How to get cooking oil out of clothing

Key Steps:

• Act as soon as possible – the quicker you can treat the stain the easier it will be to get cooking oil out of clothes when you have time to put a wash on so take 5 minutes out of your food preparation to get in some early treatment.

• Blot as much excess oil up with a paper towel, or use a spoon or blunt knife to scoop up the excess liquid.

Remember to always check the care labels on your clothing before attempting stain removal. If your item is dry cleaning only, it’s best to take it to a professional.

We don’t all wear a frilly apron when we’re frying sausages or mixing up a tasty stir-fry – so cooking oil stains are bound to happen at some point. The good news is that cooking oil stains don’t have to be permanent – although if you’re picking them up on a daily basis, then maybe it’s best you do wear a frilly apron!

Follow our easy guide to the different ways of getting cooking oil out of clothes.

How to Get Cooking Oil Out Of Clothes

If the oil stain is still wet, try to remove as much excess oil as possible with a blunt knife or spoon, or blot the stain with a paper towel. Then, choose one of the below methods on how to get cooking oil out of clothes to try and remove your stain:

Method 1: Laundry detergent

1. Pre-treat the stain with a liquid laundry detergent. Many modern laundry detergents like Persil Bio contain enzymes that help to break down tough stains, so generally a pre-treatment of laundry detergent should be enough to help lift your cooking oil stain. Always test your detergent on a small, hidden area of the garment first to check that it will not damage the fabric.

2. Allow the detergent to soak into the fabric for about 5 minutes so it can really get to work.

3. Check the care label on the garment and wash at the highest temperate the material can withstand with a laundry detergent like Persil small & mighty (follow the dosing instructions on the label). The warmer the water, the easier it will be for the cooking oil stain to be removed.

Method 2: Baking Soda & Washing up Liquid

If you’re wondering ‘how do I get cooking oil out of clothing?’ but you’ve run out of laundry detergent, then here’s how to do it with only a few basic household items. Just remember to test your stain remover on an inconspicuous area of the garment first.

1. After you’ve blotted the stain, cover the affected area with baking soda.

2. Leave the baking soda to sit for around 30 – 60 minutes and then scrub with an old, clean toothbrush. The baking soda will absorb the oil making the stain left behind much easier to remove.

3. Pour some washing up liquid over the remaining baking soda and use your fingers to gently work it into the fabric. Washing up liquid is designed to remove oil and grease from dishes, so essentially it should work just as well on oil stains on clothes.

4. Check the care label on the garment and, as with the above method, wash at the highest temperature the fabric can withstand. If you haven’t had time to pop out and get some laundry detergent, try adding ½ a cup of white vinegar to your wash cycle to help lift any remains of the stain.

Important! With either method, once your wash cycle has finished make sure the stain is fully removed before tumble drying the garment, as if the stain isn’t completely gone the heat will only set the stain further into the fabric. If the stain is still lingering on your garment, repeat the above steps.

There you have it, with these tips on how to get cooking oil stains out of clothes you needn’t worry about your clothes getting messy in the kitchen again!