How to Get Butter out Of Clothes

If you’ve ever eaten or served buttered toast for breakfast, you know that greasy crumbs can easily stain jeans and children’s clothes. Grease stains from food often stick to fabrics, leaving behind dark, greasy marks that are seemingly impossible to remove. You can learn how to remove butter from clothes using a few basic supplies that are easily available at your place. The best way to remove butter stains from clothes is to use a pre-wash liquid laundry detergent such as dish soap or baking soda and vinegar.

Other common methods talk about using absorbent powders such as talcum powder or cornstarch. There are a few other methods, like treating the stain with WD-40 or making a DIY stain remover, but undoubtedly, they will be time-consuming methods. Through this article, learn why butter stains are difficult to deal with, house cleaning, laundry tips and easy methods to get grease stains out of clothes. We have also mentioned cleaning methods of different fabrics so you can easily get stains out of clothing.

Butter Stain Properties

Butter stains on clothing are notoriously difficult to remove due to their sticky, oily nature. Since most of the standard detergents are not designed to remove greasy food stains, you will face a hard time if you want to remove grease stains from fabrics such as linen, cotton, denim, and polyester.

Butter stains, on the other hand, are not always so consistent, and you will have to blot the stain multiple times to get it removed. The stain may be removed in one or two good attempts, depending on how quickly you catch it. If you want to get melted butter stains out of clothes, then you can sprinkle baking soda or baby powder on it and let them sit for a few minutes. After that, you can use dishwashing liquid to blot the stain with a dry cloth or paper towels while rinsing with warm water.

7 Ways to Remove Butter Stains from Clothing

You can remove butter stains from your clothes by making use of seven easy, quick, and simple-to-do methods, including treating the stain with regular dish soap or baking soda. These methods work in no time and even effectively when applied immediately to the butter spots. One thing that doesn’t work for butter stains is tossing your clothes in the washing machine. Agitation of soap and water will remove dirt and many types of stains from clothes, but it won’t do anything for greasy stains.

And if you place your greased butter-stained cloth in the dryer, it will simply burn the stain deep inside, making it much harder to remove later. Dry cleaning solvents are also not very effective on butter stains. You can take your dirty clothes to a professional dry cleaner to clean the stain. If you don’t mind paying, you can find a professional way to safely remove stains! On the other hand, if you don’t mind spending a few minutes on a project, you can achieve the same results at your kitchen sink. Let’s read to learn how.

1. Dawn or Dish Soap

One of the best and cheapest ways to remove butter stains is via using dish soap. Dish soaps such as Dawn contain strong anti-grease characteristics, and if you use it, then it will be easier to remove butter stains from clothing. When you lather a small amount of dish soap onto the stain, the soap particles will pick up and lift small oil particles. For best results, do not add water, just apply soap purely. Also, don’t consider using the hottest water to rinse the clothes, instead use warm water. Don’t forget to read the care label of your clothing before using any laundry products to maintain its quality.

• If the butter stain is new, make use of a paper towel or clean cloth to remove as much oil as possible.
• Always wipe with a cloth instead of rubbing.
• Do not rub, as the friction of the oil stain will drive these fatty lipids deeper into the fabric.
• Next, liberally spray the dish soap over the butter stain.
• For small stains, you can just go on dabbing soap over them.
• For larger stains, you may need as little as 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap for usage.
• If you are still clothed in the same clothes, use your finger to gently rub over the stain until the soap lathers.
• It will be quite better if you can remove the stained clothing so that you can lather the soap well with a soft brush or clean sponge and work it into the stain more effectively and efficiently.
• Keep the fabric taut around the stain and run water directly on the stain to wash away the soap.
• The running water will remove away the fatty lipids that the soap has dissolved from the stained fabric!
• At this point, it is safe to machine wash the garment, but do not tumble dry.
• Let it dry naturally, then check if any stains remain.
• The process can be repeated with a cleaning solution if desired.

2. Vinegar and Baking Soda

Baking soda and vinegar can magically clean a wide variety of stains, including butter and oil stains. These common household items can be used in a variety of ways to get butter stains out of clothing. First, baking soda can be used as an absorbent to absorb much of the fresh butter stain. Then, you can sponge the stain with a vinegar solution to wash it off. You need to spray the stain with vinegar and then use a clean white cloth to rub it until the vinegar gets deep into the fabric. Then, let it sit there for a couple of minutes and then rinse the stained area with cold or warm water to see the results.

