Coconut oil is an ingredient that has many kinds of uses.
People use coconut oil for cooking, skincare, and hair care.
Coconut oil has numerous applications. For example, many women use coconut oil in treatments for the regeneration and recovery of damaged and dry hair.
Many parents use it on their babies’ skin to replenish its moisture.
It is one of the edible oils, obtained from the meat of coconuts from the coconut palm known as the “Tree of Life”.
Coconut oil is an industrial derivative of coconut. Coconuts contain a high concentration of saturated fats, which cause stains when the oil comes into contact with the fabric.
You can buy raw and refined coconut oil in stores. The first type of coconut oil is an unrefined product that has more flavors and aromas of coconut than refined oil.
Raw coconut oil is a natural and organically processed form of coconut that is healthier and safer than commercial coconut oil.
Refined coconut oil undergoes a high-temperature refining process that causes it to lose its aroma and taste.
People use both types of coconut oil for different purposes.
Raw coconut oils have a lot of fats. Refined coconut oil loses many fats in the industrial process.
Like all other oils, coconut oil stains surfaces like textiles and others, even though it is in a solid state.
If it comes in contact with your clothes, towels, or sheets, you need to get it out of the textile.
Do you wonder, “Does coconut oil come out of clothes?”
The good news is that you can remove coconut oil from fabrics.
Try to avoid stains from coconut oil as much as possible. Take care when you use coconut oil.
Remember, do not make sudden movements so that the oil does not spill on the clothes.
Always use deeper containers to store coconut oil to prevent the oil from spilling over or coming out suddenly if you slightly tilt or move the container.
Forget clothes made from silk, wool, or other sensitive materials when you use coconut oil because grease and oil stains are difficult to remove from delicate fabrics.
Taking off the oil stains from these materials can damage them and drastically change their velvety appearance and consistency.
Still, the best way to combat oil stains on clothes is to wear old clothes.
Whether you use coconut oil for cooking or cosmetic treatments, if you wear old clothes, you won’t regret it even if you fail to remove the stain.
However, you will be very sorry if you get a stain on your new shirt or favorite dress and you can’t remove the oil mark or damage it during the removal process.
In this text, you can read the instructions and tips for safely removing coconut oil from fabric without damaging your clothes.
How to clean stains of coconut oil from clothes?
The easiest method to safely remove the coconut oil from the fabric is to dab it with an absorbent cloth or sponge, which will absorb the excess, and then put on baking soda.
After that, wash the clothes in your washing machine, and the stains of coconut oil will disappear.
You can make a DIY stain remover by mixing one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid, two-thirds of a cup of baking soda, and one cup of hydrogen peroxide.
You will get the paste, which you should spread on the stain. Wait a few hours for the fabric to dry after that. Then wash the clothes in the washer. Always read the garment tags before washing fabrics.
If you are not at home and can’t remove the stains of coconut oil in these ways, you can always buy some fast-acting products for removing stains, like stain remover sprays, wet wipes, soaps, or Tide to Go or the most popular Oxi-Clean Max Force spray.
Also, you can remove stains with a laundry detergent, or dishwashing liquid with strong degreasing properties, such as Fairy or some dry-cleaning fluid.
If you use a powder laundry detergent, you must be sure that the fabric friction does not damage your clothes during the cleaning process.
You should always test any stain remover you buy, considering that these are chemical products whose ingredients can damage the lining fabric.
Other popular commercial stain removers are Woolite wipes and Zout Persil.
Rubbing alcohol can also remove oil stains efficiently since it breaks down fats better than many other stain removers.
The process is simple: sprinkle a few drops of alcohol on the stain, rub it with a soft brush or cloth, and leave it for 10 to 15 minutes. After that, rinse the clothes under a jet of hot or lukewarm water.
Avoid using rubbing alcohol to remove stains on delicate materials.
A qucik guide to the types of coconut oil stains
When any oil comes in contact with any fabric, it causes stains that are generally difficult to remove. Even though coconut oil is virgin and pure, it leaves marks on your clothes.
Even water can cause stains on fabrics. Any kind of liquid can be harmful to clothing.
Any oil on textiles attracts dust and dirt from the air, which quickly adheres to clothing and leaves visible stains that are difficult to remove.
Aside from organic virgin coconut oil, you can also buy commercial coconut oil that contains many other chemical ingredients.
Their purpose is to increase the shelf life of cosmetic products and provide them with greater consistency.
These ingredients can cause stubborn stains.
