Is there anything more annoying than discovering a big oily stain on your clothes? Whether this is from having to do an unexpected tire change or if your DIYer forgot to change their clothes, grease stains can be some of the toughest ones to remove. Our top pick for the best grease stain remover for clothes is Grandma’s Secret Fabric Spot Remover, but more on that later below!
While there are plenty of old-fashioned hacks using everyday household items to remove grease stains, such as baking soda or chalk, but these remedies will often only work on 100% cotton.
Oil-based stains naturally darken the area, so it can be doubly tough to decide if your stain remover actually removed the stain since the fabric is darker when it is wet also.
If you are trying to remove a stubborn grease stain, the best advice is to try a good stain remover, then wash the area and let the clothing item hang dry. If you wash the garment and then place it in the drier, that stain may never come out completely.
Whether you are looking for something you can take while traveling or you are simply looking for the best grease stain pretreatment, we’ve got you covered.
Check out our list of the best grease and oil stain remover for all types of clothing.
The Best Grease and Oil Stain Remover for Clothes
1. Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover
Specifications:
- Size: 2 Ounces each (Package of 6 bottles=12 Ounces)
- Liquid, Stick, or Other: Liquid
- Contains Chlorine: No
If you haven’t heard of Grandma’s Spot Remover, you may have been living under a rock.
This product has an avid group of followers and is the most highly reviewed stain remover on Amazon. With a name like “Grandma’s Secret”, you won’t be surprised to learn that the company will not release any information about its list of “proprietary stain removers”, but there is one thing about this product that is no secret: It Works!
After a grease stain has been washed and dried, it is virtually impossible to remove. That isn’t the case with Grandma’s. Some users state that stains that are more than 3 years old came right out after soaking overnight in Grandma’s stain remover.
The only information about the ingredient list that the manufacturer will admit to is that it contains no chlorine bleach and no phosphates. It is also not tested on animals, which is a nice plus.
Some users say that this stain remover worked on canvas shoes, a sofa and that it even removes blood and mascara stains. Grandma’s Stain Remover appears to be safe for all colors, but you should test in a small, inconspicuous area just to be certain.
For hard-core DIYers or mechanics who would love to see grease stains obliterated from their wardrobe, Grandma’s Secret is the answer.
Pros:
- It Really Works!
- Inexpensive
- Works on more than just grease stains
Cons:
- Bottles are hard to squeeze
- Bottles can also leak if not kept upright
- Will not work on ink stains
2. Shout Advanced Foaming Grease and Oil Stain Remover for Clothes
Specifications:
- Size: 18 Ounces
- Liquid, Stick, or Other: Foam
- Contains Chlorine: No
Shout is one of the best-known names in stain removers. This might seem a bit pricey, but it only takes a small amount, usually the size of a nickel, to remove most stains.
Shout Advanced Foaming stain remover is designed specially to dissolve and lift oil and grease from all types of clothing. You can wash the garment at any temperature and is completely safe for all colors since it contains no bleach (chlorine).
This is a foam, not the typical liquid or stick, and the foaming action is what appears to be the super active ingredient for dissolving grease and oil stains. One trick to getting this product to work is to apply it to the stain, let it sit for 30 minutes, then wash the garment while the foam is still wet. Do NOT let this product dry on the clothing item.
This is a terrific product for colored items since it won’t discolor them. Some users say that this is also great for white garments, towels, or sheets. Bleach degrades the fabric, so you are better off using products like Shout, which do not contain bleach.
Pros:
- Safe for all colors
- Designed to use on grease or oil stains
- No need to soak clothing overnight
Cons:
- Can be expensive, especially if you have garments that are frequently stained
- The product will damage clothing if allowed to dry
- Contains butane, which is flammable
3. OxiClean Max Force Gel Stain Remover Stick
Specifications:
- Size: 6.2 Ounces (2 Pack =12.4 Ounces)
- Liquid, Stick, or Other: Gel Stick
- Contains Chlorine: No
Chances are that you already use OxiClean in your wash or that you’ve used it in the past. This is a popular laundry additive because it uses oxygen rather than bleach to whiten and brighten clothing.
OxiClean Maxforce is a gel stick that has a “5-in-1” cleaning action that is designed to allow you to rub it in (the lid has raised nubs that act like a brush) and then wash the item later. OxiClean says you can wait up to 7 days to wash the item, if you wish, without damaging the fabric.
