How to Get Olive Oil Out of Clothes, According to Martha Herself

Whether drizzled on a fresh salad, tossed with roasted vegetables, or added to countless recipes, olive oil makes culinary magic everyday. However, when a splash of it lands on a favorite shirt, the pantry staple can also cause some chaos. How to get olive oil out of clothes successfully calls for some essential cleaning agents and expert advice. Fortunately, we’ve got both.

As with most stains, time is of the essence. The sooner you address an olive oil stain, the better your chances are of removing it completely. Martha prioritizes acting fast and has her own go-to for lifting this tricky stain. (Who better to trust than the queen of homekeeping?)

Here’s how to get olive oil out of clothes using practical, effective solutions recommended by cleaning experts, including Martha herself.

How to Get Fresh Olive Oil Stains Out of Clothes

The longer oil sits on fabric, the more deeply it penetrates the fibers, making it harder to remove. If you’re dealing with a fresh olive oil stain, try Martha's fabric-saving solution, which she previously shared on air alongside stain expert Jonathan Scheer of J. Scheer & Co.

Materials Needed:

• Cornstarch
• Toothbrush
• Orvus and water solution, or mild laundry detergent
• Spray bottle
• Clean rag or towel
• Cheesecloth

Cornstarch is the secret ingredient here as it absorbs the grease, preventing it from setting. Martha also uses a 5 percent solution of Orvus. This is a water-soluble animal shampoo paste that you can find online and at tack and horse supply stores. Can’t get your hands on some? Your go-to laundry detergent should do just fine.

As always, check the garment's care label for specific cleaning instructions. (You'll want to use the following method on water-tolerable fabrics only.)

Instructions:

1. Sprinkle cornstarch. Generously cover the olive oil with cornstarch and let sit for 15-20 minutes to soak up the grease from the fabric.
   
2. Brush off residue. Using a toothbrush, gently brush off the cornstarch, ensuring that you’re not rubbing the stain into the fabric.
   
3. Prepare the fabric. Turn the garment inside out to treat the stain from the back. (This can both boost effectiveness and protect the front of the garment from abrasive cleaning methods.) Place it with the stain facing down on a clean cloth to absorb any cleaning agents.
   
4. Treat the stain. Mix a 5% Orvus solution with water (or laundry detergent with water) and add to a spray bottle. Apply to the stain. Then, firmly tap the saturated stain to drive the solution into the fabric fibers. (You can use a tool such as a clean spatula or even a kitchen mallet for this step.) Check to see if the stain is beginning to lift. Repeat this step as necessary.
5. Rinse with water. Drizzle water over the stain, rinsing the area of cleaning solution.
6. Dab with cheesecloth. Gently dab it with cheesecloth (which is great at absorbing stains). Do not rub the fabric, as this can drive the stain deeper into fibers.
7. Launder the garment. Wash the garment following the instructions on the garment's care label. Use cold water and line-dry until you're sure the stain has lifted. (Hot water and heat can further set the stain.)
   

How to Get Old Olive Oil Stains Out of Clothes

While addressing a fresh stain can often be a straightforward task, olive oil stains that have already set into the fabric present a bit more of a challenge. Here's how to handle set-in olive oil stains and resurrect your garment.

Materials Needed:

• Degreaser dish soap, such as Dawn
  
• Cheesecloth or microfiber cleaning cloth
• Laundry detergent
• Optional: WD-40
• Optional: Thick cardboard or towel

Instructions:

1. Consider WD-40 (optional). WD-40 lubricant can "reactivate" (so to speak) an old olive stain, potentially making it easier to remove. Place a heavy piece of cardboard or a thick towel in-between fabric layers to avoid bleed-through, and do a small patch test on an inconspicuous area first to ensure it does not harm or discolor the fabric. Then, gently dab the stain with a cotton ball saturated with the solvent.
2. Attack with dish soap. Pour a layer of dish soap over the stain. "Dish soap is a great degreaser," shares Dawn Arias-Spinelli, owner of Kleaner Image, making it an ideal cleaning agent for oil-based stains. Blot with an absorbent cheesecloth (or clean microfiber cloth). "Avoid rubbing the stain," reminds Arias-Spinelli. Let sit for 10-15 minutes.
3. Launder the garment. If you used a lubricant /solvent, hand-wash your garment in cold water to avoid damaging your machine. If you're machine-washing your garment, run the garment under cold water first (to avoid adding sudsy dish soap to the drum). Then, choose the cold-water cycle. Afterwards, either lay flat to dry or line-dry. "Don't use heat until the stain is gone," says Arias-Spinelli.
4. Repeat steps two and three as necessary. Suds up, let sit, rinse, and repeat until the stain has completely lifted.