Essential Oils are commonly used as an aromatherapy treatment. They may also be used for homemade house cleaning, and as a relaxing aroma in a diffuser.
We at Roots of Being love essential oils! But now and again, one of the fragrant oils spills or sprays where it shouldn’t go, particularly on our clothes.
Through trial and error, we’ve learned how to get essential oil out of clothes. We use simple, natural treatments when this happens.
This post will show you six simple techniques to remove oil stains from your clothes. We suggest using common household items like dish soap or rubbing alcohol. You’ll also learn how to deal with unwelcome essential oil scents.
Finally, you’ll discover how to properly utilize essential oils in your washing.
Are Essential Oils Harmful to Clothes?
Essential oils, in general, will not destroy your clothes. But they can leave nasty stains.
The ease with which you can remove a stain depends on the type of fabric used and the size of the stain.
Essential oils may or may not create greasy marks or oil stains on your clothing. This will depend on the materials, the manner of manufacture, the colors, the dye process, etc.
Regardless, many oils will leave ugly oil patches because of the plant chemicals in the oils. Jasmine, patchouli, and vetiver are some of the oils that are particularly prone to staining.
Jasmine, patchouli, and vetiver are some of the oils that are particularly prone to staining.
How To Get Essential Oil Out of Clothes: 6 Methods
Some essential oils are so powerful they can break down the connections that keep plastic bottles together. Uundiluted versions of these oils can harm synthetic materials. Synthetic textiles may become discolored or warped as a result of these oils.
You can easily remove essential oils from natural materials like cotton or linen. But a discolored region on a synthetic fabric is more difficult to repair.
A natural grease stain remover is usually less expensive. But, you can also buy commercial stain removers in liquid, gel, or stick form that work just as well.
Pre-Treatment Process
Before using natural stain removers, do everything you can to soak up any excess moisture in the affected area.
This will help to keep the stain from growing and make cleaning easier.
Grab a paper towel or a clean rag. Blot the discoloration gently to remove oil stains or grease stains. Avoid rubbing it, as this will encourage the essential oil to spread and enlarge the stain!
When most of the wetness has been wiped out, place a paper towel on either side of the fabric. Lightly press them together. Sandwiching the stain between the two absorbent pieces of paper will help remove oil stains.
You can try washing your stained clothing in the washing machine. Use a some decent grease-removing laundry soap and see if it works.
Remember to not put damaged clothing in the dryer. The heat will fix the residual stain, making it more difficult to remove.
Firstly, read the tag inside your clothing and pay attention to their instructions. Do this before trying any of these treatments.
1. Dish Soap
You most likely already have dish soap lying around. This simple, low-cost method works great on fresh stains.
Because dish soap cuts through grease so efficiently, you can potentially use it to remove an older stain. On the other hand, a dried stain is less likely to be completely removed.
How to use dish soap to remove essential oil stains:
- To begin, squirt a small amount of soap straight onto the discoloration. Rub the soap in with an old toothbrush, sponge, or rag on the stained area
- You should use warm water to rinse any afflicted region.
- If it doesn’t work, combine a gallon of warm water and two tablespoons of soap in a mixing bowl. Allow for your garments to soak in this solution for about an hour.
- Apply the soap, scrub it in, and then rinse it off!
- This procedure will most likely completely remove a fresh stain. But, you can also use it as a pretreatment. Use it for particularly tough essential oil stains. If it fails move on to a different method, such as rubbing alcohol. Alcohol acts as a cleaning agent.
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Last update on 2024-07-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
2. Murphy’s oil soap
You might think of Murphy’s Oil Soap for polishing banisters or scrubbing wood floors. But, this dependable product also works well in removing oil stains from clothing!
It takes a little longer, but it’s worth a shot for practically guaranteed good outcomes.
How to use Murphy’s oil soap:
- First, use a spray bottle to dampen your discolored item, soak it, and then dry it out.
- You should apply a teaspoon of Murphy’s Soap directly to the affected region. Gently rub it into the damp fabric with your hands, generating a pasty foam.
- Leave the item for air drying.
- Wash it as normal with a dab of Murphy’s Soap for added effect in your washing machine.
- Before putting the clothing in the dryer, check if the essential oil stain is gone.
- 98% naturally-derived ingredients
- Cleans to a natural shine
- Murphy brand trushted for over 100 years
Last update on 2024-07-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
3. Baking Soda
Baking soda is a natural option to remove essential oil stains. It absorbs both oils and smells well.
