Get oil out of clothing?

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I recently got some new clothes. This made me realize how dirty and stained my older items in the wardrobe are :sweat_smile:

The resilient stains mostly seem to be from the different oils and grease in the shop. Now that Iā€™m using more cutting lubricants and such for metal work, I only see it getting worse over time.

Are the any tips and tricks for getting shop stuff out of clothing? Any particular laundry detergents folks swear by?
Or do I just need to dedicate some shop outfits (or more realistically, keep one nice outfit for date nights :yum:)

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Best to shield your clothing with one of these aprons that I bought in March of 2015. I bought two, but I havenā€™t managed to ruin even one of them! :smiley: (My 12 year old grandson is now using the spare.)

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Some stains are from clear paints or oils that are supposed to polymerize eventually like finishings. Even some greases polymerize eventually (become rancid). Oils can be removed by chemical cleaning rather than washing, the solvent for oils is not one can achieve with any waterish solution like detergent, detergent just disperses hydrophobic matter in water, it does not dissolve it. That is what chemical cleaning is invented for: dissolving hydrophobic stuff. If chemical cleaning does not dissolve it the grease is polymerized, and became part of the fabric.

Even fine dust changes the apearance of clothes. Cannot really brushed out of the depth, and from seams.

If you go to a date night with shop clothes you must be after a very very special one: the shes in this world also have nosesā€¦ :slight_smile:

Yes, I think, keeping dedicated shop clothes is a good idea.

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When I get motor oil or transmission oil on me I use a spot remover called Shout. They key is to spray it relatively fast. I saturate a shirt and fold it up so the Shout does not dry up and an hour or so later I get it into the washing machine.

I am retired so all I wear is blue jeans and tee shirts. The oil is not that big of a deal to me but what I get on everything is wood glue. Unfortunately wood glue does not come out unless you wash it out when wet. If it dries it is there permanently.

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I always figured aprons were for physical protection, not something I need to worry about too much with all the small work I do.
But you opened my eyes a bit, they are for protecting clothing as wellā€¦funny how obvious things can be in hindsight :man_facepalming:

Thank you kindly, Iā€™ll probably grab a lighter/easier to throw on and off item like my chef coat. An item designed to protect against incidental oil and stains. Again, seems so obvious :melting_face:

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Sheā€™s got over 18 years of time into this relationship already, so Iā€™ve got sunk cost fallacy on my side :yum:

Though now that you mention it, she does have a horrible sense of smell,l :thinking:
Eh, Iā€™ll just chalk it up to good luck.

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Ordered! Very reasonably priced as well. Thatā€™s a pleasant change of pace in todayā€™s age.

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Remember: Safety first!

Aprons need to be secured, no gloves or loose clothing around moving equipment.

My Dad had toooo many horror stories from working in a machine shop.

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ā€¦short sleeves only near a table sawā€¦

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Oh, boy. ā€œRemember: Safety first!ā€ has started to sound less like a rule and more like a historically interesting suggestion.

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A few months ago i got diesel fuel soaked into the sleeve of a canvas jacket. Pretreating with Dawn helped a bit, but resulted in a sudsy washing machine. The solution i found was Fast Orange mechanics laundry detergent. I bought it at NAPA, but amazon has it too.

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As mentioned ā€œShoutā€ works well on many stains, as does hand cleaner on grease, oil and latex paint. itā€™s better to wash in warm than hot water, that tends to set stains. If a stain makes it through the washer and you want it out donā€™t dry it, that will set the stain.

Youā€™ve got 2 sets of clothes now, date night and shop. Keep them separate, no date night clothes in the shop. As things inevitably happen demote the date night items to shop clothing.

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Date night? So whoā€™s going to see your clothes from the drive-thru window? :smiley:

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2 parts hydrogen peroxide to 1 part blue dawn dish soap. Mix that and apply with an old tooth brush and let it soak for an hour or 2 before washing.

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I couldnā€™t imagine how hydrogen peroxide would do anything but damage. So, I asked my local LLM:

Yesā€”it can help on some oil stains, but itā€™s not the best all-purpose mix for clothing.

  • Dawn dish soap: the main stain-fighter here. It cuts grease and helps lift oil from fabric.
  • Hydrogen peroxide: not needed for dissolving oil. Its main role is as a mild oxidizer/bleach, so itā€™s more useful for:
    • lightening yellowing or organic stains,
    • helping with odor,
    • brightening white/light fabrics.

For a true oil stain, the peroxide adds little compared with the dish soap.

Best use

  1. Blot excess oil.
  2. Apply a small amount of dish soap directly to the stain.
  3. Work it in gently for 5ā€“10 minutes.
  4. Rinse warm.
  5. Wash normally.
  6. Do not machine-dry until the stain is fully gone.

Cautions

  • Hydrogen peroxide can fade colors, especially dark or non-colorfast fabrics.
  • Blue Dawn can also leave a tint/residue if overused.
  • Always spot-test first.

Bottom line

  • Will it clean oil stains? Often yes, mainly because of the dish soap.
  • Why use hydrogen peroxide? For bleaching/oxidizing/brightening, not because it is especially good at removing oil.

For colored clothing, Iā€™d use dish soap alone first.

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Food grade Hydrogen Peroxide is around 35% while your average stuff in the med cabinet is 2%. 95% hydrogen peroxide is used in rocket fuel. Try food grade and compare the difference. Great tip!

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Just saying it has taken a lot of synthetic and conventional oil as well as grease and fuel stains out of my US Navy uniforms that past couple of years once I discovered this mixture. I donā€™t get wrapped around the axle about the how, I just know it works. If it doesnā€™t make sense them there is a pink bar of soap called Zota you can get at Mexican markets and grate it with a cheese grater and soap it with water until it dissolves, then add the same blue dawn dish soap to the mixture and apply the paste to the stain with a tooth brush. I do know it takes out red wine and blood stains pretty well so that is possibly why the mixture calls for hydrogen peroxide. I cannot remember which one I get but the one the commissary has is usually what I stock up for on deployment and have at the house. I will double check what the % is when I get home today.

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