How To Get Grease Smell Out Of Clothes

How to get grease smell out of clothes seems to be the main reason for your headache because you have never dealt with this situation before. 

“What should I do now?” is the question you want to know most, and that’s why this article will become “your angel”. Why? It’s simply because you can look up your answer in this post. Don’t wait anymore and scroll down now!

Incredible Knowledge About Grease Smell

First and foremost, you have to know what grease comes from. When you fry foods like chicken or potatoes, you will see the grease rendered, and it can leave odor smells in your kitchen and even your clothes. ⁽¹⁾

On the other hand, grease from mechanics also releases a nasty smell on your clothes while working with different kinds of devices.

These grease smells often cause many troubles for your work, and if you don’t treat them as soon as possible, you have to spend many attempts to remove these smells. That’s why learning ways to get rid of the grease smell is essential.

Fantastic Methods You Are Searching For Treating Cooking Grease Smell

Cooking is a fascinating work which can make people feel happy and relaxed after hard-working days or a way that you express your love with your family. However, the presence of grease smells on your clothes may disrupt these happy moments.

It will get worse if these smells can not disappear from your clothes after washing. It is time you have to consider using specific treatments for cooking grease smells. The following section will reveal what you can do! 

Method 1: Bleach

Bleach is an effective item for treating stubborn grease stains and their odors. Because of its bleach strength, you should consider your fabric material to avoid making your garment’s colors fade away. As a result, this technique will work best with white clothes.

Preparation

• Bleach

• Laundry detergent

Option 1: Pretreat Before Washing

Step 1: Mix ¼ cup of bleach with 1 gallon of warm water.

Step 2: Soak your clothes in this solution for 10 minutes.

Step 3: Launder in the washing machine with the recommended quantity of laundry detergent.

Option 2: Add Bleach In The Process Of Washing

Step 1: Pour  ¾ cup of bleach into the bleach dispenser.

Step 2: Add your usual laundry detergent and wash your clothes with the hottest water temperature setting.

Note: It is suggested to wear gloves while working with bleach because its chemical substances can irritate your skin. Alternatively, if your hand touches directly to bleach, you must wash your hand carefully.

Method 2: Ammonia

Ammonia is an alternative method for bleach. Ammonia can prevent the grease smell from staying on your garment. In addition, some types of ammonia have great scent content, such as lemon, which makes your clothes smell better. 

To work with ammonia, you can apply 1 cup of ammonia to garments in the washing machine. Remember that ammonia can not blend with bleach, so that you have to use ammonia separately.

Note: The fumes from ammonia can negatively affect your respiratory system, so you must use ammonia in a well-ventilated place.

Method 3: Heavy-Duty Laundry Detergent

Instead of considering the best product for treating grease smell, heavy-duty laundry detergent will be the most common way you can try. If this technique works, other methods are not necessary anymore.

The heavy-duty laundry detergent often provides better efficiency than the remaining ones because its powerful enzyme content can treat the grease and oil stains on various fabrics. Moreover, it’s completely safe with your body skin.

The substitute for heavy-duty detergent is enzyme detergent. This item’s primary function is to fight against stubborn stains and odors without any toxic chemicals so that you can comfortably apply it to clothes even when there are children in your house.

Your work is to add the detergent into the washing cycle and set the water temperature at the hottest level. If you are afraid that hot temperatures can damage your clothes, you can check the instructions on the care tag.

Method 4: Coke

I believe that you are amazed at the presence of Coke here. Besides being the most popular drink globally, Coke is a suitable method for getting rid of the grease smell on clothes thanks to its acidic substances.

First, you will need a can of Coke poured into the washing machine along with your regular detergent, and then you can wash your affected clothes as you normally would. The grease smell on your clothes may completely disappear without any help from specific chemicals.

Method 5: Borax

Whenever you buy a cleaner for your house, you always want to choose a “green” product that doesn’t contain any harmful ingredients for safe use at home. Borax may be a good candidate for this requirement.

Borax can apply to many fabrics and help you solve unwanted odors in your house, especially on your garment. Borax’s usage is simple with 2 options:

Option 1: You can make a mixture of 1 tbsp of borax and 1 gallon of water and then soak your clothes in this solution for 30 minutes. After that, you can wash your clothes in the washing machine with the entire mixture poured.

Option 2: You pour  ½ of Borax into the washing machine and launder as usual.

Note: Borax sometimes can threaten your eyes, hands, or other parts of your body if you carelessly eat or let your skin and eyes directly touch it. If ingesting Borax, you may feel vomit, even leading to death in some serious cases.

Method 6: Pre-Wash Treatment

You can find various pre-wash treatments in stores or supermarkets, and one of the best pre-wash treatments I suggest to you is GOJO, a top brand in America that mainly provides high-quality hand sanitizers.

Preparation

• Pre-wash treatment

• Old toothbrush

• Baking soda

Instructions

Step 1: Scrub pre-wash treatment on the stained area with an old toothbrush.

Step 2: Wash your affected clothes singly in the washer.

Step 3: Rewash your clothes with 1 cup of baking soda to remove the treatment smell.

