13 Tricks to Remove Grease Stains
Updated: Feb. 17, 2023We rounded up simple, great tips to deal with grease stain removal.
Baby powder
If you’re wondering how to remove grease stains from clothes, baby powder will be extremely helpful to you. Frying foods can be a dangerous business—especially for your clothes. If you get a grease splatter on your clothing, try dabbing the stain with some baby powder on a powder puff. Make sure you rub it in well, and then remove and brush off any excess powder. Repeat until the mark is gone. Have oil stains on your concrete garage floor? Here’s how to clean it.
Baking soda
Say good-bye to cooked-on grease stains on your stovetop or backsplash. First, wet them with a little water and cover them with a bit of baking soda. Then rub them off with a damp sponge or towel. Another hint—adding baking soda to your dishwashing liquid breaks down grease on dirty dishes. Plus: Check out some surprising ways to use olive oil around your house.
Chalk
Rub chalk on a grease spot on clothing or table linens and let it absorb the oil before you brush it off. If the stain lingers, rub chalk into it again before laundering. Get rid of ring-around-the-collar stains too; mark the stains heavily with chalk before laundering. The chalk will absorb the oils that hold dirt in.
Club soda
Food tastes delicious when it’s cooked in cast iron, but cleaning those heavy pots and pans with the sticky mess inside is no fun at all. You can make the cleanup a lot easier by pouring some club soda in the pan while it’s still warm. The bubbly soda will keep the mess from sticking.
Cat litter
Looking to get rid of that garage floor oil slick left behind by your car? First, blot any wet oil or grease with newspaper until the floor is fairly dry. Next, spread a generous amount of cat litter over the stain (you can use a broom to make sure the whole stain is covered). Let it stand for 24 hours, then sweep or vacuum up to reveal a clean, grease-free floor.
Cornstarch
Even the most careful cook can’t avoid an occasional grease stain. Sprinkle cornstarch onto a soft cloth, and rub the grease spot gently until it disappears. Cornstarch is also great for the family room: sprinkle carpet grease spots with cornstarch and let sit for several hours. Vacuum up and the stain should be gone.
Newspaper
This trick is great for large grease stains, like those found in the garage or driveway. Spread several thicknesses of newspaper over the spot, then thoroughly soak the paper with water and weight it down with a heavy object. When the paper is completely dry, remove it—and the stain should come with it. Plus: Did you know you could also use newspaper for this?
Paper bag
Have you ever noticed how greasy foods immediately leave their mark on the bags that hold them? This trick uses the same process but in reverse. For greasy stains on wallpaper, fold a brown paper bag and hold it over the stain. Next, run a warm iron over the spot, drawing the grease into the paper. Repeat as necessary until the spot is gone, repositioning the bag each time so fresh paper collects the grease.
Salt
When you’re trying to figure out how to remove grease stains salt probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind, but it can be very helpful. Did that football-watching couch potato knock greasy nachos onto your nice white carpet? Mix up 1 part salt to 4 parts rubbing alcohol and rub it hard on the grease stain, being careful to rub in the direction of the rug’s natural nap.
Talcum powder
You can remove greasy stains from a carpet with a combination of talcum powder and patience. Just cover the affected area with talcum powder and wait at least six hours for the talcum to absorb the grease. Then vacuum the stain away. Baking soda, cornmeal, or cornstarch may be substituted for the talcum powder. Talcum powder can also be used to remove greasy fingerprints from your favorite wallpaper; simply brush the powder on the stain, let sit for at least half an hour, and then brush off.
Vinegar
Eliminate grease stains from your kitchen table or counter by wiping them down with a cloth dampened in a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. In addition to removing the grease, the vinegar will neutralize any odors on the surface (once its own aroma evaporates, that is).
