Tips On How To Get Bike Grease Out of Clothes (2022)

Imagine you are riding a bike, for example, a BMX bike. Suddenly the chain slips, and you try to fix it. But unfortunately, the chain’s oil is stuck to your clothes and makes them dirty. I guess the feeling at that time will be very uncomfortable.

So how do we remove bicycle oil stains from our clothes? Is it difficult to remove? This article will show you valuable tips on how to get grease stain out of clothes. Let’s find out now!

Possible Ways of Getting Bike Grease On Clothes

Before we learn how to remove grease stains, I think it is essential to understand why clothes are greasy. There are many reasons for that, but the most common ones are below:

The first cause is when you lubricate a bicycle chain with grease that can hit your clothes or you touch them with oil on your hands. Or while you are fixing your bicycle, the grease accidentally stains your shirt. It is effortless to happen. No matter how careful you are, you cannot avoid bike chain grease.

Another particular cause is that if you are a bicyclist, it is evident that your clothes are greasy. You have to fix many bicycles and be exposed to many bike oils every day.

One more cause can be the lack of a chain guard. The chain guard is responsible for preventing the bike grease stains from spotting your clothes. Nevertheless, your bike does not have a chain guard. Thus, getting a grease stain on your pants when riding is inevitable.

Another possible cause is when someone is fixing a bicycle, and you accidentally pass by this person. He or she may not be careful to touch you, causing your clothes to become greasy. However, this cause is infrequent.

Tips for Bike Grease Stains Removal

There are different ways to get the bike grease stains out of your clothes, such as detergent, gasoline, dish soap, etc.

Each way has its pros and cons, and depending on the kind of fabric, you can choose the most suitable one to apply. Besides, note that the methods work best for new oil stains that stick to clothes. If they stick for a long time, it will be hard and need more time to remove.

Getting grease stains out of clothes: the first way

The first tip I would like to recommend is to remove grease stains with nail polish removers.

It is an effective way to remove grease on clothes that few people notice. That is because of the alcohol in the composition of nail polish remover.

You can follow the steps below: 

Step 1: Put a clean washcloth under the fabric that gets oil stains.

Step 2: Place 2-3 teaspoons of nail polish remover on the surface where the oil is on.

Step 3: Use a brush or a dry towel to scrub it.

Step 4: Rub it with soap to get the grease stain out of the clothes.

This way is quite simple to do. After washing the laundry above, you can rinse the clothes with fabric softener for a pleasant scent.

Getting grease stains out of clothes: the second way

The second tip for grease removal is using gasoline. Most people will think of gasoline to remove oil stains because it has been used by many people before. It can work with fresh and dried stains, and more.

The acetone in gasoline will help remove oil stains quickly. Still, your clothes will undoubtedly be stained with a very unpleasant gasoline smell and sometimes will lose color. So it would be best if you considered when using this method.

Here are the steps: 

Step 1: Wet clothes, then dab gasoline over the oiled area (do not dab and let gasoline spread to surrounding areas).

Step 2: Let the clothes sit for a few minutes and then wash as usual with detergent.

Note: After washing with the detergent, you can soak the clothes in fabric softener. It will help your clothes smell more fragrant and no longer the unpleasant smell of gasoline.

Removing grease from clothes with biological laundry detergent

Biological laundry detergents often use enzyme technology (also known as surfactants) and utterly natural oxygen technology to cut carbon stain circuits and dislodge food stains from clothing.

Thus, it helps quickly dislodge grease stains without excessive force to protect and renew fabrics. Accordingly, it is very suitable for delicate fabrics.

Here are the steps: 

First, you dissolve an adequate amount of bio-detergent. Then, soak the clothes that have oil stains in the detergent. Biological detergent uses chemical and physical reactions, so creating the washing environment is slower. That’s why you should soak in water for a certain period when using it.

After that, you gently rub the clothes until the stains are gone. If the stain is stubborn, you can use a small melt pad to scratch, but do not overdo it with your hands, as this could fray your clothes.

Unlike liquid laundry detergent, biological laundry detergent still works well at low temperatures, so it does not need to be washed with warm water to achieve high efficiency. Besides, the bio-washing powder also has an excellent deodorizing ability, so you do not need to use a fabric softener after washing.

The washing powder should be enough. Too much or too little washing powder in the washing machine is not good for grease removal.

