A grease stain on jeans is a common occurrence, as this is the favorite clothing of many. But you shouldn’t throw the item away right away, because this problem can be dealt with in a matter of minutes.
All kinds of folk and industrial remedies will help with this. The main thing is to know the rules for reducing such spots using one method or another.
In this article we will tell you how to remove a greasy stain on jeans at home.
What to do with fresh contamination?
If the grease stain on your clothing is still fresh, you should remove it as quickly as possible.
You cannot wash jeans right away, since direct contact with water will only fix the fat on the fabric and then it will be difficult to get rid of it. Therefore, it is not advisable to scrub the stain with water.
First of all, lay out the denim item on a flat surface and blot the dirt with a paper napkin . Then the mark is treated with a clean white cloth (a colored cloth can fade and paint over this area).
After this, soak the item in warm water for a couple of hours, adding a little vinegar (this will prevent the fabric from fading).
If you have gasoline on hand, you can immediately apply it to the dirt and sprinkle it with talcum powder .
The latter absorbs fat well. And only then wash the jeans by hand or machine.
First aid
Fat has the unpleasant property of penetrating deep into the fabric fibers. Therefore, the longer the greasy stain remains on the trousers, the more difficult it is to remove it. To get rid of unsightly oil stains on your favorite clothes, you need to do one of the following:
- Fold a napkin or cotton handkerchief into several layers and press firmly onto the stain on the jeans. When the paper or fabric absorbs the oil, the procedure is repeated.
- Sprinkle the stain generously with salt and place a cloth or paper napkin on top. After a few minutes, shake off the salt that has absorbed the grease and, if necessary, fill the stain with fresh salt. You can use soda, toothpaste or mustard powder, or crushed chalk as an adsorbent.
These manipulations are unlikely to help remove fat from denim without leaving a residue, but they will make the stain noticeably smaller and paler. In addition, such “first aid” for jeans can really be provided outside the home.
Detailed washing instructions and recipes
After urgently removing most of the fat from your jeans, you can begin to more thoroughly remove the stain using one of the methods listed below. Only then is it permissible to wash it in a machine or by hand.
Recommendations for main wash:
- first remove the contents from the pockets and fasten the product with all the locks and rivets;
- turn the item inside out;
- use washing powder without bleach, but it is better to use gels for colored items;
- set the washing mode at a temperature not exceeding 40 ᵒC, which will prevent shedding and shrinkage of the product;
- It is unacceptable to set the spin cycle at high speeds - 700-800 is enough.
Drying jeans in automatic mode and on a radiator is not recommended, which is guaranteed to lead to their deformation. Optimal drying is at room temperature.
Can be hung in fresh air, but protected from direct sunlight. It is advisable not to wait for the trousers to dry completely, but to take them off slightly damp and iron them.
Dishwashing liquid
Regular dishwashing detergent effectively removes greasy stains. Apply it in a small amount to the dirt and lightly moisten it with water to create foam.
Rub lightly with a brush or cloth. Continue in this manner until the stain disappears. Only then are they machine washed.
There is no need to intensively rub the greasy stain - this will only worsen the problem.
Glycerol
Grease stains on jeans come from different origins. So, after oil canned food, glycerin will help, it is applied to the mark and left .
The exposure time can be any, since this substance dissolves in water without problems. The effect can be enhanced by adding ammonia to glycerin (mix in a 1:2 ratio).
Petrol
If it was not possible to immediately deal with a greasy stain caused by negligence, then gasoline will come to the rescue; you will need a little of it .
Apply to the problem area and wait for 10 minutes. Then rinse with warm water and wash without delay.
If you plan to wash in an automatic machine, then set an additional rinse mode. An alternative to gasoline is solid oil or kerosene.
Ammonia
There will be no trace left on the jeans if you remove the greasy stain with this method: prepare a solution from laundry soap (200 g in the form of shavings), turpentine (10 ml) and ammonia (3-5 drops) .
The resulting liquid is used to treat the contamination and leave for a quarter of an hour. Next, wash off with water and wash in the washing machine.
Light colored trousers can be restored using pure ammonia . To do this, drip it onto a cotton pad and soak the stain with it. After this, put it in the washing machine for subsequent washing.
Turpentine
Turpentine is an aggressive substance, so work with it carefully so as not to spoil the fabric.
To clean, soak a cotton swab in a small amount of the product and treat the contaminated area. After the turpentine has been absorbed, the jeans are machine washed.
Salt
Another option with salt, which can easily cope with greasy stains. To do this, first sprinkle it with table salt and leave for 3-4 hours .
Next, make a saline solution: dissolve 1 tbsp. l. salt in a liter of water. The part of the fabric where the greasy stain is located is soaked in it for 8-9 hours.
Chalk and other powders
Powdered products have good adsorbing ability:
- chalk;
- dry mustard;
- dentifrice;
- starch;
- soda;
- salt;
- baby powder (talc).
Sprinkle any of these products onto the oil stain and cover with a paper towel or clean cloth. They go over the top with a hot iron. As a result, excess fat is absorbed into the paper (fabric).
Potato
An effective folk remedy against oil stains is raw potatoes. They grate it on a fine grater and apply the pulp onto the oil trail . After 30 minutes, remove and clean the fabric with a crust of stale black bread.
Instead of fresh tubers, you can use potato starch. The powder is diluted in water until a creamy consistency is obtained. Apply the mixture onto the greasy mark in a thick layer and leave for at least 40 minutes. Only then do they wash the jeans.
Soda
Make a soda paste by combining soda with slightly heated water . Treat the oily stain with the resulting thick mixture using a toothbrush. 2 hours after this you can start the main wash.
