How to remove automotive grease from clothes

How many times has this happened to you? You're driving home and you end up having some kind of mechanical failure. It could be a dead battery, a blown tire, or something else. You pull over to repair the problem, and when you get finished you find yourself covered somehow in car grease. For many people, about the only readily available solution would be to either throw the clothes away or use them as the future do-it-yourself wardrobe.

For most people, however, it may not be the most reasonable solution to relegate a complete set of clothes to only be worn maybe once a month, if your lucky, let alone throwing them away each and every time you work on a car. Save those clothes, and quite a bit of money, by using some of these ideas.

  • GoJo. GoJo is a product made by the same company that makes Purell hand sanitizer. This product is a hand cleaner that is specially formulated to be gentle on your skin while also removing automotive grease. Use an old toothbrush and rub a little of the cleaner into the stain and wash as normal on the warmest setting possible for the clothing type.
  • Simple Green. Simple Green is an environmentally safe all-purpose cleaner that can also be used as a laundry pretreatment solution. Spray enough of the cleaner onto the stain and agitate lightly using an old toothbrush. Wash the clothes as normal on the warmest possible setting for the type of clothing you are washing.
  • Dishwashing detergent. Degreasing dishwashing detergents, such as those similar to Dawn, are a fantastic way of removing car grease stains from your clothing. Begin by placing some of the detergent directly onto the stain and then allowing it to soak into the fabric for a few minutes prior to washing. This soaking period should take at least ten minutes. After allowing the detergent to soak into the garment properly, wash your clothes as normal, and just make sure that everything is properly clean prior to drying. If the stain is not completely removed by this point, repeat the whole process until it is.
  • WD-40. To remove an old car grease stain that has set into your clothes, try using a little WD-40. Spray the lubricating solution onto the stained area of your clothing, and let it set for no less than thirty minutes and no more than forty-five (you don't want the stain to dry out again). After applying the lubricating fluid in such a manner, treat the old grease stain just as if it was new.

Yikes. You’ve got a grease stain. You were maintaining your car or taking your bike out of its stand when you had a quick brush against the metal. Now there’s a dark mark on your clothing and you’re not sure what to do. Luckily, if you’ve got a bike grease stain or car grease stain tainting your trousers, we have found the solution to these stubborn spots for you.

When black grease leaks onto your clothes, it’s important to know how to get car grease out of clothes and how to get oil stains out of clothes. Looking for the best way to remove it? We’ve done the research to give you the best tips on removing car grease from clothes.

How to Get Car Grease Out of Clothes

Luckily, there are a variety of household remedies and stain removal tips designed to take oil stains out of clothes. You can use these tips anytime you need to get grease out of clothes, whether you are tackling bike grease stains, motor oil stains, or you can even use them to get paint out of clothes!

If you’re using the following methods to tackle paint stains, keep in mind: they are only effective for paint removal whenever the paint is water-based. For plastic-based acrylic paints, you have to break down the plastic using an alcohol-based solution!

How to remove automotive grease from clothes

Dishwashing Detergent

A common way to remove grease and oil stains from clothing is to use dishwashing detergent. This degreasing method can treat oil stains. Just pour the detergent directly onto the stain and allow it to soak into your garments before you wash them.

Use Soap and Shampoo

These are items that can already be found in your house, and both can be used as a stain remover. Put either directly on the stain and let them soak in before placing the stained cloth in the laundry machine. If you’re partial to bar soaps, never fear! When it comes to bar soaps, simply rub bar soap onto the stain, and repeat this step until all of the stains are completely covered in soap. Let sit for thirty minutes, rinse with cold water, then follow the wash instructions.

Use a Toothbrush

For especially tough grease stains, you can scrub the oil stains out using an old toothbrush. If you don’t have an extra toothbrush, any small scrub brush will work. Rub your soap or shampoo completely into the stain, using the toothbrush for a deeper scrub. There is no need to rinse your clothes after this, you can just put them in the laundry.

Wash on Hot

After soaking the dirty clothing, you should wash it! For best stain removal, wash in hot water. Make sure you double-check the temperature guidelines and washing instructions on your clothing before finishing these steps. When your clothing has a spot, it should be washed separately from other clothes.

Use the Right Kind of Soap

Make sure your laundry detergent is effective at cleaning up stains. The Champion Biodegradable Degreaser Cleaner is engineered to quickly eliminate stains. This detergent is especially helpful when you’re battling protein-based soils like blood, milk, and starch-based stains. It’s sure to remove grease stains from your clothing.

