directly, then allow 30 minutes or more for it to act on the oil stain. You can also use Dr. Bronner’s Sal Sud to do that laundry; it will bring out all the vegetable oil stains, even dried ones.
5. Hairspray
Hairspray may be a strange addition to this list, but it is a simple way to get rid of vegetable oil stains. However, only alcohol-based hairspray will work because alcohol can help to dissolve stubborn oil stains.
To do that, spray hairspray on the vegetable oil stain until the spot is covered entirely, then work the fabric until you notice that the stains start to come out. Rinse the stained spot under running water then load the cloth into a washing machine to be washed.
6. Cheez Whiz
What? We can almost hear you exclaim. Cheez Whiz is a plain old cheese dip that’s supposed to be a delicacy, not a vegetable oil-busting stain remover.
But here’s a secret: Cheez Whiz is terrific at removing vegetable oil stains from clothes. If you’re curious why that is, it’s because Cheez Whiz contains a food additive, Trisodium Phosphate, which happens to also be an industrial-grade cleaner. In addition, the enzymes in Cheez Whiz combine to help break down oil and grease; vegetable oils don’t stand a chance.
As soon as you notice the spill on your cloth, smear the stain with Cheez Whiz and toss it in the wash. For this method, you don’t even need to wait before washing. This works well for fresh oil stains. You might also want to find out how to get grease out of clothes.
7. Coca Cola
Coca-cola has found a surprising number of uses aside from going in the mouth. Two of such uses include cleaning battery terminals and getting tough vegetable oil stains out of clothes. Coca-Cola is low on the pH scale, meaning that it’s an acidic syrup. Combine that with carbonation in the drink and you have an effective stain remover.
Pour some Coke over the stain and leave it to soak for an hour or two. Then wash the garment normally. Your oil or grease stain should be fully gone after washing.
Note: Coca-Cola contains caramel, (which contributes to its dark color) but it won’t leave its own stains after washing the garment. So don’t be afraid – it’s safe.
8. Waterless Mechanic’s Soap
Waterless mechanics’ soaps are heavy-duty soaps designed to remove tough oil stains that can only be found in a mechanic’s workshop; they can make light work of vegetable oil stains on clothes. A good example is Gojo (original formula) hand cleaner.
If you have a waterless mechanic’s soap at hand, apply it to the stained area. Then allow the dry soap to saturate the vegetable oil stain for 15 minutes. Make sure you work the dry soap in with your fingers.
The soap’s grease-cutting properties will aid in the removal of the oil stain. After 30 minutes, repeat the process. Finally, wash and air dry the garment.
9. Trisodium Phosphate & Talcum Powder
Trisodium phosphate serves multiple purposes including as a cleaning agent and (surprisingly) as a food additive.
Still, you need to put on gloves while handling it as it may be too harsh for your skin. Combined with Talcum powder, you can have your own super-effective homemade stain remover. Here’s how to go about it:
- Mix 1 tablespoon of Trisodium phosphate, 12 cups of talcum powder, and a cup of warm water together in a small container. Mix all three thoroughly until a consistent paste forms.
- Spread the paste on the vegetable oil stain and let it sit for 15 – 20 minutes. Allow the paste to set before brushing it away.
- If the stain persists, use a diluted TSP solution of 1 gallon of warm water with 1 cup of TSP. Scrub it into the stain, then rinse with warm water after 20 minutes.
10. WD-40 Spray
You already know a thousand excellent uses for WD-40 Spray, but did you know it is also great at getting rid of stubborn vegetable oil stains? Yes, it is. So if you have some garments that look ugly because of vegetable oil stains that won’t go away, then it’s time to use WD-40 spray on them.
Simply spray WD-40 on the oil stain and allow it to act for about 30 minutes. After that, add a few drops of washing soap on the spot, then wash it after a few minutes.
How Do You Get Cooking Oil Out Of Clothes After Drying?
If you don’t wash the oil stains out correctly the first time, then the cloth goes in the dryer, and the oil residue sets in the fabric – and depending on the fabric, permanently. After cooking oil sets into the fabric, it’s infinitely harder to remove.
But if that’s the situation you’re currently in, don’t throw away your clothes just yet – not without taking a look at the 10 best ways to get rid of vegetable oil stains above.
Any of the above methods will work, but if you want surefire assurance, use Dr. Bronner’s Sal Sod cleaner. For off-the-book use, we recommend using Cheez Whiz – it works like magic.