Cleaning the stains of coconut oil with a baking soda step by step
First, wipe away the excess with a cotton cloth, cotton or paper towel, or a sponge.
We recommend gently tapping on the stain for the cloth to absorb the excess liquid.
Rubbing or pulling it up and down the cloth or towel will spread the oil and make the mark bigger than it was.
After that, apply the dishwashing liquid on the stain to remove fatty components from the oil.
When you remove the excess coconut oil, apply the baking soda to the stain.
You can put baking soda directly on the stain or dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in half a glass of water. For effective stain removal, you can add a pinch of citric acid.
A substitute for baking soda can be talcum powder or baby powder.
The stain removal procedure is almost the same as with baking soda. Sprinkle the powder in a thin layer on the stain. Leave it for a few minutes to absorb the oil-containing ingredients.
Then brush the powder off the fabric with a soft brush and wash the clothes with hot water in the washer.
Instead of baking soda, you can also use cornstarch or arrowroot powder.
Leave the baking soda on the stain for 10 to 15 minutes
If the marks are too big and visible, you can let baking soda on the stain for 30 minutes to an hour.
When baking soda begins to clump, it is time to remove it from the stain.
When clumps form, you should scrap off the baking soda from the clothes.
We recommend using thin things like a piece of cardboard or a plastic credit card to slowly and gently remove the clumps of baking soda.
Do this thoroughly before proceeding to the next step.
Throw the fabric affected by the coconut oil into the washer and use hot water instead of cold water.
Use special washing programs with lukewarm or cold water for stains on delicate materials like silk or wool,
The last step is to dry your clothes in the tumble dryer or on a clothes dryer. Avoid blow drying.
Also, you can make a solution with baking soda and distilled white vinegar. Use vinegar with caution because it can cause your clothes to fade.
Take equal parts of water and vinegar and mix them. After that, soak the clothes in the solution for an hour or two.
Then put baking soda on the stain and let it sit for about 15 minutes. Rub the soda with soft brush and wash the fabric with lukewarm or hot water, depending on material.
How to remove stains of coconut oil from delicate materials?
Removing stains from sensitive materials like silk, wool, and other can damage them if you use the wrong techniques and products.
You can make a DIY solution or buy a professional stain remover in a household chemical store.
First, you must react quickly or immediately when you spot the stain. If you wait for a stain to dry, you won’t remove it easily from the clothes or even impossible sometimes.
If you didn’t see the stain before drying, it takes longer to remove it from clothes. It can include multiple treatments.
For stains on delicate materials, the best choice is odorless baby powder. Apply the baby powder to the mark. Let it sit for an hour or two, depending on the size of the oily area on the fabric.
After that, slowly and gently rub the powder with the ultra soft toothbrush. Then put two or three drops of dishwashing liquid on the stains and wait a few minutes to dissolve the fats.
Wash the clothes in the washer according to the instructions on the garment tags.
For better cleaning results, put equal parts of baking soda and distilled water in a glass or a bowl. Put 1/4 cup of white vinegar in it and stir the solution well.
Then dip a cotton cloth or a soft towel into the dilution and gently tap the place where the oil spilled.
Repeat this a few times if you can’t remove the stain.
When you clean the stain, wash the material under a stream of lukewarm or hot running water.
After that, dry the area where the oil was. Avoid blow drying. Exceptional, you can move the hair dryer 30 cm away from the fabric and use a cold blow.
The next step is to apply a little laundry detergent to the stain and wait for five minutes. Once more, wash the stained area under a stream of lukewarm running water.
Remember, avoid twisting and wringing clothes during or after washing. It can be very harmful, especially after removing stain treatment.
When you finish the whole process of stain’ removing, put on your clothes in a clothes dryer and wait to dry completely.
Iron the fabric gently, if necessary.
All these tips you can use with any other oil stain since baking soda has oil-dissolving power and is not harmful to the clothes.
How to remove dried coconut oil stains?
Dry coconut oil stains became dark and too visible on clothes.
Removing them can be very tiring, and sometimes you can’t get rid of them no matter what you do.
There is no difference in what products and treatments you use.
The fabric fibers absorb the oil that stays in them, making it difficult to remove if it has dried.
If you want to remove the dry stains of coconut oil, you can use a solution of baking soda, distilled water, and citric acid.
We have already given the recipe for making this solution.
If the stains occupy a large surface area of the fabric, you can increase the concentration of baking soda and lemon juice.
