Save Clothes From Grease And Oil Stains With Blue Dawn Dish Soap
I know exactly how terrible it feels to drop a greasy piece of food right down the front of your favorite shirt. You instantly assume the piece of clothing is completely ruined. We have all tried scrubbing salad dressing out of our jeans with regular laundry detergent only to see a dark shadow left behind. But do not throw those stained clothes in the trash just yet. There is an incredibly cheap and easy fix sitting right on your kitchen counter.
Why Grease Stains Are So Stubborn
Before we fix the problem, it helps to know why oil stains are so difficult to remove. Most regular laundry detergents are built to tackle things like dirt or sweat. They are water based cleaners. But oil and water naturally repel each other. When you put a greasy shirt into a normal washing machine, the water just slides right over the oil spot without actually lifting the stain out of the fabric threads at all. So, you need to use something meant to tackle grease.
The Power Of Dawn Dish Soap
The absolute best stain remover is actually sitting right next to your kitchen sink. Classic blue Dawn dish soap is the ultimate secret weapon against grease stains. It works because it is specifically formulated to break down heavy food grease on your pots and pans, so it works the same way on your clothes. The soap contains special molecules that physically grab onto the oil particles and pull them apart. If it is gentle enough to clean baby ducks, it is perfectly safe for your favorite cotton t-shirt.
Step One: Blot The Extra Oil
When a greasy spill happens, your very first step should be to gently remove any excess oil sitting on the fabric. You want to grab a clean paper towel or a dry napkin right away. Press it very lightly against the fresh stain to soak up the surface oil. Please make sure you just blot it straight up and down. If you rub the stain side to side you will just push the grease deeper into the fibers.
Step Two: Applying The Soap
Once you have blotted the spot it is time to grab your bottle of blue Dawn. You do not need to use a massive amount of soap for this to work. Just squeeze one or two small drops directly onto the grease spot. You want to make sure the entire stain is completely covered by the blue liquid. If it is a really large splatter, just add a few more drops until the area is completely coated.
Step Three: Gently Scrub
Now you need to help the soap penetrate the fabric so it can reach the trapped oil. Take a very soft toothbrush or just use your bare fingers to gently massage the soap into the stain. Work in small slow circles. You want to see the dish soap start to bubble and lather just a tiny bit. Be careful not to scrub too aggressively because you do not want to damage or pill the delicate fibers in your clothes.
Step Four: Let It Sit
This is the easiest step. Once the soap is worked into the stain, you need to just walk away and leave it alone. The dish soap needs time to break those stubborn oil bonds apart. Let the shirt sit on your laundry room counter for at least thirty minutes. If the stain is an older one that already went through the dryer, you might want to leave the soap on overnight.
Step Five: Rinse With Hot Water
After the soap has done all the heavy lifting you can wash the stained piece of clothing. Check the care tag on your garment and use the warmest water setting the fabric can safely handle. Hot water helps melt the grease so the soap can carry it away down the drain. Just throw the item into the washing machine with your normal laundry detergent and let the cycle run completely through like you normally would.
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The most important thing to remember is to never put the wet item straight into the hot dryer. You must look at the damp fabric first to make sure the dark oil shadow is completely gone. If you still see a faint spot, just repeat the dish soap process one more time. It is such a relief to rescue a beloved shirt from a greasy disaster. And now you know the easiest way to do it!
Bliss Donahue-Power
