Emergency measures
You can significantly simplify the further washing of a T-shirt by pre-treating newly appeared stains.
Do not hesitate - until the fat is properly absorbed into the fabric and does not dry there, spray it with an absorbent agent:
- salt;
- baking soda;
- mustard powder;
- starch;
- baby powder;
- chalk powder;
- talc.
Dry small crystals of the above substances immediately trap excess moisture. The sooner the stain is treated, the less grease will be absorbed. Before further cleaning, remove the powder with a soft, clean brush or cloth.
You can save suede boots or a skirt in the same way.
Modern stain removers
Cleansing preparations are produced in different forms:
- spray - Bagi, Effect Delta, Cotico - possible spot removal of dirt without soaking;
- powder – Clean Home, Dr. Beckmann, Typhoon for heavily soiled clothing;
- soap – “Sarma”, “Antipyatin” removes old stains before machine washing;
- liquid – BioMio, Frosch, Vanish quickly destroys fresh dirt; used for processing delicate fibers;
- gel – Clean Home, GraSS G-OXI, easily dissolves at temperatures from +35℃; are washed away without a trace; are economically spent;
- pencil – Paterra, Meine Liebe, Udalix; for dry processing.
These products are hypoallergenic. Removes greasy stains without damaging the material, preserving the color. Before purchasing, carefully read the instructions: the purposes and methods of using the products vary.
Sprays remove dirt precisely
Removing fresh grease stains from a T-shirt
Fresh stains are relatively easy to remove because the fat has not yet hardened into the fabric structure. Below are a few handy tools you can try to remove a fresh oil stain.
Wet wipes
Alcohol wipes are suitable for removing fresh grease from a T-shirt.
It is important to wipe the stain from the edge to the center so as not to smear it on a thin, light-colored fabric. In most cases, it is impossible to completely remove the stain with wipes, but it will significantly discolor it. After wiping, the T-shirt will be much easier to wash.
Dishwashing liquid
Almost all dishwashing detergents contain ingredients that effectively break down grease. Therefore, they are used not only for washing the refrigerator or dirty dishes, but also for caring for linoleum, gas stoves, and washable wallpaper.
For greater effectiveness, the stain is first soaked in warm water. A small amount of cleaner is then applied to the stain and rubbed into the grease with your finger or an old toothbrush until a foam forms.
Attention! This is foam that fights fat; without its formation it will be useless.
After the greasy stain on a white T-shirt has dissolved under the influence of active foam, the clothes should be washed.
Laundry soap
Laundry soap is used in several ways.
- Soak. Dilute a sufficient amount of soap in hot water until the liquid becomes slightly thick. It is better to grate the bars on a coarse grater for quick dissolution. The soap is soaked in the prepared solution until it cools completely.
- Mashing. As with dishwashing detergents, soak the stain in hot water and then rub vigorously into a bar of soap until a lather forms. You can leave the T-shirt in this form overnight.
After applying the soap, the T-shirt or T-shirt can be washed as usual.
Toothpaste
Whitening toothpaste contains active particles that dissolve stains, including fats.
You should also create a lot of foam here. To do this, soak the stain in warm water and rub a small amount of paste with your finger, a cotton pad or old toothpaste. The T-shirt is left in this form until the foam breaks completely.
Mustard mixture
Mustard powder is dissolved in a small amount of hot water until a slightly thick liquid is obtained.
It's vague. apply to the stain with a watercolor brush or finger and rinse after drying. The mustard should dissolve and “pull out”, if not all the fat, then most of it, which will greatly facilitate further washing.
Soda slurry
By analogy with the method described above, a solution is prepared from warm water and baking soda; the final consistency should allow the product to be easily applied to the area.
A T-shirt or T-shirt soaked in a baking soda solution is left overnight, after which the remaining baking soda is removed mechanically. For a better effect, you can add a little salt to the prepared solution.
Extreme and original methods of getting rid of fat
When universal stain removers are powerless to clean the item, non-standard methods are used:
- The bread crumb absorbs greasy splashes from fleecy materials (corduroy, felt, fleece): a piece of the loaf is softened in the hand and applied to the damaged area.
- Even old dried fat will come off after soaking the trousers in a lukewarm solution of mustard powder. The final stages of processing - washing and rinsing - will show that the dirt has disappeared.
- Shaving foam is used to lubricate the stained area on the Bolognese jacket. After 7 minutes, all that remains is to remove the foam with a wet cloth.
- Carbonated drinks remove contaminants while preserving the color and structure of the fibers; neutralizes unpleasant odor: tampons soaked in Coca-Cola are left on the greasy fragment for 3 hours, then washed. For white shirts and light skirts, use colorless soda.
Housewives also call this original technique for degreasing kitchen utensils effective. Add ½ cup of washing powder and 1 tablespoon to 5 liters of boiling water. spoons of table salt and vegetable oil. Place kitchen towels, oven mitts, napkins and tablecloths made from dense natural materials (cotton, linen, calico) into the resulting liquid. After 10 hours, the products are washed with Antipyatin.
Removing old grease stains from T-shirts
To effectively wash old grease from T-shirts, you should use stronger detergents.
Alcohol and vinegar
First of all, you need to use ammonia, ethyl alcohol and table vinegar.
These products are available and can be found literally at your fingertips. Due to their solvent properties, these liquids can leave old oil stains on light and dark T-shirts.