• Initially, place a folded paper towel under the butter stain.
• Sprinkle a thick layer of baking soda onto the stain.
• No need to freak out here, but you should use just enough baking soda so that you can’t see the stained fabric through the white powder.
• Make use of your fingers or a tender brush to softly make the baking soda penetrate the fabric.
• Then leave the baking soda on the stain for at least 5 minutes, up to about an hour, or overnight.
• Check it regularly, and as soon as the soda turns brown, you can make out that the process is working successfully!
• Gently shake off the brown baking soda and repeat the process using fresh baking soda.
• You may need to repeat this process several times until the baking soda stops browning.
• That means you are successfully able to remove all the butterfat from your clothes!

NOTE: You can also add vinegar to the equation if you don’t have time to wait for this effective but undoubtedly long, tedious method.

• Start by applying baking soda and working it into the fabric in the same way as mentioned above.
• Next, mix 1 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water in a spray bottle.
• Spray baking soda vigorously to result in the creation of foam.
• Rinse this mixture and inspect the garment to see if any stains remain.
• If this happens, try pouring a drop of dish soap and scrubbing the buttery stain as a secondary treatment.

3. Wash-Free, Cornstarch

Cornstarch and talcum powder also have excellent absorbency of soaking up butter stains without making use of water or without going for washing. This method is very similar to the baking soda method mentioned above, and you can follow these steps if your stain remains even after using the vinegar solution. The main basic idea is to apply a large amount of absorbent powder and leave it over the buttery carpet stain to do its work. Since you don’t have to rub the stain in this method, it works perfectly fine for those who want to remove butter from carpets, clothes, etc., that are made of delicate fabrics.

• Lay the stained garment on a flat surface with a cardboard or paper towel behind the stain.
• This process of keeping the stain on a flat surface prevents it from processing in other parts of the garment.
• Apply an even, thick layer of cornstarch or talcum powder over the stain.
• Whichever product you choose, both will work effectively and efficiently.
• At this time, do not rub or rub the powder.
• Leave this thick layer on the stained area for at least 30 minutes, or you may even leave it overnight.
• At this point, you will notice a white powder discoloration.
• Finally, brush the powder off the fabric with a soft brush or clean toothbrush.
• For safety, shake vigorously over the sink or bathtub.
• Check the stains on your clothes! Hope they are gone!

4. Washing Machine

Just throwing butter-stained clothes in the washing machine usually doesn’t work at all; there are some extra steps you can take off and add to your normal washing routine to deal with these buttery stains more effectively. You can try this method if you don’t have a lot of time to treat the stain. For best results, this method should be combined with some pretreatment methods and liquid detergent solution. There are other odor removal methods available except the washing machine and professional dry cleaners. So, you must consider using a washing machine if you really want to get rid of that butter stain.

• Set the washing machine’s water temperature as high as possible.
• If you have a stain cleaner with strong degreasing powder in hand, then without giving it a second thought, make use of it.
• If you don’t have enough time to op for a pre-wash stain remover treatment, try this instead:
• Apply half a teaspoon of detergent directly to the buttery stain.
• Rub it using your fingers before putting it in the washing machine.
• Run the washing machine all the way through, and do not commit the mistake of putting the clothes in the dryer.
• Instead, let it air dry and then check to see if it’s stained or not.

5. DIY Stain Remover

Not all stain removers work on greasy stains. How about making one by making use of some easily available ingredients at home? Isn’t it a great idea? Of course, yes! This pre-wash treatment has the highest chance of removing these buttery stains in the washing machine. You can find quite a great number of stain remover recipes. Probably the easiest and simplest recipe is to combine 1/4 cup of Blue Dawn dish soap and 1 cup of distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle and shake it well before using it over the stained area. For a more complex but worthy stain remover, you can also try the following below-mentioned recipe. Read it out.

