How to remove oil stains from clothes: grease, cooking oil, butter and set-in stains

The short answer: for how to remove oil stains from clothes, blot the spot, cover it with cornstarch or baking soda for 15 to 30 minutes, then pretreat with full-strength heavy-duty liquid detergent and wash in the hottest water the care label allows.

• Keep it away from dryer heat until the stain is gone
• Air-dry and check the spot in good light
• Repeat if you can still see it
• Fixes for butter, grease and set-in stains
• Next step: Plan it with the Cleaning Schedule ($4.49).

Oil stains come out of most washable clothes if you pull out the loose oil first and keep the garment away from dryer heat until the stain is gone. To remove oil stains from clothes, blot the spot, cover it with cornstarch or baking soda for 15 to 30 minutes, brush it off, then work full-strength heavy-duty liquid detergent into the stain and wash in the hottest water the care label allows. Air-dry, check the spot in good light, and repeat if you can still see it.

That method handles cooking oil, butter, bacon grease and salad dressing. Below you'll find the full steps, how to rescue stains that already went through the dryer, tables by stain and fabric, and fixes for tablecloths, carpet and upholstery. Holiday cooking is prime time for grease spots, so there's a prevention plan at the end, too.

Compare the stain remover types and stain chart before treating a spill that includes both grease and food coloring.

How to remove fresh oil stains from clothes, step by step

The University of Kentucky's stain removal guide for washable fabrics groups cooking fats and oils, butter, bacon fat, lard, mayonnaise and salad dressing as oil-based stains. It recommends heavy-duty detergent with hot water, then rinsing and inspecting before drying.

1. Blot the oil. Press a paper towel on the spot to lift what's sitting on top. Don't rub, which spreads oil wider.
2. Absorb. Cover the spot with cornstarch, baking soda or talcum powder. Let it sit 15 to 30 minutes. A paper towel underneath keeps oil from moving to the back layer.
3. Brush off. Shake or brush the powder away. You'll often see it has turned slightly yellow or clumpy, which means it picked up oil.
4. Pretreat. Work full-strength heavy-duty liquid laundry detergent into the stain with your fingers or a soft brush. A prewash stain remover spray works too. Let it sit 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Wash hot, if safe. Wash in the hottest water the care label allows with the normal amount of detergent.
6. Inspect before drying. Check the spot while the garment is damp and again after it air-dries. Wet fabric can hide a faint oil ring.
7. Repeat if needed. Oil often takes two rounds. Repeat steps 4 to 6 before using the dryer.

For grease specifically, the University of Georgia Extension's grease stain steps use the same pattern: talcum powder to absorb, a prewash stain remover, the hottest safe water with heavy-duty liquid detergent, and a second treatment if the stain remains.

How to get oil stains out of clothes after drying

A dryer-set oil stain looks darker or slightly see-through, like a wet spot that never dries. It's harder, but often not hopeless.

1. Don't add more heat. Skip ironing. The UKY guide warns that heat sets stains.
2. Pretreat heavily. Work in full-strength heavy-duty liquid detergent, or use a solvent-based pretreatment spray following its label. Let it sit 15 to 30 minutes.
3. Use a waterless hand cleaner for grease. UKY notes that waterless hand cleaners, the creamy kind sold for greasy hands, work especially well on greasy stains and are safe for most fabrics. Test first.
4. Let any solvent evaporate. UKY advises letting dry-cleaning solvents evaporate from fabric before washing or drying.
5. Wash hot, if safe. Use the hottest water the label allows.
6. Soak colorfast items. If a shadow remains, soak in oxygen bleach mixed by the package directions, then wash again.
7. Air-dry and repeat. Set-in oil often needs two or three rounds.

The UKY guide is honest that some stains are impossible to remove. If three careful rounds haven't helped, stop before the fabric wears thin and decide whether the garment becomes a cooking shirt.

Oil stain types and what changes

The University of Georgia Extension's oil-based food stain guide covers butter, margarine, mayonnaise and other kitchen stains in more detail. It also gives one warning worth remembering for holiday baking: never use hot water on egg, because it sets the stain.