For instance, you can put two spoons of baking soda and three or four pinches of citric acid into 100 ml of water.
Although citric acid is an excellent choice for oil stains, use it with caution, since it can fade the fabric.
Also, it is better to use distilled water because it does not contain scale, which reduces the effect of dissolving the oil.
When you make the solution, you can dip the material in it. The second method is to apply the solution directly to the stain.
When you remove the stain, wash the clothes with lukewarm or hot water and wait for them to dry in the clothes dryer.
You can use this solution for oil stains on carpet or upholstered furniture. For stubborn stains, leave the solution on for several hours.
During the stain removal, you can brush the textile gently and slowly.
Remember that it is preferable to remove the oil stain as soon as possible rather than trying to clean old and dry stains with limited success.
How to remove dried stains with baking soda and WD-40?
When you see the old stain, you may have already washed the stained clothes in the washing machine.
The problem is that laundering fabrics can make it difficult to remove the stains.
If you put clothes in the dryer before removing oily marks, the stains will probably become permanent.
Still, there is a treatment for removing old stains that involves more effort and time but, in many cases, helps get rid of persistent stains.
For removing dried stains, you need a cardboard box large enough to cover the stain, baking soda or cornstarch, liquid laundry detergent or dishwashing liquid, a soft toothbrush, and the ability to air-dry fabrics.
First, put the cardboard box behind the stains to prevent the transfer of stains to the other side of the fabric or the surface under your clothes.
Then put WD-40 on the dried stains to reactivate the oily residue. In this way, the oily components will loosen the binding properties, and they will start to dissolve.
After that, apply baking soda to the treated stains. Use a soft toothbrush to rub the powder into WD-40. This process will reactivate the oil ingredients, and you will notice how small lumps are formed.
Again, rub the baking soda with the clean toothbrush into the WD-40, and you will see that the clumps become bigger.
Do this method for each surface with stains. Always take off the baking soda with a toothbrush to be sure that stains disappear, or if not, repeat the treatment.
The process is finished when the clumps on the stains become smaller or when the clumping stops.
Then, remove the cardboard from the stained area and scrub it with a toothbrush to remove the baking soda.
Apply a few drops of dishwashing liquid or laundry liquid detergent to the stains and rub them with a clean toothbrush.
Let it sit for about 15 minutes so the fabric can absorb the liquid.
When the liquid detergent dissolves completely on the stained area, put the clothes in the washer and wash them on high heat.
If your clothes are made from delicate materials, use a washing program with lukewarm water and avoid drying in a clothes dryer because of hot air currents.
Home-made dry-solvent cleaning
Dry cleaning includes any cleaning of clothes and fabrics without using water.
For dry solvent cleaning, you use a water-free liquid solvent known as perchloroethylene, or perc, in the chemical industry.
The dry cleaning process involves using a vacuum cleaner to remove spilled coconut oil.
Remove oil excess from stains with absorbent paper, cotton cloth, or a soft towel, and put it in a plastic bag to soak up the oil.
Then put the plastic bag with the fabric and absorbent cloth or paper in a clothes dryer on low heat for about an hour or two, if necessary, according to the amount of spilled oil.
Open the clothes dryer from time to time to be sure that clothes don’t have any damage because of a strong flow of hot air that can burn clothes when it comes into contact with chemical cleaning agents.
When the absorbent paper, cloth, or cotton towel dries, put it in the plastic or paper bag and throw it in the garbage container.
After using a dry cleaning solution, clean the vacuum cleaner with hot water. Be sure that you remove all coconut oil from the vacuum cleaner.
Conslusions and main tips of removing oil stains from clothes
Blotting away excess oil is the easiest way to remove oil stains from fabrics and smooth surfaces.
The main point to consider while removing oil stains is taking off the oil marks as fast as possible, after the coconut oil gets in touch with your clothes.
It is better to use cold water than hot water to wash permeable materials since the oil penetrates quickly into these fabrics.
Remember that dry absorbent materials like soft cotton cloth or paper towels are the easiest and safest way to remove excess oil before you make a mess with strong chemical stain removers.
Avoid using alkalies since they can damage the fabric.
There are many rules and tips for removing oil stains from clothes, depending on the type of material and size of the area where coconut oil spilled.
Always test the products on a small part of the fabric before removing stains to see if the strong chemical products can cause any damage, especially to delicate materials.
All these tips can help you choose the right products and methods for removing fresh and dried coconut oil stains.
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