How to Get Oil and Grease Stains Out of Clothes

You need: liquid dish soap, clean cloths or paper towels, laundry detergent. Optional: a soft brush or old toothbrush, baking soda or cornstarch to absorb fresh oil, oxygen bleach for any colored residue on washable colorfast fabrics.

Check the care label before treating. Dry-clean only, silk, wool, and delicate or expensive items are safer with a professional cleaner. Solvent-based dry cleaning handles oil well, and wet treatment at home can damage these fabrics.

Act as soon as you notice the stain. Fresh oil sits mostly on the fiber surface; over hours and days it oxidizes and bonds into the fiber, which makes removal harder.

Do not use hot water to rinse a fresh oil stain before treating it, and do not put the item in the dryer at any point until the stain is confirmed out.

Fresh cooking oil or butter:

Blot up the excess immediately with a paper towel. Do not rub. Apply dish soap right away. Fresh oil is the easiest case, and most stains come out in one treatment.

Greasy food spill (pizza, salad dressing, fried food):

Scrape off any solid food first with a spoon or dull knife, then blot and treat with dish soap. Food grease often carries colored residue (tomato, spices). Treat the grease first, then handle any remaining color separately.

Grease splatter you found later (dried):

Dried oil looks like a dark or slightly shiny patch. Apply dish soap, work it in more thoroughly, and extend the dwell time to 10–15 minutes. Expect to repeat the treatment once or twice.

Stain discovered after washing or drying:

This is its own problem: heat begins to set oil into the fibers, and treatment needs longer dwell times and more repetition. See our dedicated guide to grease stains after washing, linked below.

Jeans or sturdy cotton:

Denim tolerates thorough treatment. Work dish soap in with a soft brush and use the warmest wash the care label allows.

Delicate fabrics (silk, wool, dry-clean only):

Do not wet-treat at home. Blot excess oil gently and take the item to a professional cleaner. Mention what caused the stain.

Liquid dish soap is the primary tool. It is designed to break down fats and cuts grease more effectively than laundry detergent alone. A small amount of standard liquid dish soap worked into the stain is the first treatment for almost every oil and grease situation.

Baking soda or cornstarch can absorb fresh oil before treatment. Sprinkled on a fresh heavy spill and left for 10–15 minutes, either one pulls oil out of the fabric surface. They absorb; they do not chemically remove oil. Dish soap still does the real work afterward.

A heavy-duty liquid laundry detergent or a detergent with lipase enzymes helps in the wash cycle. Lipase specifically breaks down fats, which is useful backup for the dish soap pretreatment.

Oxygen bleach dissolved in warm water can remove colored residue that remains after the grease itself is gone, common with tomato-based or spiced food grease. It does not remove oil. Check the care label and test on a hidden seam first.

Clean white cloths or paper towels are important for blotting. White material lets you see how much oil is lifting and avoids transferring dye to the garment.