Oils stains can cause some real problems for your clothes, leaving unsightly marks that stick around, no matter how much time you spend scrubbing or dabbing.
Whatever the oil, it can be very difficult to remove from your clothes – but there are a few things you can try to get those stains out.
In this blog, we’re going to take a look at a few of those techniques which you can try out yourself on particularly stubborn oil marks.
Why is oil so hard to remove?
There are two main reasons why oil is so hard to get out of clothes.
The first of these reasons is that oil actually repels water. Many food ingredients for example will dissolve in hot water, which makes them easier to clean. Oil does the opposite, rejecting the water which makes it much harder to clean off.
The second is that oil sets very well. If it isn’t tackled immediately or as soon after the spillage as possible, you’ll likely face an uphill struggle to get it out. If you leave it too long, you might never get it out – and worse yet, oil stains get darker and more noticeable the longer they’re there.
Tips for removing oil stains from clothes.
To help you give tackling oil stains a go, we’ve put together some handy tips to get you started:
1. Use baking soda
Baking soda is one of the most useful things you can have to hand in your kitchen – and as you’ve probably guessed, it’s great for trying to get oil out of clothes. Be sure not to get the garment wet – instead, use a paper towel that’s dry to dab and absorb the oil. Once you’ve done that, add the baking soda onto the stain and leave it for a while – hopefully it’ll absorb the oil and remove the stain.
2. Use dish soap
Dish soap is a great solution for getting oil stains out, especially when combined with the baking soda. Since dish soap is designed to clean oily pans, it makes sense it’ll work here. Put some dish soap on a sponge and gently rub it into the stain – taking care not to spread the oil around as you do it.
3. Place the garment in the washing machine
Once you’ve left the baking soda, and reapplied it until the stain is absorbed in the powder, you can put the item of clothing straight into the washing machine. Place it on the appropriate program for the clothes material, add your usual detergent and conditioner and let it go for a full cycle. Once it’s finished, set it to one side to let it dryer – and never tumble dry a stain! This helps them set and that’s no help to us.
Choosing the right washing machine can make all the difference to getting oily stains out of your favourite clothes.
Here at Hoover Home, we’ve got a complete range of Washing Machines – Hoover Directwith a host of features to tackle even the toughest of marks – all built with effectiveness and convenience in mind.
FInd out more with our complete catalogue.