Alcohol and vinegar can be conveniently applied to the stain using a cotton pad or piece of clean cotton wool, wiping from the edge to the center. Gradually, the fat dissolves and turns into cotton wool, which is regularly replaced with new, soaked liquid. In this way, you can almost completely remove dirt from T-shirts of different colors.
Acetone and solvents
Paint solvents such as white spirit, 646, etc., as well as acetone, are aggressive chemical solvents that can dissolve greasy stains of any age on any fabric, as well as construction paint and foam. Handle them with care as there is a risk of damaging the color and material of the knitwear.
Tip: Test the liquid first on an inconspicuous area of the T-shirt. If the fabric turns white or loses its shape after contact with solvents, rinse the area quickly and thoroughly under running water and avoid further use of solvents.
Turpentine and gasoline
Purified turpentine and gasoline can completely replace solvents, as they have similar properties.
You can use them according to the instructions above.
The downside for some people may be the unpleasant lingering odor that remains after using turpentine and gasoline. To get rid of it, wash the T-shirt with a fragrant detergent.
How to remove grease marks from denim
You can often find a greasy stain on a denim shirt or trousers, especially after a picnic at the dacha or in the park. Treat it with salt right on the spot, and upon returning home, immediately begin removing the contamination.
- If you have purified gasoline, saturate a rag with it and begin removing the stain from the underside of the jeans, gently rubbing the edges of the blot, gradually moving deeper into the stain.
- By doing this you will prevent the fat from spreading and increasing the size of the contaminated area.
- After cleaning, immediately place the denim item in the machine, set an additional rinse and wash in an intensive mode with high-quality powder.
Antipyatnin soap helps remove stains from a denim shirt. It does an excellent job of removing grease from any fabric if the stain is recent. Thoroughly rub the soiled shirt with soap, brush it, leave it in the basin for half an hour and wash it in the usual way.
Methods for removing stains on colored T-shirts
Removing grease from colored and dark T-shirts is complicated by the need to preserve the color without leaving discolored marks on the fabric. To do this, use special cleaning products.
Starch gruel
A starch solution is prepared using warm water. The final consistency should be paste-like so that the product can be conveniently applied to the T-shirt. In this form, you can leave it overnight, and in the morning, wash off the remaining starch and wash it off.
Dentifrice
Tooth powder can be used both on fresh, not yet healing stains, and on old, dried ones.
If the stain is fresh, simply sprinkle it generously with tooth powder, which should be immediately rubbed into the grease. It reacts with excess moisture to form active foam.
Once the stain has dried, moisten the oily soil with warm water and then apply tooth powder.
Bread crumb
If the stain is old but doesn't look bad, try soaking it in breadcrumbs. The fat is treated with hot water so that it dissolves a little. You need to put a crumb of fresh bread on top, which will immediately start to absorb dirt.
Tip: You will have to use several slices of bread before the dirt is completely gone.
Special cases
When choosing a product for removing traces of fat, it is important to consider the type of fabric from which the T-shirt is made, the presence of decorative elements, and the color of the clothing.
White T-shirt
The difficulty of washing white items without print lies in the high risk of darkening or yellowing on the fabric. For example, “Belizna” and other bleaches should be used only in extreme cases, when other means are powerless.
To remove fat from a white T-shirt:
- It is necessary to pour boiling water over the damaged area.
- Apply toothpaste, Fairy, soda paste or salt.
- If that doesn't help, clean with alcohol or acetone.
White clothes made from natural materials that are not afraid of exposure to high temperatures can be boiled in a thick solution of laundry soap.
Colored things
Fresh drops of fat on colored or dark things can be blotted with bread crumbs, covered with salt, starch, talcum powder or baby powder. Then, wash with laundry soap, soak in dish soap, treat with turpentine or gasoline, apply a mixture of glycerin and ammonia. To remove old grease stains, it is better to use safe, ready-made stain removers from the store.
Delicate fabric
T-shirts made of silk, natural wool, and lace should be washed very carefully. Caustic detergents and chemical compounds can ruin the item. A regular school blotter will help remove fresh drops of grease. Cover the contaminated area with it and iron it.
The heat will absorb the fat into the paper. Another cleaning option is to cover the dirt with starch, talcum powder, tooth powder or fine salt. It is better to take an expensive item with old, stubborn stains to the dry cleaner and entrust the removal of grease to professionals.
Machine or hand wash
After removing the stain using one of the above methods, the T-shirt should be washed. This can be done either manually or by machine. There is no fundamental difference between them, but in both cases it is necessary to follow a few simple rules:
- sort things by color: white linen is only white, dark linen is dark, and colored things are by color and shade;
- pre-soaking for heavily soiled items;
- Wash again if grease or sweat stains are not removed the first time.
Useful tips
For cleaning to be successful, you should follow several recommendations:
When using the brush, use gentle movements, otherwise you will damage the fabric. A hard brush is only suitable for dense fabrics.
Not all stain removers are aimed at removing greasy stains - this factor should be taken into account when purchasing it.
If you are unable to remove an oil stain from your clothing, use dry cleaning services.
Special means
Manufacturers of household chemicals, of course, could not ignore the problem of stain removal and have developed a large number of stain removers that help fight greasy marks, among other things. The most famous of them:
- Antipyatin soap;
- Vanish gel;
- Amway spray;
- pencil from Faberlic;
- bleach “Bos Plus Maximum”.
The disadvantage of such chemicals is that they are not always on hand and are quite expensive. And the success of a grease removal operation often depends on how quickly the stain was treated.
