As soap makers, we work with base oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, rice bran oil and even fragrance oils and essential oils. While making soap, spills and splashes occur. Oil lands and is wiped on clothes and aprons during the process. When you run them through the wash without pre-treating, sometimes they don’t come out!
I’ve used an oil-cutting dish washing soap before. I just poured it on the stain and used a tooth brush to scrub.
So how do you pre-treat clothes and other fabrics before you wash?
This question was posted in our Facebook group Saponification Nation. Here are some helpful responses from the community.
“If you have Poly 80, rub it in the spot before you wash.” – Sarah Withnell
“I think it was Jackie Thompson who told me to get a bottle of polysorbate from a supplier and use that on oil stains on clothes. It emulsifies the oil with water when washing.” – Amanda Gail
“And I got that helpful hint (Poly 80) from Beth Byrne!! It’s saved me a lot of clothes. Sometimes I have to repeat.” – Jackie Thompson
“Personally, I use Stanley Home Products degreaser. I’ve used this my entire life (thanks Mom!) because it’s the only thing I’ve found that gets out grease stains that have already been washed and dried… grass stains… and even baby poo stains. This stuff is amazing when it comes to laundry (and a bottle lasts FOREVER! I moved to Oregon 17 years ago with two bottles… and I still have some!). If you don’t have a Stanley Home Products rep, you can buy it on Amazon. I just wet the spot and add a little bit of degreaser. Rub it in and toss in with the rest of the laundry. (And it really does get rid of stains that have been washed and dried… even multiple times)“ – Renee Lillie
“I have successfully used a mix of hydrogen peroxide and clear dawn. After applying to stain sprinkle with baking soda and scrub with an old toothbrush. Then wash in hottest water possible. This has removed even old oil stains.” – Donna Dalton
How do you remove oil spots from clothes after making soap?
Happy Soaping!
-Amanda Gail
I use a 50/50 blend of corn starch and powdered clay. Brush it into the stain until there is no longer a “wet” appearance on the INSIDE of the garment. (In our case, tee shirts and jeans.. almost all dark shirts). Then Gain, scrubbed into the stain before laundering and reg amount of gain with . Rinse with vinegar..
I had a spray bottle of Babyganics spot remover left over, from when my grandson was here, so I tried it. It always took every baby stain, you can think of out, so I thought it was worth a try. Well it takes out all oil marks, and I am, for some reason, full of mica when I finish soaping. Talk about the messy soaper! lol I buy it at Toys R Us, in the baby section, but I’m sure they carry it in lots of places. I give the stain a spray, and rub the material together a little, and throw it in the washer, with “COLD” water. I wash my dark tops in cold water, and they still come out. Give it a try!
I have two kinds of clothes – those that have oil stains and those that will soon have oils stains. Palmolive green dish soap used to work great but they must have changed the formula. I pretty much gave up but now I might try some of these tips. Thanks for the post.
There are 2 methods I use to get the oils stains out. First off if I see them before they hit the wash I do like one advised above and pour on a bit dawn dish soap, then hydrogen peroxide and a sprinkle of soda. Let that sit for an hour or so before running it through the wash in cold (never use hot on our clothing since my family wears lots of black and hot fades it faster). For stains that have gone through the washer and dryer I break down and use the OxyClean Stain Gel in a spray bottle. The spray goes on easily and the thick gel formula keeps it in place. Just spray enough to cover and rub it in well by rubbing the cloth on itself, no need for a toothbrush. It works great, but can get costly. It’s still less expensive than replacing a piece of clothing. I do prefer natural cleaners, but like I said its the only thing that has worked for me. Tried the poly with no luck, might try again though.
Maybe we should all have some junk clothes to soap in, then it would t matter if oil got on it! Yeah, right…that would be too easy! We are soap ers and have to do things the hard way! Or is that just me?