Have you ruined your favorite jeans with an oil stain? Use these laundry tips for cleaning oil from jeans and other clothing. Cleaning products are normally water solutions that are acidic, alkaline, or neutral. This is why some cleaners work on some stains and not on others. The type of stain you have will determine which type of cleaner you need to use. Cleaning agents that are solvent-based or contain solvents are known as “degreasers”. This is the type of cleaner that you need to clean oil out of clothing.
Ingredients called “surfactants” are usually present in cleaners designed for oil or protein stains. These little guys are compounds that essentially sit between the oil and water. While they’re there, they weaken the surface tension of the oil and then draw it out towards the water. Then the trapped oil is contained by the water, allowing it to be washed away. Voila!
Okay, now you’re probably wondering how to find a cleaner that has surfactants. The good news is that laundry detergent is a solution containing a lot of surfactants. Laundry detergent also has added ingredients to help the oils break down in a water environment.
Now, just using laundry detergent is rarely enough for tough stains, such as motor oil stains. If you just got some butter or cooking oil on your pants, you’re probably going to be fine just washing them in hot water with your regular detergent. However, if you’re battling real grease or motor oil, you’re going to want to pre-treat the stain. Most laundry stain pre-treatment products are solvent-based. Just read the bottle and make sure that it says that it is good for oil stains.
Some mechanics swear by washing their greasy clothes with a soda, but I’ve never tried it! I read a couple of places online that it really works. Other than that, I’ve heard that Zout and Goo Gone work well. Whatever you use, rub it in good and let it sit for a few minutes before you wash. Then, you want to wash your jeans or article of clothing in the hottest water the label will allow. Do not dry the garment until you are done removing the stain. The dry heat will set the stain, possibly forever.
You will most likely have to treat, then wash, treat then wash again. The hotter the water the better. If the garment is going to be ruined either way, I would go ahead and try some boiling water in my sink before I threw out my favorite jeans.
Hang cleaned items up on sturdy clothes hangers to dry instead of eyeballing it and assuming that the stain is completely gone. Sometimes the darkness of the wet fabric can disguise faint oil stain outlines and if you put it in the dryer, the stain may set forever.
If the oil on your jeans is really thick and waxy, like you spilled hot candle wax on yourself, try placing a few layers of paper towels over and under the wax and ironing. As the wax melts, the paper towels will absorb it. Then you can use the pre-treatment, hot wash method to remove the remaining marks. Just be careful not to burn yourself or set the paper towels on fire! Let me know if you find something that really works well on motor oil stains.
About the Author: Sam Morton is on the staff of USA Hanger, a leading online resource for wood hangers, coat hangers and all types of clothes hangers. They are known for the excellent quality and value of their hangers. For more information, please visit http://www.usahanger.com/.
Sources:
http://www.zout.com/
http://www.googone.com/
