Grease stains are a different beast from, say, a wine or tea stain. Grease doesn’t dissolve in water and actually sinks deeper into the fibres if you approach it the wrong way. With the right order of steps — and above all patience — you can usually get fresh grease stains out of fabric yourself.
What you’ll need
- Absorbent material: flour, cornstarch, or talcum powder
- A soft brush
- Dish soap (good at breaking down grease)
- Clean, white cloths
- Lukewarm water
Step by step
- Sprinkle an absorbent powder on the fresh stain first. Flour, cornstarch, or talcum powder draws the grease out of the fabric before it spreads further. Leave it for at least 15 to 30 minutes — the longer, the more grease it absorbs.
- Gently brush the powder away. Use a soft brush or a vacuum attachment to remove all the powder (along with the absorbed grease).
- Treat the rest with dish soap. Apply a few drops of dish soap directly to the stain and work it in gently with your fingers or a soft brush, using small circular motions.
- Blot with a damp cloth afterwards. Use lukewarm water to blot out the dish soap along with the loosened grease. Work from the outside in.
- Repeat where needed. For an older or more stubborn grease stain, you may need to repeat steps 3 and 4 a few times before the stain is fully gone.
- Let it air-dry properly. Avoid direct heat (like a hairdryer) — heat can actually set any remaining grease back into the fabric.
A word of caution
Never use hot water or a steaming steamer on a fresh grease stain: heat causes grease to spread further and sink deeper into the fibres. Always test a new product on an inconspicuous spot first.
When should you call in help?
Some grease stains — think motor oil, old makeup, or a stain that’s been sitting for a while — barely respond to this approach because the grease has already fully hardened in the fibres. In that case, professional steam cleaning with extraction is often the only way to truly get it out. Curious what we can do for your furniture? Check out our furniture cleaning service, or just ask for some free advice.
Tip: soon we’ll be launching our own line of professional stain-removal products, developed specifically for these kinds of smaller accidents. Sign up in advance via our products page.
