Cooking often comes with the occasional splash of oil or fat, and a shirt sleeve or front is usually the first casualty. Grease marks behave differently from most other stains, since the substance does not dissolve easily in water alone and tends to sit stubbornly within the fibres if left untreated.
The moment a grease mark appears, blotting away any excess with a paper towel or clean cloth helps prevent it from spreading further into the surrounding fabric. Pressing rather than wiping keeps the affected area as small as possible, which makes the rest of the treatment considerably easier.
Working the mark from the fabric
Once the excess has been blotted away, it helps to leave a light dusting of an absorbent household powder, such as one normally used for baking, directly on the mark for a short while before brushing it off. This draws some of the oil out of the fibres before the shirt even reaches the wash.
Treating the mark from the reverse side of the fabric, with a clean cloth placed underneath, pushes the grease out and away from the fibres rather than further through them. This small adjustment in technique often makes a noticeable difference to how completely the mark lifts.
It is worth checking the shirt again before it goes anywhere near a hot dryer, since heat can set a grease mark permanently into the fabric if any trace remains. A shirt that still shows a faint mark after washing should be treated again rather than dried as usual.
With prompt attention and a little patience, even a fresh grease splash need not mean the end of a favourite shirt. Treating the mark as soon as it happens, rather than leaving it until laundry day, greatly increases the chances of it disappearing completely.
