To remove an oil stain from clothes, blot off the excess oil, cover the spot with cornstarch or baking soda for 15 minutes, then brush it off and rub in a few drops of dish soap. Rinse, then wash in the hottest water the care label allows. Keep it out of the dryer until the stain is gone.
That works for cooking oil, olive oil, butter, salad dressing and pizza grease. Our stain guide for grease and oil has the short version for any fabric on one card.
I'm a mom of two energetic boys, and oil gets on something in our house most weeks: a pan spitting onto my work clothes at dinnertime, or pizza grease on someone's favorite pants.
Why oil stains are hard to get out
Oil and water don't mix. It's a simple scientific fact, and it means rinsing an oil stain under the tap mostly spreads it around. The oil soaks into the fibers and stays there until something breaks it up. Dish soap is made to do exactly that, and plain water isn't.
Heat is the other problem. A hot dryer bakes oil into the fabric and leaves a darker patch that's much harder to shift. Check the stain has gone before anything goes in the dryer.
Stop the stain before it happens
In my kitchen, a Hedley and Bennett apron is the thing I reach for first. The heavy material stops oil splatters reaching my clothes and it covers more than a standard apron. It has pockets and an adjustable fit, and it has saved a lot of favorite shirts from oil while I cook.
A few other habits help:
- Keep a stain stick in your bag to treat a spot straight away when you're out.
- Spray a fabric protector on the things that get stained most.
- Change into casual clothes before a messy cooking project.
How to get a fresh oil stain out
- Blot, don't rub. Press a paper towel on the spot to lift any oil still sitting on top. Rubbing pushes it deeper.
- Cover it with cornstarch, baking soda or talc and leave it for 15 minutes to draw the oil out of the fibers.
- Brush the powder off with your fingers or a dry brush, working from the outside in.
- Rub in a few drops of dish soap with your fingers or an old toothbrush and leave it for 10 minutes. A HeySunday dishwasher sheet dissolved in warm water works here too, since it's made to cut grease. Apply it straight to the stain.
- Rinse with the warmest water the care label allows.
- Wash as normal in the hottest water the label allows.
- Hang it to dry and check it. If you can still see a mark, go back to step 4. Only machine dry once the stain is completely gone, with a HeySunday dryer sheet if you like.
How to get old or set-in oil stains out
Old oil stains often look like a darker, slightly see-through patch. You see them a lot on shirts that have already been through the wash and dryer once. They can still come out, but plan on more than one round.
- Wet the stain with warm water.
- Work in a few drops of dish soap, or a pre-wash stain remover made for oil, with a toothbrush.
- Leave it for 30 minutes to several hours. For very stubborn stains, leave it overnight.
- Rinse with the warmest water the care label allows.
- Repeat steps 2 to 4 if you can still see the stain. Two or three rounds is normal.
- Wash in the hottest water the label allows, then air dry and check it.
A shirt that went through the dryer with the stain in it needs a longer soak. Dissolve 1 HeySunday laundry sheet in a sink of the warmest water the label allows, leave the shirt in it for a few hours, then treat the spot with dish soap again before you wash it. Some heat-set stains only fade a little with each round.
Oil stains by fabric
| Fabric | What to do | Water |
|---|---|---|
| Cotton and linen | Powder, then dish soap, then wash | Hot, if the label allows |
| Jeans and denim | Same as cotton, with a longer soak for old stains | Warm to hot |
| Polyester, activewear and blends | Baking soda followed by an enzyme cleaner or dish soap, and a longer soak. Synthetics hold onto oil, so expect a second round | Warm |
| Wool | Powder, then a specialized wool detergent only. Avoid hot water and don't rub | Cool |
| Silk | Powder only, then a drop of dish soap diluted in cool water, dabbed on and rinsed | Cool |
| Other delicates | A HeySunday dishwasher sheet dissolved in cool water, then hand wash | Cool |
| Dry clean only | Blot and powder, then take it in and tell the cleaner it's oil | None |
The care label has the final say on temperature. If the tag is just symbols, our laundry symbols guide decodes it.
What works on oil, and what doesn't
These are what I use on oil stains, most often first:
- Dish soap. Most people already own it and it's the best thing in the house for breaking up grease.
- A HeySunday dishwasher sheet dissolved in warm water, if you already use them in the kitchen.
- HeySunday laundry detergent sheets for the wash itself. They handle oil well.
- Cornstarch, baking soda or talc to soak up fresh oil before you treat it. White chalk works too: rub it over the stain and it absorbs oil before washing.
- A pre-wash stain remover made for oil, if you get a lot of grease on work or kitchen clothes.
Hot water on its own moves oil around without lifting it. Treat the stain first and save the hot water for the wash.
Vinegar doesn't do much to oil on its own. Its acid does break down some parts of an oil stain and can make other treatments work better, so it's worth having as a helper:
- Mix equal parts white vinegar and warm water.
- Soak the stained area for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Follow with a HeySunday dishwasher sheet dissolved in water.
- Wash as normal with HeySunday laundry detergent sheets.
I mostly use vinegar on stains that also smell, like cooking oil with food mixed in.
Washing greasy clothes
Once the stain is treated, wash the garment with the rest of a load in the hottest water its label allows. Kitchen towels, aprons (my Hedley and Bennett apron included) and work clothes count as heavily soiled, so a large load gets 3 HeySunday laundry detergent sheets, plus 1 extra if the grease is heavy. Our guide to how to use laundry detergent sheets has more on dosing, and hot or cold water for laundry covers which temperature suits which fabric.
Kallee, one of our customers, wrote: "They clean my husbands work and farm clothes very well and I like not having sticky jugs of detergent."
Frequently asked questions
How do you get old oil stains out of clothes?
With dish soap, time and a few rounds. If you're not sure whether a mark is old oil, drip a little water on it. Water tends to bead on an oily patch instead of soaking straight in. Treat that as grease, not a water stain.
Can oil stains come out after drying?
Often, yes, though the heat makes them harder. Keep the iron away while you work on it. Pressing a hot iron over the spot sets the oil further, the same way the dryer did.
Does Dawn dish soap remove oil stains from clothes?
Dawn or any grease-cutting dish soap helps. HeySunday dishwasher sheets dissolved in warm water work just as well, and if you already use them in the kitchen, they're in your home. On white or pale fabric, use a clear dish soap rather than a colored one.
Does vinegar remove oil stains?
Not on its own, but it helps alongside a grease remover. Never mix vinegar with a bleach-based stain remover on the same spot. The two together release chlorine gas.
How do you get olive oil out of clothes?
Slip a paper towel or a piece of cardboard behind the stain first, then treat it like any cooking oil. Olive oil is thin and spreads fast through light fabrics, and the backing stops the oil and the soap soaking through to the back of the garment.