How to remove oil stains by fabric

Always read the care label before anything else. It tells you the safe water temperature and whether bleach is allowed.

Absorbents and pretreatments compared

Costs are rough estimates using products many homes already have.

Oil on tablecloths, aprons and kitchen towels

Holiday meals put a lot of butter and drippings on the table. A few habits keep linens from piling up stained.

• During dinner: blot spills and sprinkle a little cornstarch on big spots. It can sit until the table is cleared.
• After dinner: shake out crumbs, brush off the powder and pretreat each spot with heavy-duty liquid detergent.
• Wash in the warmest water the label allows. Wash table linens separately from greasy kitchen towels.
• Line-dry and check. Re-treat anything you can still see before it goes in the dryer or back in the closet.

If you're cleaning up after a big cooking day, our guides to how to clean an oven and how to clean a cast iron skillet cover the rest of the grease.

How to remove oil from carpet and upholstery

Carpet: blot, sprinkle cornstarch or baking soda, let it sit, and vacuum. For what's left, UGA's grease guide says to dampen a white cloth with a dry-cleaning solvent and press it on the spot, not to pour solvent on the carpet, because it can dissolve the backing. Ventilate and test a hidden area first. Our guide to how to clean carpet covers routine care.

Upholstery: blot and powder, then check the furniture's care tag before using any liquid. Test a small amount of diluted dish soap on a hidden spot, sponge lightly and blot. Call a professional for velvet, silk or dry-clean-only pieces.

How long you have to treat an oil stain

Oil doesn't dry the way a water-based spill does, so you usually have some time. The clock that matters most is the dryer, not the minutes after the spill.

If you can't wash it right away, blot and powder the spot, then set the garment aside flat. Keep it out of the hamper, where oil can rub onto other clothes.

Common mistakes that set oil stains

• Rubbing. It pushes oil deeper and spreads it wider.
• Water first. Water alone beads on oil and doesn't lift it. Absorb and use detergent first.
• The dryer. Heat bakes oil into the fibers, which is why a stain that looked faint can look darker after drying.
• Ironing. Same problem as the dryer.
• Mixing products. Use one method at a time and rinse between them.

Safety rules for removing oil stains

• Never mix bleach with ammonia or vinegar. Some old-school grease methods use ammonia. The Washington State Department of Health explains that mixing bleach with ammonia or acids like vinegar releases toxic gases. Rinse thoroughly between products.
• Test a hidden spot first. Solvents, hand cleaners and bleach can change dyes.
• Follow the care label. Don't use hot water or bleach the label rules out.
• Keep heat away until the stain is gone. No dryer, no iron.
• Handle solvents carefully. Use them in a ventilated room, keep them away from flames and the stove, and let them evaporate before washing or drying.

Prevent holiday cooking stains with a plan

I love cooking, and I've learned that most kitchen stains happen when everything is going at once. A timeline that spreads out frying, roasting and gravy keeps you calmer and cleaner.

The Meal Planner & Grocery List: Thanksgiving Edition ($4.99) includes a Thanksgiving Day timeline that works backward from dinnertime, plus a dinner plan and prep page. Put "apron on" at the top, and change into nice clothes after the greasy steps are done. Our guide to planning Thanksgiving dinner walks through the whole day.

For the laundry side, the Cleaning Schedule ($4.49) has daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal lists, so a quick stain check before each wash becomes routine instead of an afterthought.

If you're setting up the whole house, the Home Management Bundle ($16.99, $32.94 if bought separately) includes the Cleaning Schedule, the Household Binder and four more home tools. Browse everything in the Home shop or our printables. For other stains, see how to get ink out of clothes and how to remove wine stains, and keep laundry moving with a laundry schedule.

The short version

Blot, absorb, pretreat with heavy-duty liquid detergent, wash hot if the label allows, and air-dry until you're sure. If the dryer got to it first, don't give up. Pretreat again, wash again and give it two or three tries.

Got gunk instead of grease? Here's how to remove sticky residue from glass, plastic, wood and fabric.