Removing Oil Stains: The Best Home Remedies

Whether from clothes or carpets – removing oil stains is very easy. The best tips and tricks you can find out here.

With all stains, we should act quickly to get rid of the dirt effortlessly. In general, we should pay attention to the care label and never put oil-stained clothes in the dryer. Otherwise the stain will remain permanently in the fabric. But do not worry! With these home remedies you will get rid of oil stains in no time:

Removing oil stains: Cooking oil from clothing

• Washing-up liquid or liquid soap: For particularly sensitive textiles, washing-up liquid or liquid soap can be used for cooking oil stains. Apply selectively with a damp cloth or soak the garment in a warm water bath. Wash as usual afterwards.
• Baby powder: Even with non-washable textiles (including carpets) there is a solution: baby powder. Apply powder to the stain, let it work and brush or vacuum it off.
• Cornstarch: Stains of cooking oil can be treated with cornstarch, as it draws the fats out of clothing. The whole thing can be absorbed overnight and brushed off the next morning. Afterwards wash as usual.

• Flour: Whether baby powder, cornstarch, dry shampoo or even flour – it depends on the powdery substance through which the oil stain is absorbed and gently removed.
• Gall soap: A natural oil stain remover is gall soap. Apply soap to oil stain, leave to work for several hours and rinse with clean water.
• Butter: Yes, indeed! Butter has a fat-dissolving effect. This is due to the butyric acid it contains, which is why margarine should never be used as an alternative. Apply butter to stains and wash the garment as warm as possible.

Removing oil stains: Engine oil from clothing

• Gall soap: As already described above, gall soap can also be used against engine oil stains.
• Baking powder: A popular household remedy is baking powder and a real all-rounder at that. Sprinkle the powder on the engine oil stain and work it in. Then wash the clothes as warm as possible.
• Liquid detergent: stained clothes can also be soaked in a water bath with liquid detergent. Then dab the oil stain and wash the garment as hot as possible.

Removing oil stains: Especially from carpet & sofa

• Flour: We can get rid of cooking oil stains on carpet and sofa with flour. Apply the powder, press it on and let it work for a short time. The flour can then be vacuumed off.
• Salt: An oil stain remover, which we have guaranteed in the house: Salt. It absorbs the liquid from the fibers. Once it dries, it can be sucked out.
• White spirit: White spirit removes stubborn oil stains from robust textiles, but also from carpets and sofas. Apply the benzine to the stain with a cotton cloth, let it soak in and then dab with a clean paper towel.
• Dry shampoo: A stain remover for oil stained carpets and sofas is dry shampoo. Here, too, the powder is applied, the grease is absorbed and then the vacuum cleaner should be used.

Removing oil stains: Especially from paving stones

Whether on the garage floor or in the front garden – if oil gets on paved stones, we have to act quickly. Absorbent cat litter or sawdust are suitable for removing oil stains. If the stain has already dried on the cobblestones, you should use white spirit or cleaning petrol.

Also removing grease stains, removing blood stains and removing red wine stains is very easy. You can find even more tricks for removing stains and general cleaning tips on our Pinterest pinboard.