Vinegar
Every housewife has white vinegar on hand. Moisten a cloth with it and blot the dirt on the product. Even old greasy stains can be removed in this way.
Before using vinegar, first carry out a compatibility test: drop a little onto the fabric (where it will not be noticeable) and make sure that it does not discolor.
If this does not happen, then you can use this cleansing option.
Solvents
A section of tissue damaged by fat can be returned to its former condition using purified gasoline. It is this solvent that is considered the safest for dyed fabrics, since it does not corrode the fibers or lighten their tone. You should treat your pants with gasoline from the wrong side, placing a piece of light and soft cloth under the contaminated area.
After the gasoline treatment, laundry soap is used, which will wash away the remaining gasoline and show the result. Upon completion of all manipulations, the item should be washed in the machine. The re-rinse function will help you get rid of the persistent smell of gasoline.
Advice! If gasoline is unavailable, it can be replaced with another solvent - kerosene. At the same time, the technology for getting rid of stains on jeans remains unchanged.
The main component of denim is cotton, with polyester added for elasticity and strength. Natural fabrics tolerate contact with solvents well, so jeans can be treated with them without harming the appearance of the product. Gasoline in combination with acetone will remove fresh and old fat-based stains.
The components are mixed in equal parts, and then distributed over the area of contamination using a cotton pad or swab. Let the solvents absorb thoroughly and begin to work; to do this, leave the dirty clothes alone for 1-2 hours. Machine washing in intensive mode with high-quality washing powder will improve and consolidate the achieved result.
Which stain removers are suitable for this case?
Now on the shelves of hardware stores there is a wide range of household chemicals for removing stains from various clothes.
The most popular are worth highlighting:
- Fairy is a synthetic liquid detergent commonly used for washing dishes.
Works well even on old greasy stains. Apply a small amount of it to the dirt and rub in with your finger. After 10-15 minutes, wash off with clean water. To avoid white streaks, wash the jeans in the machine and rinse twice. The cost of a standard 900 ml bottle is 160-180 rubles. - Antipyatin - sold in the form of soap. Wash the soiled item using it. Then soap the stain and wait 20 minutes. After this, they wash it one more time. The price of a bar of soap is from 40 rubles.
- Various liquid stain removers - the most common brands: Sarma, ACE Oxi Magic, BOS+, Persil, Vanish, Ushasty Nyan, Sorti and others. They are good at removing oily stains from denim. Apply one of these products to the stain and wash it off after 30 minutes, then wash it.
Before using household chemicals, it is recommended to read the attached instructions.
New life for an old wardrobe
Despite all efforts, sometimes grease stains turn out to be so old and ingrained that they cannot be washed at all. But their presence does not mean that the item should be sent to the trash can. You can show your creativity and give an old wardrobe item a new life. There are several interesting ways to cover up a permanent stain.
Application
If a greasy stain has formed on your clothes, and it is not possible to wash it off, then you can simply hide it. Just take a few scraps of fabric and make a stylish applique on top of it. Such a fashionable decorative element will hide a defect and turn an unremarkable item into an exclusive one.
Fabric paints
If you don't have a sewing machine at hand, you can use a brush and paints to hide the oil mark. In craft stores today you can easily find dozens of special fabric dyes with which you can apply a design over a stain.
Embroidery
Embroidery looks very stylish on denim items. The dense weave of the threads will hide the stained area from prying eyes, and the item of clothing will sparkle with new colors.
"Ragged" effect
Adviсe
To ensure that jeans retain their presentable appearance even after removing grease stains, it is recommended to adhere to a number of care rules:
When removing grease stains, do not use cold water;- the product is first cleaned of dust;
- do not rub the stain too much, so as not to damage the fabric and not to increase the area of the stain;
- detergents with bleaching properties are used exclusively for white jeans;
- if the contamination is minor, then use a pipette to apply a liquid cleaning agent to it;
- Do not apply too thick a layer of cleaning composition to a greasy stain, as this will lead to discoloration of the fabric;
- It is unacceptable to clean oil traces with a solvent;
- It is not advisable to cover only the greasy stain with salt - it will roll into balls upon contact with oil, but there will be no effect.
When working with chemical stain removers, wear rubber gloves.
Immediately after the stain appears
Most who have at least once encountered the appearance of a greasy stain believe that salt sprinkled on the greasy surface of the pants will help solve the problem. The effectiveness of the method is questionable, because the salt is scattered on a flat surface, which will not allow the necessary fat to be absorbed, therefore, in order to remove a greasy stain from jeans, you need to act as quickly as possible.
The less time has passed, the more likely it is to see the same appearance of the pants. The first thing to do is, without washing the item, blot the stain with a paper napkin, which will allow the remaining grease to be absorbed and make further restoration of the item easier. Therefore, it is important not to pour salt on the damage, but to thoroughly wipe the fabric.
Method 2: Paper towel
It will be easier to remove a greasy stain if you immediately blot the material with paper. Something as simple as a paper towel will absorb a significant portion of the grease and make further combat more effective. It is useless to use paper on an old stain.
In order for a paper towel to absorb fat, just apply it to the problem area for a few minutes.
Advice You can only tell whether the product is removing the stain or not when the jeans are completely dry after washing. Determining whether there is a stain on wet material will be difficult.
Vinegar
This product is in the arsenal of every housewife. Procedure:
- Apply a small amount of vinegar to a napkin.
- Carefully blot away any resulting dirt.
- Rinse with water.
- Repeat this procedure until the stain disappears completely.
Before you start cleaning your jeans with vinegar, you need to check whether it will ruin the denim. To do this, drop a little vinegar on an inconspicuous area of your jeans. If the paint does not float, then vinegar can be used further.
