Inside: Oil stains on your favorite shirt? Check out this crazy simple tip on how to get cooking oil out of clothes. They will look like new again!
I admit it, I am a very messy cook. Usually, I am trying to quickly throw together dinner after picking up my kiddo from swim practice. I have the kind of kitchen that looks like a tornado passed through when I am done cooking dinner. Often my kitchen isn’t the only thing that looks messy. My clothes are often a casualty of the dinner.
It’s not uncommon for me to go put on a clean shirt only to realize the shirt is stained from the last time I wore it. I have all kind of stains that get on my shirt, but cooking oil stains tend to be the one I get the most. Luckily, I quickly figured out how to get cooking oil out of clothes.
This trick works great whether you figured out the stain before you washed it, or if it has already been washed and dried before. Save your shirts with this simple tip on how to get cooking oil out of clothes.
You can see from the shirt below that I had a lot of cooking oil on my shirt. I had dumped some washed off green beans in a hot pan with oil (I know, not smart)! The cooking oil went all over my shirt. Then, I forgot about it until I went to put the shirt on again. It had already been washed and dried.
Lay the oil-stained clothes out on your washing machine or in a sink. Then add a drop or two of dish soap to each of the oil stains. Make sure you are using a dish soap that has some grease fighter in it, don’t use a lotion-y dish soap. I just use Aldi brand “Dawn” soap. Once you have made sure you have all the stains covered, let the shirt sit for a couple of hours. I put dish soap on my shirt and then went and ran some errands.
The dish soap will do its grease-fighting action as the clothes sit. Then once the clothes have sat for a couple of hours you can wash them. I recommend washing them on the hottest cycle possible for the clothing. When the cycle is done pull the clothes out and let them air dry.
When they are done drying you can look over them to make sure all the spots are gone. Usually, the first round with the dish soap does the trick, but sometimes I either miss a small spot or have to do one more coat with the dish soap. If you still have a little bit of staining then you can go back through and repeat the steps.
This simple trick will take your shirts from stained and ready for the dumpster to wearable again. You will never have to wonder how to get cooking oil out of clothes again! Dealing with other stains? Check out how to remove sweat stains here.
How To Get Cooking Oil Out Of Clothes
Oil Stained Clothes
Dish Soap
Lay the oil-stained clothes out on your washing machine or in a sink. Then add a drop or two of dish soap to each of the oil stains. Once you have made sure you have all the stains covered, let the shirt sit for a couple of hours. Then once the clothes have sat for a couple of hours you can wash on the hottest cycle possible for the clothing. When the cycle is done pull the clothes out and let them air dry. Look over them to make sure all the spots are gone. Repeat if necessary.

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Dawn says
Thank you so much for this. I am also a very messy cook and have had to relegate many of my shirts to the scruffy clothes pile since I always end up with something on me. This makes me so happy that I may be able to save some of my favorites! Thank you for the great advice!
Julie says
You are welcome!