How to Remove Oil Stains from Clothes

Speed matters more than anything here. The sooner you treat an oil stain, the easier it lifts. Once it dries and sets, it fights back.

Before you touch it, slide a book or another hard, flat object under the fabric right behind the stain. That stops the oil from soaking through and spreading to the back of the garment while you work.

Blot away any excess oil first, pressing straight down rather than rubbing. Then pour a generous layer of salt right over the stain and gently massage it in with your fingers.

Salt pulls the oil up out of the fabric. No salt on hand? Baking soda or baby powder do the same job, so use whatever is in the cupboard.

Give the salt time to work. Let it sit for at least an hour, or overnight for a bigger stain. For a stain that soaked through, flip the garment and repeat on the other side.

Dust the salt off and you will see a pale mark where the oil used to be. Do not panic, that is just leftover salt and it washes out easily.

Dilute a little laundry detergent in warm water and work it into the spot with your fingers. This lifts the last of the salt and any oil it pulled up.

Then wash the garment the way you normally would and let it air dry. For a fresh stain caught early, that is usually all it takes to come out completely clean.

Already dried and set? Switch to dish soap. Put a few drops right on the stain. Dish soap is made to cut through grease and oil, which is exactly what you are fighting here.

Massage it in with your fingers or a clean toothbrush so it reaches deep into the fibers, then let it sit for about five minutes.

Rinse the treated area really well with hot water. Hot, not warm. The heat changes the structure of the oil and helps the soap penetrate and carry it away.

Keep rinsing until the water runs clear and the fabric no longer feels slick or soapy.

Wash the garment in the machine, ideally on a hot cycle, then hang it to air dry. Skip the dryer until you have confirmed the stain is truly gone.

Check it in good light. If a shadow of the stain is still there, repeat the dish soap and hot water steps before drying. Set-in stains sometimes need two passes, and getting to them sooner next time makes all the difference.