Method 7: Dish Soap

Dish soap, also known as dishwashing liquid, is an indispensable item in the kitchen. Its primary benefit is to remove the dirt or grease on the dishes, but it also contributes to removing the grease smell from clothes.

Preparation

• Dish soap

• Hot water

• Washtub

Instructions

Step 1: Mix ¼ cup of dish soap with a few gallons of water in a washtub. Ensure this mixture dissolves well.

Step 2: Soak your garment in this solution for 30 minutes, and use a wooden spoon to stir around your garment.

Step 3: Take your clothes and launder as usual with an appropriate amount of laundry detergent.

Step 4: If the grease smell persists, you can apply heavy-duty detergent or add more dish soap if necessary. 

Note: Don’t take your garment in the dryer if the grease stains are visible. In this situation, you need to repeat the steps above for a better result.

Remember not to overuse dish soap to avoid damages caused by soaps in the washer.

Method 8: Lestoil Or Pine-Sol

Lestoil or pine-soil is a cleaner that helps you treat tough stains caused by oil and grease and make your clothes fresh with a pine scent.

Preparation

• Lestoil/ Pine-Sol

• Toothbrush

Instructions

Step 1: Apply Lestoil/ Pine-Sol to the stained area and scrub with a toothbrush.

Step 2: Let your garment sit for 20 minutes.

Step 3: Launder as usual in the washer.

Step 4: If there is no grease stain on your clothes, you can pour ¼ cup of this product directly into the washing machine for a normal wash.

Method 9: White Vinegar

A natural cleaning product is a perfect seasoning for your dishes and has many applications in home life, such as a powerful stain smell remover. Can you predict it? Yes, it’s white vinegar.

With white vinegar, you can get rid of grease smell quickly with 2 options below:

Option 1: Distilled White Vinegar

In this option, you need to add  ½ cup of distilled white vinegar into the washing cycle, and after finishing, you should check your clothes. If the grease smell is still there, it’s suggested to use heavy-duty detergent for the next wash.

Option 2: Vinegar And Baking Soda

Preparation

• White vinegar

• Baking soda

• Washtub

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare a water-filled washtub and add a solution of white vinegar, baking soda following the ratio 1:1. Stir the mixture for about 30 seconds.

Step 2: Soak your garments in this washtub for 4 hours to remove odors on your garments.

Step 3: Wash your clothes as usual.

Method 10: Oxyclean

Oxyclean is a good option for removing grease stains and their smell from your clothes. You can buy this item in many stores or supermarkets. If you are tired of going out, you can buy it on online commercial websites. 

Preparation

• Washtub

• Oxyclean

Instructions

Step 1: Fill a washtub with 1 scoop of Oxyclean and cold water. Stir the mixture.

Step 2: Soak your garments for at least 4 hours.

Step 3: Pour this solution and your clothes into the washer and launder.

Method 11: Eucalyptus Oil

Eucalyptus oil is a term used to illustrate a type of oil made from the leaves of Eucalyptus. It is a beneficial oil for our health, especially for the respiratory system ⁽²⁾. Moreover, you can take advantage of this product to get rid of the odors in different materials.

Preparation

• Eucalyptus oil

• Dish soap

• Old toothbrush

Instructions

Step 1: Mix ¼ cup of dish soap with 1 tbsp eucalyptus oil to make a thick paste

Step 2: Apply this paste to the grease-affected area.

Step 3: Scrub the stained area with an old toothbrush. Then wait for a few hours before washing in the washer.

Method 12: Simple Green Degreaser

If you consider a cleaner product capable of being decomposed easily, Simple Green will be a suitable choice for you. It’s an excellent deodorizer that mainly treats the smell of dirt, grease, oil, or food so that you can believe in its practical efficiency.

Preparation

• Old Toothbrush

• Simple Green Degreaser

Instructions

Step 1: Spray a suitable quantity of Simple Green degreaser on your clothes

Step 2: Use an old toothbrush to scrub your clothes with some water. 

Step 3: Keep this state of clothes for 30 minutes.

Step 4: Launder your clothes in the washing machine as usual.

Method 13: Listerine

Listerine is an everyday product that helps your breath stay fresh and cool, thanks to its alcohol content. It can be a treatment for the grease smell on your clothes.

You need 1 cup of Listerine added to the washing machine and laundered as your normal way. The mint scent of this product will create an attractive smell on your garments. 

FAQs

Although I have tried to provide as many methods as possible to help you solve the grease smell on your clothes, I still can’t cover all the knowledge related to this topic. That’s why I created this section.

Always Optimistic When Dealing With Difficult Issue

You can feel very stressed and depressed with a stubborn grease smell on your favorite clothes, but everything can change if you carry out the removal methods I have introduced. The essential factor is your positive thinking, so don’t give up too soon.

When you can get the grease smell out of clothes successfully, I’m pleased that you can share your experiences with other people by leaving comments below. Don’t hesitate to do that!

References

1. Researchgate.net
2. Usgovconnect.com. 2021. The Possible Health Benefits Of Eucalyptus Oil.