But baking soda may not completely erase the stain.
How to use Baking Soda
- Spray the clothing with fresh hot water from a spray bottle.
- Make a thick paste with a handful of baking soda and enough water. It should resemble gritty toothpaste.
- You should apply this paste to the affected region. Don’t be afraid to rub it into the fabric’s weave. You can do this with an old toothbrush.
- Allow the paste to settle for an hour.
- Check if any staining remains after rinsing the paste away with hot water.
The baking soda approach works best on a moist stain. It absorbs some of the grease stains from the material. However, you can use it on an older stain, especially if you want to avoid odors.
On a moist stain, the baking soda approach works best since it absorbs some of the excess oil from the material.
Some varieties of gel stain remover can be used instead of baking soda paste. But baking soda is usually less expensive!
4. Baby Powder
If you live with tiny children, you almost certainly have a bottle of baby powder lying around.
This pleasant-smelling powder absorbs a wide range of oils effectively. The powder acts amazingly to remove oil spots and leaves a pleasant scent.
How to use Baby Powder:
- Sift roughly a spoonful of powder into a small pan or your cupped hand.
- Dab a cotton ball or soft sponge to coat the powder completely.
- Cover the stain with a cotton ball and rub it in.
- Allow for a five-minute rest period. Then, over your kitchen sink or bathtub, shake off the clothing.
- Check for any remaining staining!
5. Eucalyptus Oil
It may be counterintuitive to use oil to erase an oil stain, but it works! Cineole, often known as eucalyptus has a variety of health and flavoring uses. But it also acts as a degreaser.
It also has antimicrobial effects as a bonus!
To be safe, try a small drop of this product on an inconspicuous part of your garment before you go too far.
How to use Eucalyptus oil:
- You should immediately apply a few drops of the oil to the afflicted area. You want enough to spread out and cover the entire area.
- Allow for fifteen minutes of resting time.
- Check to see whether any staining remains after rinsing the clothing.
- Fill a pail with hot water and one to two capfuls of eucalyptus oil if the stain is larger.
- Allow the clothing to soak in this solution for an hour.
As you’ll see later in this post, you can also use eucalyptus oil in your laundry!
6. Rubbing alcohol
Oils are dissolved using rubbing alcohol as a solvent. This makes it a cost-effective. It is also an efficient solution to remove essential oil stains from clothing!
You’ll also need a basic bar soap like Ivory for this procedure.
How to use Rubbing Alcohol:
- Make sure you get rid of excess oil first with a cloth or paper towel. This is so the alcohol doesn’t have to work as hard to break down the oil.
- Soak a clean cloth or sponge in rubbing alcohol and dab the stain until the affected area looks better.
- Allow 5 minutes for this to sit.
- Gently rub bar soap on the moist area until it becomes soapy and the oil stain is removed.
- Finally, give the item a good rinse in hot water!
How To Get Essential Oil Odors From Clothes:
There are efficient ways to remove any leftover essential oil odor from your clothes. One is the baking soda approach. As well as adding activated charcoal to the soap in your washing machine. And, mixing distilled vinegar into the rinse cycle of your washing machine. They remove any leftover essential oil odor from your clothes.
Oil-based scents are unlikely to be removed by washing with standard laundry detergent.
Before washing your clothes, apply a soda paste to a stain to allow the soda to absorb the odor. You can easily rinse away the paste with laundry detergent. and the garment washed in the washing machine.
You can also put a teaspoon of activated charcoal in your laundry machine with the soap. This also helps to eliminate odors.
Adding a half cup of distilled white vinegar to your washing machine’s rinse cycle is the easiest way. Vinegar removes perfume or scented oil odors from your garments, and will also clean your oil diffuser (though many don’t like the smell).
Stop the machine as soon as it reaches the rinse cycle. Before completing the wash, add the vinegar and let it soak for an hour.
Vinegar is effective at removing odors in a variety of situations. You can also use it to purify the air in your home by boiling it quickly!
Conclusion
Essential oils can add relaxing, pleasant scents to many areas of your home, car, or office. But they can stain clothes.
Several simple solutions can be used to remove these stains. We have shown you the different methods and products to use on how to get essential oil out of clothes.
Now pick the best option for your stain and get to work recovering your garment!
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