olive oil spot remover

June 4, 2005 1:54 PM

I wear lots of silk knits and I love to cook. Sometimes I get olive oil spots splashed on the knit and I can't seem to ever get the spots out. I wear an apron but the stuff is sneaky. How can I get those spots out of my silk knits?
posted by leafwoman to food & drink (16 comments total)

I don't know if this would work on silks, as I don't own any, but if it's something that can be washed in a machine: Dawn dishwashing soap. Pour it on, rub it a little and wash it. This even works on oil spots that have gone through the wash/dry cycle.
posted by FlamingBore at 2:05 PM on June 4, 2005

Cooking naked -
posted by growabrain at 3:17 PM on June 4, 2005

Cooking naked - salad dressing yes, chicken browning no.
posted by leafwoman at 3:42 PM on June 4, 2005

Shout has worked for me, as has liquid dish soap. The key is getting it we, warm and soapy for sufficient time. This is not always the best for silks.
posted by caddis at 3:51 PM on June 4, 2005

I've never had any luck getting oily spots out of knits, but my dry cleaner can.
posted by puddinghead at 4:40 PM on June 4, 2005

I'm a big fan of the Spray 'n Wash product Stain Stick, looks like a giant green-capped glue stick in the laundry products aisle. You treat the spot as soon as you notice, but you don't have to wash right away. It even worked the time a colored chapstick went through the dryer and spotted everything oily peach. Blech.
posted by DawnSimulator at 6:03 PM on June 4, 2005

Believe it or not, WD-40 gets out most oil-based stains, even after the clothes have been washed/dried. Spray a little bit on the stain (or dab on with cotton swab), wait 15 minutes, then apply a drop or two of dish soap and rinse the heck out of it.
posted by nenequesadilla at 6:22 PM on June 4, 2005

Try the fluid that comes in the Dryel kits. Try it on an inconspicuous spot on your shirt first, however.

Also, have you considered getting an apron made out of something less finicky?
posted by jacquilynne at 7:11 PM on June 4, 2005

try Murphy's oil soap (intended for wood) seems not to rough up the fabric like regular soaps and detergents.
posted by hortense at 8:02 PM on June 4, 2005

It is probably too strong for silk, but fyi, Lestoil is amazing at taking out grease spots on t-shirts. It has worked like a charm on ten year old spots on some of my shirts.
posted by vronsky at 9:12 PM on June 4, 2005

Lighter fluid, with a Stain Stick chaser. Probably want to do a spot test on an inside corner first. If you want to wash it right away, lighter fluid with a laundry detergent chaser.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 12:34 AM on June 5, 2005

My apron isn't silk, it also isn't a HASMAT suit and the splatters sometimes go where the apron isn't.
posted by leafwoman at 9:04 AM on June 5, 2005

A PDF on getting anything out of everything. Seriously, it's like the compendium of stains. :)

I work with a lot of oils. Natural soap is made with oils and lye, and so I've often got giant pots of melting olive, coconut, and palm oils going. I'm forever leaning up against a counter and getting a line of oil across whatever I'm wearing. I've had good luck making a paste of baking soda, citric acid and lemon juice, scrubbing it on with a toothbrush, rinsing then washing. Note however, that I don't wear silk when cooking or making soap, so I can't speak to how well that would work on silk.
posted by dejah420 at 9:10 AM on June 5, 2005

I second the baking soda recommendation -- I've never tried mixing it with the citric acid & lemon juice, but scrubbing in baking soda prior to washing has been relatively effective on most fabrics for me (I think it absorbs the oil).
posted by roundrock at 11:11 AM on June 5, 2005

Ah! I forgot the absorbency tactic. I use baby powder. and I let mine sit a while, rub in, shake off, then put on another dab until it disappears. I never used baking soda but it makes sense that would work. (If anyone stumbles through looking for carpet advice, the baby powder works well on carpets, just keep vacuuming it up and rubbing until no longer oily.)
I used to use powder on silk becase the dyes are often touchy.
posted by unrepentanthippie at 12:00 PM on June 5, 2005

Many products will ruin silk, so keep a ruined silk item to test some of these ideas. Dawn dish deterg contacts degreasers and is great on grease spots. Go-Jo handwashing stuff is used by mechanics. I use it for serious grease stains and it really works. I've never tried either on silk. Knits might be a bit more forgiving.
posted by theora55 at 12:13 PM on June 5, 2005