If the clothes you’re washing are white, add some bleach to act as an additional cleaner for oil and grease. This will make your clothing a bit brighter, too. For all colors, extend the wash cycle to make sure even a black grease stain can be taken out, and you will be left with clothing free of dirt

How to remove automotive grease from clothes

Before drying your clothes in the dryer, make sure all stains are gone. If they are not, repeat the process until there is no sign of motor oil. Place your clean clothing into the dryer and let run until the clothes are fully dried. Their natural colors will have returned better than ever!

How to Remove Motor Oil from Delicate Fabrics

While for more durable garments such as jeans, pants, or denim jackets, you can simply follow the above steps for how to get car grease out of clothes, some fabrics require extra special care. If you’re cleaning stains on clothing made from silk, wool, or polyester, treating the stains on your favorite shirt with the items in your house may do more harm than good. To launder these delicates, you could either depend on dry cleaners to handle the grease stain removal or you could wash them yourself.

With the right stain remover, you can eliminate dirt and grime by yourself, without paying for dry cleaners and having to wait an entire week for your clothes to be cleaned. When you’re treating delicates that have a motor oil stain, Champion Delicate Wash is made to work with delicate fabrics.

If you know how to remove grease stains from clothing, you already understand the process of cleaning difficult stains. When you’re washing delicate clothing, it requires cold water care. Using a tub to hand wash delicate items can be effective. When you’re hand washing delicate clothing, using the tub can help clean those pesky stains with gentle care!

 

Champion Delicate Wash is a great choice to remove an oil stain. It is tough on stains while being gentle on your favorite fine fabrics. Just fill your sink or tub with 2 – 4 quarts of water, depending on the amount of clothing, and add 1 capful of Champion Delicate Wash for every 2 quarts of water. Soak your stained clothing for up to twenty minutes.

After your clothes have soaked, remove them from the water and very gently squeeze out the excess water. Then, cover clothing in a dry towel and press to remove the remaining water. Finally, lay your clean clothing out on a different towel to finish drying.

How to Get Mechanical Grease Out of Work Clothing

We get it. When you work as a mechanic, you are constantly tasked with removing car grease from surfaces. If you work in a shop with motors, you can stop putting up with having grease on your clothes. That’s why we put together these work-inspired stain removal tips for those constantly working with a motor.

How to remove automotive grease from clothes

 

The above household remedies might not be as easy to access in a mechanic shop. Items like baking soda are not exactly needed for doing maintenance at a garage. Many home remedies aren’t around in a mechanical shop. But there is one old and tried method of satisfying stains that you can find the ingredients for about anywhere. No worries; removing car residue can be done!

Use Soda… No, Really!

There are many unconventional ways to remove stains too! Even soda can be effective at removing stains. Some people swear they have removed mechanical grease and oil out of pants, jeans, and shorts by spraying their shirts with cola. The soda can help to dissolve your grease stain.

Like dish soap or baking soda, simply spray the stain with some cola and let it sit for five to ten minutes. Then, wash it in hot water. This can be done in a laundry machine or by hand in a sink at work. The soda will be gone, and the mechanical grease will have come out too!

Working in the automotive industry will no longer mean clothes streaked in black stains, thanks to this trusty stain-fighting secret!

How to Remove Bike Grease from Pants

How many times have you ridden your bike to work, parked it, and strolled up to the office only to look down and realize you have a giant black mark on the leg of your pants? This can be frustrating and embarrassing, especially if you have a big meeting on the same day. You can try to wipe it down with the gym towel in your car, but the stain just won’t come off!

The next time this happens, do not fret. When you get marks on your clothing after riding your bicycle, there is an easy bike grease stain removal method to get your riding gear back to its original shape. Sometimes towels just don’t do the trick, but there are other ways of removing oil and grime from your clothes.

Use Baking Soda

One popular method of removing bike grease stains is to use baking soda. Simply brush the baking soda onto the black grease stains and wait for it to absorb the stain. The grease will typically dissolve overnight and can be washed with warm to hot water the next day.

Use Dishwashing Soap

Another method is to use dishwashing soap. Pour the dish detergent onto the stain and wait for it to soak in. For tough stains, use a toothbrush or towel to scrub the spot. Let the dishwashing detergent sit for five to fifteen minutes. Rinse with cool water before throwing it into the washer. Wash in warm water, according to care instructions on clothing.

