Especially after Chanukah, this is the laundry question we get asked the most. So we did a test.
While we did address this issue in the past, we still get asked so many times – how can I treat grease stains that are showing up in my laundry? And how about after the clothing went through the dryer?
So we took four popular methods and tested them for you.
(Note: The shirt used in this experiment was from an event that passed. It was destined for the rag bin, anyway.)
We laid out the t-shirt and used a sharpie to write the name of the method/product we were testing. We then sprayed a line of cooking spray directly below the markings. We let that sit for a few minutes and then applied the treatments.
The baking soda method was with a liquid. Sprinkle the baking soda first, then scrape it off and pour peroxide. We let those sit for about an hour and then washed on a standard warm cycle.
The results of the first washing showed a clear win for De-Solv-It, which got out the whole stain except along the top and bottom edges, which probably means we didn’t get the stain fully covered with product.
The absolute fail was the baking soda method. And regular dish soap performed better than Dawn Powerwash spray.
We reapplied the treatments (except baking soda which was already out of the race completely) and rewashed the shirt in hot water. The results were similar. We then treated all the stains with De-Solv-It and rewashed in hot water. Other than a very light stain by the baking soda line, the stains were all gone.
In summary, your first line of defense can be basic dish soap and the hottest water the garmet can handle. But for the stains post-dryer, go for De-Solv-It. It may not always work perfectly, but it was the best of all the options we tried. Read more about this product in our first post about it here.
(For items that can’t handle warm/hot water, we recommend dry cleaning if the initial dish soap/cold water treatment does not remove the stain. Do NOT put the item in the dryer, even if you don’t see a stain right away. It might take time or different lighting for you to see it.)
Wait what about the dish soap/baking soda/hydrogen peroxide mix? Surprised that wasn’t tested
Regular original blue Dawn is what you need to use, not the spray. The Powerwash Spray is just Dawn diluted with water and alcohol, and not very much of the soap is in there.
I’ve had alot of success with Dawn dish soap. Even old stains that have been through the dryer.
I’ve been using Lestoil for years on oil, grass, and ink stains. Try it and see.
I use Palmolive dish soap for all grease stains. Pour onto staun and wash regular. Clothes that went into dryer that wasn’t treated I washed again with the Palmolive and it came out clean
PLEASE NOTE!!! Items with oil stains should never be put in dryer, very dangerous!!!