It's happened to me more times than I care to admit, and I'm betting it's happened to you too: You're wearing one of your favorite silk dresses, feeling snazzy. You look down and—bam—you realize you've somehow managed to get whatever you last ate all over your outfit. Embarrassing. And now your dress is ruined—or at the very least is going to require a pricey trip to the dry cleaner. Show
Or is it? Danica recently reported that not every item marked "dry clean-only" actually has to be dry-cleaned, and now thanks to designer Allison Sires, I'm starting to rethink my fatalistic attitude toward oil stains as well. "If you get a greasy stain on silk, sprinkle some baby powder on the stain and let it sit for a half hour or so," Sires recently recommended. "Then shake off the powder. Hopefully it's absorbed the grease, and the stain is gone." Voila! Easy-peasy. Love this trick. But what if you're not anywhere near a stash of baby powder? According to "queen of clean" Heloise, artificial sweeteners like Splenda and Sweet 'N Low work just as well. Who knew? Tai Massimilian is the Marketing and Creative Director at Texas's premier luxury housekeeping company, Highland Park Housekeeping. She oversees all branding and strategy for HPH, which has cleaned over 100K homes using nontoxic and eco-friendly products, approved by Tai. She runs HPH's social media, whose following looks to her for non-toxic cleaning tips, tricks, and how-to's, and she is also the creator of the online course "How To Clean Your House." Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process and Sarah Aguirre Sarah Aguirre Sarah Aguirre is a housekeeping expert with over 20 years of experience cleaning residentially and commercially. Over that time, she has been writing about tips and tricks for housekeeping and organizing a home for national publications. Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process Updated on 12/14/22 Reviewed by Rhea Mehta Reviewed by Rhea Mehta
Rhea Mehta, PhD, is an award-winning healthcare innovator and toxicologist who for the past decade has worked to empower people to lead healthier lives, starting in their homes. Rhea holds a PhD in Toxicology, with over 15 scientific publications, and a certificate in integrative health coaching. Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board The Spruce / Hilary Allison In This Article Expand
It's the worst feeling—you're enjoying a greasy piece of pizza or adding dressing to your favorite salad, and splash! A new oil stain lands on your clothes. Now, you're left wondering if you need to throw out your favorite shirt. Oil stains can be difficult to get rid of fully, and the first problem could be that they are difficult to see. You might overlook the stain as it blends in with the color of your clothing, a slightly darkened area on the laundry. Add to this the fact that oil stains can commonly reappear just when you think you've seen the last of them, and you've got a tough stain to deal with. 0:48 Watch Now: How to Remove Cooking and Vegetable Oil StainsHow to Recognize Oil-Based StainsIt's also important to understand what kind of oil-based stain you're dealing with. There are two main types: petroleum-based and vegetable-based.
Once you know what type of stain you're dealing with, you're ready to gather your supplies and tackle the pesky little problem. How Soon Should You Wash an Oil Stain?To put it simply: as soon as possible. Oil stains are some of the most difficult to remove unless you get to them immediately. If clothing and the oil stain dry, the stain may be set permanently. When you see an oil stain land, act fact, and read on to learn how to remove oil stains from clothing. The 12 Best Laundry Stain Removers of 2023, Tested and Reviewed Featured Video
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