The Best Products to Remove Car Grease

When you’re asking yourself how to get car grease out of clothes, you should also ask what products you can purchase to save time and money. Using up your expensive detergents and household products to clean oil and grease stains from clothing every time fluid drips onto your fabric can get expensive! Instead of these homemade solutions for removing car grease from clothes, there is a spot remover specifically engineered for removing car grease stains. Our Champion Biodegradable Degreaser Cleaner is designed specifically to take stains out of clothing and will save you money, due to its long-lasting formula!

How to remove automotive grease from clothes

When mixed with water, the Champion Biodegradable Degreaser Cleaner is able to make 256 gallons of cleaner, meaning grease and oil stains will be destroyed again and again by our timeless cleaner.

To remove car grease from your clothing, Champion Biodegradable Degreaser Cleaner will do the job! This product of ours is fantastic at removing grease stains from clothes. While a household solution removes grease, this is another safe technique sure to get the job done. Our product expertly removes stains in ways that household remedies simply can’t.

Even the toughest stains can be removed with our degreaser. Not only can this product remove motor oil stains, but it is also made with a 100% biodegradable formula, phosphate-free, septic tank safe, and is made in the USA!

How to Remove Grease Stains Using Champion Biodegradable Degreaser Cleaner

At Champion, we offer our own degreaser to remove stains, but this product does much more than that: it can attack every type of greasy mess, right down to those gross food remains on your dishes.

If you want to know how to remove stains in an easy and affordable way, look no further than our Champion Biodegradable Degreaser Cleaner. This heavy-duty cleaning product is a super effective stain remover that eliminates food, grease, and oil from all surfaces! With this all-purpose cleaner, you can remove grease from a dish, oils from a garment, and clean grease stains from kitchen appliances.

For any general cleaning, simply mix ½ tablespoon per gallon of warm water with our product, then clean your chosen surface using a damp towel or sponge. This degreaser can be used on surfaces such as dishes, glassware, silverware, pots, pans, sinks, drains, barbecue grills, stovetops, counter surfaces, ovens, kitchen appliances, metal items, washable fabrics, bathroom tile, Formica, workshops, garage spills, commercial and industrial buildings/machinery, mechanics tools, garden tools, automobiles, trucks, garbage disposals, and many more!

How to remove automotive grease from clothes

 

Simply combine ¼ teaspoon in 16 oz of warm water in a spray bottle to make an all-purpose cleaner. Spray any surface and wipe with a towel to clean.

Best of all, this degreaser can be used directly on clothing as a laundry booster. Just add ⅛ cup Champion Biodegradable Degreaser Cleaner per each wash load.

How to Clean Grease from Clothes Using Champion Biodegradable Degreaser Cleaner

Like the above tutorial on how to get grease out of fabric, you should pour our Biodegradable Degreaser Cleaner directly onto your clothing. Let it sit for a minute, then wash normally. Make sure you are using warm water in your washer.

Conclusion

Even though removing grease from fabric may seem daunting, you now know how to get car grease out of clothes. Following these easy steps on how to get oil stains out of clothes, you will never have to throw away a white shirt dinged with black grease or the pants you biked in ever again!

For the best results when removing car grease from clothes, use Champion products like Champion Biodegradable Degreaser Cleaner and Champion Delicate Wash.

 

Now that you know how to get car grease out of clothing, no matter what tough stains await you, with a little (elbow) grease and the best products, you’ll have pristine clothes in no time.

Does mechanic grease come out of clothes?

Engine oil and grease tend to be organic based, so shampoo is a trustworthy detergent to remove them. Lay your stained clothes flat on a table. Use your fingers or a sponge (or anything soft) to rub the shampoo onto the stain. Let the shampoo set for 25 minutes before you rinse the clothes.

Will vinegar remove car grease from clothes?

Does vinegar get grease out of clothes? Vinegar will work to remove grease stains from some fabrics. Place an old towel on the underside of the fabric and saturate the stain with a 50/50 mix of white distilled vinegar and water. Scrub the stain with a wet toothbrush and soap until it begins to lift.

Does truck grease come out of clothes?

Soak it in a bucket of warm water to loosen the stain then treat with Dawn on both sides of the fabric, rub in to the stain & let sit about 15 minutes. Put clean warm water in the bucket & let soak again. Repeat until stain is gone. If the stain is still lightly there use Fels Naptha Soap, rub into stain & launder.

How do you get set in black grease stains out of clothes?

How to remove old grease stains from shirts & pants.
Scrape and blot liquid dish soap (for handwashing), stain pretreatment or liquid enzyme detergent into the stain and let sit for 10 minutes. ... .
Soak in warm or hot water for at least 30 minutes. ... .
Wash in the warmest water recommended on the care tag..
Line dry..