How to Get Motor Oil out of Clothes

In this D.I.Y. we will talk about how to get motor oil out of clothes. You cannot avoid motor oil or grease marks on your clothes, when you are working on your car. If that’s your profession, you are sure to find these oil stains on almost all your work shirts. Here are simple methods to get rid of these motor oil stains forever:

Cornstarch Method

What do you need?

• Cornstarch – a small quantity
• Damp cloth or sponge

Process

• Sprinkle some cornstarch on the oil & grease stains on the clothes.
• Wait for about 15 to 30 minutes for the powder to soak in the stains. If the stains are deep, you can allow the cornstarch to settle over them for an hour as well.
• After some time, use a damp cloth, sponge, or a soft-bristled toothbrush to scrape off the cornstarch from the clothes. The stains would have gone by now. If you still find some residues, you can repeat this process.
• Wash the clothes in cold water as per their usual cycle in the washing machine.

Aloe Vera Method

What do you need?

• Aloe Vera Gel
• Hot Water
• Warm Water

Process

• Soak the oil-stained garment in hot water for 10 minutes.
• After 10 minutes, take the garment out, and use your fingers to apply aloe vera gel over the stains. Apply in gentle, circular motions.
• Use warm water to wash the garment as per its usual wash cycle.

 

 

Baking Soda Method

What do you need?

• Old Towels or cardboard
• Baking Soda
• Hot Water
• A toothbrush or any tool for scraping

Process

• Place the oil-stained garment in a flat position.
• Keep some paper towels or cardboard exactly beneath the stains.
• Sprinkle a generous quantity of baking soda over the stains, and allow it to sit there for about 10 to 15 minutes.
• As the baking soda absorbs the oil stains, you will notice the color change.
• At this point, use a scraping tool (old toothbrush, blunt edge of a knife, or fingers) to brush off the baking soda residues on the garment.
• Wash as per usual cycle, but use hot water.
• Repeat for stubborn stains.
• You can replace baking soda with baby powder as well.

Shampoo Method

What do you need?

• Sponge
• Shampoo

Process

• Place the garment in a flat position.
• Use your fingers or a soft rag to rub some shampoo over the oil stains.
• Let the shampoo soak over the stains for about 2o to 30 minutes.
• Rinse, wash and dry the garment as per your usual routine, and you will see that the oil stains have come off completely.
• Repeat for stubborn stains.

WD-40 Method

What do you need?

• Liquid dish soap
• WD-40 – a small quantity
• Old toothbrush

Process

• Place the oil-stained clothes in a flat position.
• Pour about 1 tablespoon of WD-40 over the stains and wait for about 15 minutes for the chemical to loosen the particles in the motor oil stains.
• After 15 minutes, apply a little bit of liquid dish soap to the stains.
• Rinse, wash and dry as per the regular wash cycle of the garments to see stain-free clothes in no time!
• You can use warm or cold water setting while washing.
• Repeat for stubborn stains.

Nail polish remover method

What do you need?

• Nail polish remover – 1 tablespoon
• Water – 1 gallon
• White Vinegar (optional for odors)

Process

• Apply about 1 tablespoon of nail polish remover directly on the oil stains of the garment.
• The acetone component of the nail polish remover helps loosen the stain marks.
• Let it settle over the stains for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Rinse, wash and dry the garment as per your usual routine to get rid of motor oil stains.
• Repeat if you still find stains on the garments.
• If you notice foul odors coming from the oil stains on the garments, you can add a cup of white vinegar to the water while washing the garment.

Pre-Soaking Method

What do you need?

• Hot water – 1 gallon
• Usual washing detergent

Process

• In about 1 gallon of hot water, add a few drops of your usual washing detergent.
• Mix well until you notice bubbles in the water.
• Soak the oil-stained garment in this detergent & hot water mixture for about an hour.
• Wash the clothes as per their usual cycle.
• Soak them again in a gallon of warm water this time, for about 15 minutes.
• Wash as per the usual routine after 15 minutes, and allow the garment to air-dry thoroughly to get rid of motor oil stains.

Blotting Method

• Soft, microfiber rags or paper towels

Process

This is only a preliminary procedure, where you use clean paper towels or microfiber rags to blot the fresh motor oil stains to absorb the excess oil from them. Keep blotting until you notice that the paper towels stop absorbing oil from the clothes. Cleaning the garment and getting rid of the stains that are still left on the garment becomes easier when you have done the blotting process properly.

Mechanics Soap Method

What do you need?

• Old Towels
• Mechanics Soap

Process

• Place the garment in a flat position, with old towels or cardboard placed right beneath the stains.
• Apply a generous quantity of mechanics or degreaser soap over the stains.
• Let the soap settle on the stains for about 3o minutes.
• Wash and dry as per the regular cycle.

Dish Detergent Method

What do you need?

• Old towels or cardboard
• Soft rags
• Dish Detergent

 

Process

• Keep some old towels or cardboard right beneath the stain marks on the garment.
• Use a soft rag to rub some dish detergent over the stains. Keep rubbing for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Wash and dry as per the usual wash cycle to see visible results.

Additional Tips and Advice

• When using baking soda or other ingredients to get rid of motor oil stains, never scrub too hard. This can lead the stains to spread to other areas in the clothes.
• When the stains are deep and large, you can use hot water to wash the clothes. This way, the dust particles in the stain will loosen up quickly.