🍳 Oil & greaseHow to remove grease & oil stains
Cooking oil & meat fat · absorb with powder, dish soap, warm water
Splashes of pork-belly fat, frying oil or salad dressing start out as dark, wet-looking marks, then turn clear as they dry and seem to disappear. But once they get the heat of the dryer after washing, they oxidize and reappear as yellow marks. It's a stain you need to treat even when you can't see it.
🔬 Why this order works
Oil doesn't dissolve in water, so it only comes out when a surfactant (detergent) surrounds it and lets it mix with water. The keys are dish soap, which is strong at dissolving grease, and the warmest water the garment can take.
🧺 Step by step
Tap a step when it's done to tick it off.
👕 By fabric
Pre-treat with dish soap and wash at 40–60℃ (104–140°F) (within the care label's range); it comes out well.
Pre-treat with dish soap, then wash in warm water within the care label's range.
Absorb with powder and shake it off; beyond that, take it to a dry cleaner. Silk is prone to water marks.
🚫 Don't
- Rinsing over and over in cold water only — the oil stays put.
- Using the dryer or iron with oil still in it — it sets yellow.
⏳ If it has already dried
For oil stains that have already been through the dryer and turned yellow, apply dish soap, soak in warm water, rub and wash, then treat any remaining yellow with oxygen bleach. It may not come out completely.
💡 Tip
If oil splashes on you at a restaurant, just putting some salt or a tissue on it will reduce spreading until you get home.
❓ Common questions
Which is better, baking soda or flour?
They do a similar job of soaking up oil. Cornstarch or flour has finer particles so it absorbs faster, while baking soda is easier to shake off. Use whatever you have at home.
Oil splashed on my puffer / down jacket.
The shell is nylon, so dab it with a soft cloth dampened with dish soap, then wipe off the soap with a wet cloth. You don't need to soak the whole jacket.
Does the same method work for car oil (engine oil)?
Engine oil is thicker than cooking oil and contains black residue, so you'll need to repeat the dish soap pre-treatment several times. Wash clothes that get it often, like work clothes, separately from other laundry.
🔗 Related stains
🧭 All stains
- Coffee stains
- Red wine stains
- Kimchi & tteokbokki sauce stains
- Curry stains
- Tomato sauce & ketchup stains
- Jjajang (black bean sauce) & soy sauce stains
- Chocolate stains
- Grease & oil stains
- Milk, formula & spit-up stains
- Blood stains
- Mud & red clay stains
- Yellow sweat stains
- Shirt collar & cuff grime
- Lipstick & lip tint stains
- Foundation & cushion compact stains
- Sunscreen stains
- Nail polish stains
- Hair dye stains
- Ballpoint pen ink stains
- Permanent marker & name pen stains
- Grass stains
- Chewing gum
- Candle wax & crayon stains
- Rust stains
- Mildew stains
- Egg stains
- Green & black tea stains
- Fruit, juice & cola stains
- Baby poop & diaper blowout stains
- Urine stains & odor
- White deodorant marks
- Mascara & eyeliner stains
- Water-based & acrylic paint stains
- Sticker, tape & adhesive residue
- Highlighter stains
- Fountain pen & printer ink stains
- Hat sweat stains & forehead marks
General home methods. For valuable garments or unknown fabrics, take them to a dry cleaner and say what the stain is. Follow product labels for bleaches and solvents, ventilate, and never mix them.