• Weigh all ingredients into a spray bottle.
• A glass bottle is preferable if you have it in hand or near you.
• A funnel makes it easy to pour liquids into a spray bottle, so do make use of it to avoid loss of materials taken.
• Start with half a glass of water.
• Pour in it 1/4 cup liquid castile soap. You can find this in the cleaning aisles of most grocery stores nowadays!
• Now in the above-prepared mixture, pour ¼ cup of vegetable glycerin.
• You may have to order this online if you don’t have it at your place, but it’s easy to find as it has many cosmetic and cleansing properties.
• You can also add a few drops of essential oil, such as lavender oil, if you desire to make the product smell fragrant and nice.
• Cap the bottle and shake well to mix all the poured ingredients well!

6. WD-40

In some cases, WD-40 can be used to remove a butter stain. This method has questionable results and should be saved as a last option to opt for if dish soap, baking soda, dishwashing detergent and the washing machine don’t work. WD-40 contains a special solvent that dissolves old oil stains, making them easier to remove. You will definitely need a soft bristled brush, butter knife or spoon so you can rub the stained area. Since it is a chemical formulation, you must try cleaning the stain with hydrogen peroxide or dishwashing soap since they won’t damage the fabrics like the WD-40.

• Place a thick paper towel behind the stained part of the garment, as you don’t desire WD-40 should get soaked deep through the fabric and spread all over the garment.
• Spray a small but required amount of WD-40 over the affected area.
• Let it stand on the stain for 5 minutes.
• Next, apply dish soap or laundry detergent to the damp WD-40.
• Add this to the affected stained area until the lather gets formed.
• Finally, go for machine washing using hot water.

7. Commercial Stain Remover

If you don’t have household products, including baking soda, rubbing alcohol, dish detergent or vinegar, in hand or at your place, you can also make use of a commercial stain remover for butter stains. The difficulty is that not all detergents are effective on greasy stains. Enzyme-based products designed for food, such as chocolate and wine, do not work well on oil greasy stains. But a product like OxiClean MaxForce Spray should work on grease, food, and even blood stains! Another famous product for removing grease stains from clothes is SHOUT Gel Stain Remover. It comes in concentrated gel form and works on almost all stains, including oil and butter stains.

How To Remove Butter Stains From Specific Fabrics

Different types of fabrics react differently to stain removers, so you may want to tailor your butter stain removal method to suit the fabric type of your garment. For example, cotton -a natural fiber like tends to absorb water, but synthetic fibers like polyester do not! This means that water-based stain removers are more effective on cotton garments rather than polyester ones.

Jeans

Grease stains, such as butter stains, can usually be removed from jeans using dish soap. Jeans are made of denim that contains cotton fibers. This means that the fibers will open up, and the grease can be washed away under running water after a liberal application of dish soap. You can also opt for spraying the stain with hairspray and letting it sit for 30 minutes before washing your jeans. This is one of the old woman’s ways of tackling the greasy stains that some cleaning experts still rely on.

Cotton

You can remove butter from cotton using any one of the methods mentioned in detail in this article, such as using dish soap or making your stain remover. You can also just apply the detergent directly to the stain and wash the cotton garment in hot water in the washing machine. Removing cotton stains is usually not that difficult. Still, you should take precautions. Treat stains as soon as possible. Don’t put your clothes in the dryer for a while until you are sure the stain is gone.

Polyester

It can be very difficult to remove butter stains from polyester, but repeated use of dish soap can often accomplish this. You can make use of table salt on the stain. Just like the baking soda method, just apply a thick layer of table salt. Rub gently and leave it over the affected stained area for 30 minutes before brushing and washing the stained clothes.

Conclusion

You can get the butter out of clothes by applying strong liquid dish soap directly to the stain or by using an absorbent to absorb the oil from the stain. Worldwide used stain treatment and cleaning products for this stain removal process include laundry detergent, dawn dish soap, baking soda, cornstarch, etc. By following the methods mentioned in this post, you will be able to remove oil stains from almost all types of fabrics without using any cleaning services.

You can also use a commercial stain remover specifically for greasy stains. The best way to deal with butter stains is to remove them immediately before the butter set the stain on your fabrics. Also, don’t put the garment in the dryer after you’ve treated the butter stain, as the heat can set grease residue deep into the fabric. If you know about some good stain removal tips that might help people in getting the grease out of clothes, then do let us know about them.