Is there anything more frustrating than an oil stain on your favourite shirt or pair of jeans? Well, maybe. But it’s up there among our most hated household gripes. Whether you’ve spilt pesto, dropped a slice of pepperoni, or rubbed against a greasy hinge, getting the stain out can seem impossible.

Thankfully, with a few tips and tricks, getting oil stains out of your clothes becomes much more straightforward. So forget wrestling with your whites and enjoy fresh, spotless laundry every time you step out.

Oil stains are pretty standard because we often contact things like butter, cooking oil, salad dressings, makeup, and motor oil. Any of these greasy everyday substances can stain your clothes, and once they do, they’re often tricky to remove.

There are two reasons that oil stains are so notoriously challenging.

1. Oil repels water

Oil doesn’t dissolve in water or water-based solutions; you’ve probably seen the two separating in a salad dressing or dip. This means oil stains can’t be rinsed away with water like other daily messes. To get around this, you’ll need to pre-treat the spill to help it break down – more on this later…

2. They’re often left for too long

If you notice an oil stain on your clothing, you should act as soon as possible to maximise your chances of success. That’s right – oil stains are harder to remove the longer you ignore them, and they tend to get darker with age, too.

This can be a problem if you haven’t noticed the slightly dark shade of a stain or if you drop oil while you’re out and about. There’s no need to rush home, but be sure to handle the mess as soon as you can.

The key to getting out oil stains? Absorption.

Before you think about washing your marked garments, you should try to absorb as much of the oil as possible. And, as we’ve mentioned, you’ll want to do this as quickly as you can! There are a few ways to get oil stains out of clothes; here’s what you might need:

• Paper towels or a cloth

• An old toothbrush

•An absorbing substance, like baking powder, chalk, or an enzyme-based cleaning product

• Dish soap

• A washing machine or washer-dryer

Baking soda is a favourite household solution to lots of cleaning troubles, and oil stains are no exception. Keep a pot of gentle-yet-effective baking soda in your kitchen cupboard for emergency oil removal whenever you need it.

1. Keep the fabric dry – rinsing is one of the worst things you can do to an oil stain since oil repels water and will cling onto fibres when rinsed

2. Put something behind the stained area – this could be a piece of cardboard or a small chopping board – anything that will isolate the mess and stop it from spreading

3. Blot the stain with a clean, dry paper towel – before applying anything, blot out as much oil as you can with some kitchen roll or an absorbent cloth. Remember, don’t rub, dab

4. Apply baking soda – be generous, sprinkling on the powder until around half a centimetre covers the stain

5. Let the baking soda sit – you might notice it clump together as it absorbs the oil, which means it’s doing its job!

6. Reapply baking soda whenever you see it’s come together – keep doing this until the clumping stops and there’s no more oil to absorb

7. Put your garment in the washing machine – as long as it’s washing machine safe!

If you can still see the oil stain when you take your marked item out of the washing machine, repeat the baking soda technique as many times as needed. And never put oil-stained clothes into the tumble dryer, as this will set stains and make them even harder to remove.

Another favourite way to get oil stains out of fabrics uses chalk instead of baking soda. The process is the same, only this time, instead of sprinkling on baking soda, you’ll apply crushed-up chalk to the stain.

1. Keep the fabric dry

2. Put something behind the stained area

3. Blot the stain with a clean, dry paper towel

4. Apply crushed chalk – sprinkle on enough to completely cover the stain

5. Let the chalk sit – absorbing oil from your clothes

6. Reapply chalk whenever you see it’s clumped together – keep doing this until the clumping stops, which means there’s no more oil to absorb

7. Put your garment in the washing machine

Dish soap is another secret weapon when removing oil stains from clothes. It should come as no surprise that the soap we use on dishes is formulated to cut through food grease – that’s its job, after all.

Once you’ve blotted your stain and been through the baking soda or chalk steps of your choice, apply a little liquid dish soap and rub it in gently as a pre-wash treatment. This is where you could also use your old, dry toothbrush to help loosen up any oil that remains.

Let the dish soap sit for around five minutes before rinsing. Then throw your garment into the washing machine.

Repeat: don’t put oil-stained clothes in the tumble dryer! You can’t always see if an oil stain has come out while your garment is still wet. That’s because oil stains often look the same as a damp patch, making your fabric a shade or two darker than usual.

Suppose you think your baking soda efforts have been successful. In that case, you might be tempted to dry your clothes with the rest of your laundry. It’s best to air-dry potentially oil-stained garments so you can keep an eye on the marked area and avoid setting the stain.

If you’re up against a particularly stubborn oil stain, or you’ve tumble dried your garment and baked the grease on, an enzyme-based product should get the job done. There are many options to choose from, and most are excellent at breaking down daily messes, including grass, blood, mud, and pesky oil.

When you’re dealing with oil, use your enzyme-based product as a pre-treatment to break down grease so that it can be washed away in the machine. Follow the instructions on your chosen product, diluting it with the right amount of water before submerging your clothes and letting them soak.

When it comes to washing your clothes, a powerful washing machine can make all the difference. Choose a high-performance device to stay on top of your laundry and enjoy spotless garments every day.