How to remove oil stains from polyester

Oil stains can be very challenging to remove. You can get oil stains from food, work projects, or if you’re dealing with mechanical stuff. Fortunately, using a few household ingredients can help remove oil stains from your favorite polyester outfit with ease.

Listed below are some of the best oil stain removers that will work on any fabric, including polyester:

• Baby powder
• Liquid dishwashing soap
• Lemon
• Salt
• Baking powder
• Corn starch

As you can see, you don’t need to spend a ton of money on expensive products and you probably have the ingredients you need at home already.

Baby powder and dish soap for removing oil stains from polyester

If beauty and makeup is your thing or you have a baby at home, you probably have talcum powder, or baby powder, on hand. But did you know it has other amazing cleaning properties? For grease and oil stains, talcum powder is your best friend.

You’ll need:

• Baby/ talcum powder
• 2 spoons of liquid dish soap
• ¼ cup of water
• An old toothbrush

Follow these steps:

1. Take the baby/ talcum powder and sprinkle it on the affected part of the polyester.
2. Let this sit for about 10 minutes to allow the powder to suck up all the oil.
3. After the 10-minute time frame, remove the powder from the polyester.
4. Take 2 spoons of dishwashing soap and mix in 1/4 cup of water.
5. Pour the solution on the stained area.
6. Take a toothbrush and scrub gently.
7. Take your polyester cloth and toss it in the machine to launder as normal, or you can opt to gently handwash.
8. Let garment air dry after it’s rinsed.

Enjoy your stain-free polyester clothing being like new again!

Baking soda and dishwash soap are effective against oil stains

It’s called dish soap because it helps remove oil from dishes and utensils. It will work similarly on the oil stain on your polyester fabric. Baking soda is good for deep stains, so the combination of the two will do a pretty good job of getting the grease stains out.

You’ll need:

• 1/4 cup of baking soda
• 2 spoons of liquid dishwashing soap
• 1/2 cup of warm water
• An old toothbrush

Do the following steps:

1. Place your stained clothing on a flat surface.
2. Wet the spot area with hot water.
3. Spread the baking soda on the grease stain, making sure to cover the stained parts well. This helps to absorb the oil.
4. Pour 2 spoons of liquid dishwashing soap and a bit of water on the stained area over the baking soda to form a paste.
5. Using your toothbrush, scrub gently in circular motions to push the two products into the grease spot.
6. Leave the paste for about 10 minutes to set in well.
7. The two ingredients will break down the grease stains and pull out all the oil.
8. Take your toothbrush and give the stain one last good scrub, after the 10-minute mark.
9. Once satisfied you have scrubbed and worked on the stain well, rinse to examine the spot.
10. If you can still see the grease stains, pour some more baking soda and scrub gently with the toothbrush.
11. Once done and happy with the results, toss your garment in the washing machine and wash normally.

Your polyester outfit will be spotless and ready for a new day!

Lemon juice, salt, and dish soap eliminate oil stains

There is some evidence that lemon has oil melting properties and you can apply it to stained garments as well. Dish soap is a degreaser as you already probably know and, salt is an excellent grease absorbent.

You’ll need:

• 2 whole lemons
• 1 tablespoon of dish soap
• 2 tablespoons of table salt
• Cotton balls

Follow the following steps:

1. Squeeze the juice from the two lemons into a cup.
2. Pour the lemon juice on the stained parts, or dip cotton balls in, then dab them on the stains.
3. Sprinkle the salt on the stains.
4. Take your dish soap apply it to the stain.
5. Take a toothbrush and begin working on the greasy stain.
6. Leave for about 10 minutes.
7. Rinse with hot water then launder as usual.
8. If the stains persist, the process should be repeated.

Enjoy your stain-free polyester outfit.

Frequently asked questions

How should one clean polyester?

Polyester can be machine-washed, preferably in in hot water. After washing it, don’t put on high temperature when drying though, as this can cause the fabric to shrink.

Polyester is strong and resilient, unlike silk, chiffon, and other delicate fabrics that stretch out or tear easily when being washed. Polyester is a very easy fabric to deal with.

Can the suggestions above work for removing oil stains from other fabrics like cotton, leather, silk?

The solutions above can remove oil and grease stains from other kinds of fabrics. But just to be safe, read the care tag on your garment to know which option to go with. Secondly, all the above products are household products which are safe and won’t bleach or discolor your garment.

Read here to learn how to get rid of oil stains on leather shoes or here to figure out how to eliminate oil stains on your favorite silk saree.

Can these methods be used to remove oil stains from jeans?

Grease on jeans is best removed using liquid dish soap and hot water. For grease stains, liquid dishwashing soap works so well and it should be your first pick.

Corn starch is also another solution or you can combine the two for even better results.

Wrapping up

If you had given up hope for removing an oil stain on your favorite polyester shirt, these methods are well worth the shot! Removing oil stains is not as difficult as people make it seem. You need not buy expensive cleaners in the store, cheap household items like dish soap, lemon, and salt do the job well.

Now that you know the hacks of removing oil stains from polyester, we’d love to hear if you tried any of the options and which hack worked best for you.

Happy cleaning!