Shea Simmons
Ever been having a salad for lunch and spilled a bit of dressing on your shirt? Or maybe you dropped a few of those French fries on your pants and they left a grease stain. Either way, if you’re out of stain remover, you probably have something in your pantry that will do the trick.
Here’s the tricky thing about removing a grease or oil stain: water is not your friend. Instead, you need something that will absorb the grease or oil from the stain before you wash the item. If you’ve got some cornstarch in your cabinet and some regular laundry detergent, that stain doesn’t stand a chance!
Just sprinkle some cornstarch over the stained area, allow it to sit for a few hours, and then wipe it away. Next, rub some of your regular laundry detergent over the area so the enzymes can penetrate the fibers. Finally, pop it in the washing machine and wash at the highest water temperature allowed on the care label.
If the stain isn’t completely gone afterward, rewash it before the piece of clothing is completely dry. You might have to wash it up to three times before the stain is completely gone.
While cornstarch can help with grease stains, you can use shaving cream on other food stains, like mustard and coffee. Next time a nasty spot has you in a bind, don’t freak out—you might only need to look as far as your pantry or bathroom.
[Via Food52]
