How to Get Grease Stains Out of Clothes (Even After Washing Them)

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We’ve all been there: One moment, you’re pan-frying pork chops or slabs of bacon, and the next, splotches of oil are all over your new blouse. Or maybe you’re slathering butter onto a buttermilk biscuit or spooning gravy over your mashed potatoes when, all of a sudden, you’re wearing your dinner.

While a big, fat grease stain is a surefire way to kill the mood or ruin an outfit and isn’t particularly fun to deal with, it doesn’t mean you have to spend an arm and a leg at a dry cleaner, toss your garment in the trash, or donate the piece to Goodwill. With a few tricks up your sleeve (literally!), you can treat and target the oily patch pronto. ”Grease is one of the worst substances to get out,” admits Michael Silva-Nash, president of Molly Maid of Greater Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas. “But it is possible if you act fast and follow several steps to help pull the grease away from the fabric surface.”

Even if you’ve run the soiled piece through the washer and dryer, only to find that the oily mark is still visible, fear not: There are some tried-and-true methods that effectively and quickly remove grease stains from clothes. So, whether you’ve spilled salad dressing on your lap or you’ve dribbled mayonnaise on your collar, these expert-approved tips will get grease out for good, no matter how long it’s been sitting there.

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How to Remove Grease Stains From Clothes, Fast

The longer you let a grease stain sit there, the harder it is to remove. If the stain just happened, whether it’s from an oily slice of pepperoni or a greasy French fry, there are a few trusty steps you can take to quickly treat the stain before it sets in. Here’s what to do:

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Blot the stain.

First things first, you’ll want to sop up as much of the grease as possible with a fresh paper towel. Technique matters here—scrubbing will only make matters worse. “Blot, don’t rub at the stain,” Silva-Nash emphasizes. “Rubbing will push the substance into the fibers.” (This grease-removal method also works on fabric-based, non-clothing items, such as tablecloths or cloth napkins.)

Add a drop of dish soap.

Next, apply a drop or two of dish soap (laundry detergent also works) directly on top of the stain to cut through the grease. Smear the soap with your fingers, and rub it in the direction of the fibers, so the soap attaches itself to the oil. Note that a traditional dish soap like Dawn has much stronger grease-fighting abilities than a plant-based one.

Use warm or hot water.

Combining a squirt of dish soap with a splash of water will help pull the grease stain away from the fabric. For oil-based stains, warm or hot water is more effective than cold, since the heat will assist the breakdown of oil.

Rinse it from the inside out.

Once you’ve set the faucet to the right temperature, flush the grease from the inside of the garment, not the stained side. Silva-Nash recommends washing the stain with warm or hot water for several minutes.

Toss it in the washing machine.

After completing the initial spot treatment, throw the stained clothing item into your washing machine with regular laundry detergent. If the garment can withstand a stain remover (read the clothing label), you can also add a squirt before running a cycle. Be sure to put it on the hottest setting that the garment can tolerate (again, check the label!).

Let the garment air-dry.

Even though hot water is preferred for grease stains, heat from a dryer can permanently set the stains. So, after your garment has finished soaking and spinning in the washing machine, leave it out to air-dry.

Inspect the stain.

Once the piece has fully dried, examine the spot. If there’s still a stain, repeat the process—as many times as it takes, according to Silva-Nash. While this technique isn’t always foolproof, with a little patience, you can have great success!

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How to Remove Set-In Grease Stains From Clothes

If you’ve spotted a grease stain only after running the garment through your washing machine and dryer, getting rid of the stain is a little bit more challenging—but it’s possible. Follow these steps to avoid a set-in grease stain:

Create a DIY solution.

Even if you’ve put your garment in the dryer, dish soap can still help! For stubborn stains, mix some dish soap with baking soda in a two-to-one ratio, increasing the measurements until a paste-like mixture forms. Use an old toothbrush to scrub the solution into the stain before letting the clothing item sit for an hour or even leaving it overnight.

Flush it with warm or hot water.

Once you’ve let the DIY solution sink in, flush out the grease stain with warm or hot water. Just like with fresh grease stains, choose the hottest possible water temperature that the fabric will allow.

Air-dry the garment.

After you’ve tackled the pesky stain by following the aforementioned steps, leave your garment to air-dry. Again, the dryer will push the oils from the grease stain more deeply into the fibers. Once the stain is fully gone, you can resume your dryer usage again!

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Additional Methods for Removing Grease Stains From Clothes

While the above methods are the best place to start when faced with a grease stain, they aren’t a guarantee. If you’re in a pinch, try these additional methods as a last-ditch attempt:

Grab a store-bought stain remover.

Some store-bought stain removers can get grease stains out of clothes, whether it’s a recent stain or one that’s still around even after doing a load of laundry. Specialty stain removers like Goo Gone are great for set-in oil stains, as are oxygen-based cleaners like OxiClean.

Check your medicine cabinet.

Baby powder can be a pretty effective solution for grease stains, and it’s a product that you likely already have on hand! After blotting the excess oil with a paper towel, sprinkle the powder all over the stain. Let the powder sit for at least 30 minutes before brushing it off and tossing the garment into the washing machine.

Sprinkle on salt.

Another at-home remedy for fresh grease stains is good ol’ table salt. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt onto the stain, and leave it for at least 30 minutes to let the salt soak up the oil. Then, after shaking it off, add a dash of dish soap to help break down the remaining residue, and put it in the washing machine on the hottest water setting.

Pour some vinegar.

For delicate fabrics like silk or satin pieces, vinegar is a gentler alternative that’ll still help zap grease stains. Create a solution made of one part vinegar and two parts water, apply it to the stain, and let it sit for 30 minutes before washing it.

Consider chalk.

Some cleaning professionals have seen results with an unexpected ingredient: white chalk. Rub chalk onto the grease stain, and let the chalky substance work its magic for several minutes before washing the garment like you normally would.