The special 5-in-1 stain fighter is made to trap grease and oil so it doesn’t spread, bind to the oil, then breaks the oil up so it can be washed away.
You’ll love this product because not only will it work on oil and grease, but also grass, ink pen marks, food stains, yellow sweat stain on underarms, and more. While OxiClean says that this is color-safe, they do recommend that you test it first in an inconspicuous area.
Pretreat your stains with OxiClean as soon as you remove your clothes, then wash as you normally would. It really doesn’t get much easier than that! This is an affordable product since one bottle should remove at least 80 stains (depending on the size).
Pros:
- Treating the stain now and washing it later makes this a convenient product
- Inexpensive
- Contains no bleach
Cons:
- May not be safe for all colors
- May not work on older stains
- Has a strong perfume type smell some people find it objectionable
4. Tide to Go Instant Stain Remover Stick
Specifications:
- Size: 3 Pens = 1.01 Fluid Ounces
- Liquid, Stick, or Other: Liquid
- Contains Chlorine: No
For those of you who love Tide, this is the grease stain remover for you.
This is a super convenient 3-pack that lets you tuck one in your pocket, toolbox, or briefcase, and keep one in the laundry room.
Tide calls this a “stick” but it’s only a stick in its shape, the product inside is liquid. You simply put a few drops on the stain and press a cloth to the stain to remove it. Alternatively, you can put Tide on the stain, then wash the garment as usual.
Tide claims that this is the #1 selling stain remover by sales volume, so you know it must work. While the product says this is color-safe, they do recommend testing a small area before use. Tide says that this works best on food stains, but that it also works on oil and grease.
While Tide intends this to be used on fresh stains, many users say that it has removed older stains as well.
This stain remover is not really made for larger grease or oil stains, however, it is the perfect solution for small stains and its travel size makes it the perfect solution when you can’t treat the stain immediately any other way.
Pros:
- Small enough to take anywhere
- Inexpensive
- Works on old and new stains
Cons:
- The small size means it won’t work well on large stains
- Appears to create a very foul odor on some types of fabrics
- May leave a “clean” spot on some fabrics
5. S-32 Spot Stain Remover
Specifications:
- Size: 15.2 Ounces Each (2-Pack = 30.4 Ounces)
- Liquid, Stick, or Other: Liquid
- Contains Chlorine: Unknown
S-32 is one of those old-fashioned spot removers that you may never have heard of. Nothing fancy about the packaging and the name isn’t a catchy one, but S-32 works surprisingly well.
Depending on the type of fabric, S-32 Spot Remover gets rave reviews about how well it removes oil and grease stains from most types of clothing. A few reviews say that S-32 even removed old oil-based paint stains from clothing!
One of the highlights of S-32 Spot Remover is that it works well without scrubbing or having to soak the garment overnight. Just put some directly on the stain and wash as you normally would. Some users claim that this works better if you allow it to sit for a few hours, but others claim that they let S-32 work for only 5 minutes before washing and the stain was gone.
One thing that everyone agrees on, however, is that this stain remover doesn’t work for every type of fabric. S-32 is safe for all colors, which is another mark in its favor.
S-32 used to be sold in most stores but now appears to be available only online.
Pros:
- Removes oil stains from most clothing
- No need to soak for hours or overnight
Cons:
- Doesn’t work on all types of fabric
- Doesn’t seem to work on every stain
The Bottom Line
Oil and grease are some of the toughest stains to remove from clothing. One accidental spill or even just leaning against an oily spot can mean an ugly oil or grease stain that is seemingly impossible to remove.
Using a pretreatment stain remover, such as those mentioned above, can help to salvage clothing that might otherwise be destined for the rag bin.
While many products work at least on some fabrics, in our experience, one product stood head and shoulders above the rest: Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover.
While “Grandma” won’t tell us what is in that little bottle, one thing is certain, it works when nothing else has. Even clothes that have been pretreated with other products and washed a few times, clothing items that you are certain will never be stain-free can be exactly that with Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover.
The 3-pack is super handy and should last for months. The bottle isn’t so large that if you wanted to keep one in the garage or the glove box and one in the laundry room that you couldn’t do so.
The main thing behind our recommendation is that Grandma’s Secret Spot Remover is that it works. It just plain works. In the end, what else matters?