Removing grease from clothes with dishwashing liquid

Not only has a unique effect on grease but even oil or machine oil, the dishwashing liquid (also known as liquid dish soap or bar soap) is also a fine engraving with an impressive cleaning effect.

The detergent ingredient in dishwashing liquid and bar soap helps separate the grease on your clothes and knock it off the fabric surface. If you do not have any dish soap  or bar soap available, you can also use oven cleaner instead.

Below are the steps:

First, soak greasy clothing immediately in a hot tub at 80-celsius degrees for 2-3 minutes.

Second, put about half a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid directly on the oil and rub it vigorously to fade it. Bar soap is also a good idea for fresh stain.

Third, after being cleaned, clothes should be rinsed with cold water and dried.

The stain has been removed to make the clothes more fragrant just this simple way. You can use more fabric softener.

Removing grease from clothes with baking soda

This method works for stains on synthetic fabrics. Baking soda is a key for tough grease stains and stubborn grease stains on synthetic fabrics. Also, you can use baking soda to deal with the fresh grease stains.

Here are the steps:

Step 1: Spray hydrogen peroxide directly on the oil and grease stains on the clothes.

Step 2: Put a little dishwashing liquid on the stain while spraying hydrogen peroxide.

Step 3: Sprinkle one thin layer of baking soda over the dirty area.

Step 4: You use a small brush to scrub the oil stains.

Step 5: Soak clothes in this mixture for about 45 – 60 minutes and then wash as usual. You will be surprised at the ability to clean grease stains in this reasonably straightforward way.

Overall, many of us might here the term ‘baking soda’ many times, but not really know about baking soda. Now, I hope baking soda is helpful in removing bike grease.

Removing bike grease from clothes with hot water and spot remover

This way is very effective. It can make the grease stains disappear instantly. However, the downside of this method is that when soaking the clothes in hot water, they will quickly become discolored. Therefore, you should only apply this to clothes made with thick heat-resistant fabrics such as khaki jeans. Do not use this on stretchy clothing.

Besides, there are many types of convenient washing machines on the market currently, including a hot water one. It can directly heat when washing your clothes. Thus, it is suitable for you to clean and soak the clothes without too much time.

Here are the steps: 

Step 1: First, you need to cook one kettle of boiling water. Then, dilute the boiling water with the cold one to get warm water (from 40- to 50-celsius degrees). After that, thin down the spot remover into the water.

Step 2: Soak greasy clothing (especially delicate fabrics) for about 10 minutes.

Step 3: Do a gentle scrub. Suppose the stain is difficult to get out; you can scrub with a light brush. Make sure all black grease stain is out.

Step 4: Now, you need to rinse the clothes with normal cold water and slowly rub it in a thick paste. It can be an extremely cold water too.

Note that directly hand washing on the stain will give better results than using a washing machine. It is good for dried bike grease stain on delicate fabrics.

Other ways to remove grease stains from clothes

In addition to the oil removal methods mentioned above, you can also use talcum powder. However, this approach is not recommended because it is potentially carcinogenic and potentially harmful to the respiratory tract. So you must consider this method carefully when applying it.

Besides, some people also use tire cleaners to clean the grease stains. But I have not used this way before, so I am not sure whether it is safe to apply or not. If you want to use this method, you should find out carefully or ask whether any friends have tried it.

To better understand how to remove grease stains, you can refer to this video:

Important notes when removing grease from clothes

You must prioritize safe and benign cleaning practices because it does not affect the fabric and is safe for your skin during the process.

No matter what kind of fabric you are using, it will be frayed and tearing when subjected to external forces. Thus, the operations should be gentle and decisive to avoid the impact of too strong friction, causing the fabric structure to break.

Suppose grease stains appear on clothes of different colors. In that case, it must be classified before removing to avoid fading bright clothes and white dresses.

Regardless of any cleaning operation, the last step must be rinsed clean with dedicated laundry detergent and drying. Then, you can reuse the clothes.

FAQs

What is the most common way to remove grease stains out of clothes?

The most common way is supposed to be using dishwashing detergent. It is effortless to remove bicycle grease.

Note that don’t put too much detergent. Hand wash and soft brush are needed.

Why does the grease stains spot on my clothes?

It can be due to many reasons, but the most common cause is when you fix your bike chain, the grease will spot on your clothes. You can remove stains from cloths by using methods above.

How long does it take to remove bike grease stains out of clothes?

It depends on the level of bicycle grease and how you get it out of your clothes. Some oil that is difficult to remove will take more time.