There are a lot of inevitable happenings in the world, and one of those is staining your clothes. But, just like any situation you’re faced with, there is always a solution for it. Anything can stain your clothes; your morning orange juice, ballpen ink, or coconut oil. Speaking of coconut oil, it is something that you incorporate into your routine almost every day. From cooking, massages, up to skincare and haircare, it is always worth using.
If you’re one of those people who use coconut oil on a regular basis, then there will come a time when you’ll encounter a sticky situation-staining your clothes. When that happens, there’s no need to worry too much because you can fix it. All you need to know is how. In this article, you’re going to learn how to get coconut oil out of your clothes.
Why Does Coconut Oil Stain?
Before anything else, you need to know the root of your stain. Coconut oil comes from the coconut palm, or also known as the “Tree of Life.” Now, coconut oil is produced through processing coconut. An important fact to remember is that coconuts have a high percentage of saturated fats, which is the culprit that causes stains. Stains that are caused by fats appear like a clear, smudged blemish on the fabric and are one of the most difficult to remove, and takes a long time to notice.
Coconut oil has two types: raw and refined. In a nutshell, raw coconut is as it is, without going through a heat refining process. It retains more smell and taste. On the other hand, refined coconut oil undergoes a heat-refining process, losing most of its smell and taste. While different from one another, they both contain fat. The raw oil has more fat than refined oil, but both have an equal risk to leave a stain.
In the next parts of the article, you’re going to learn how to deal with coconut oil stains, regardless of the kind of situation it is.
How To Get Coconut Oil Out of Clothes?
When it comes to washing your clothes, one golden rule is that stains are easier to wash off the earlier that you notice it. The earlier you deal with it, the better the results. The method that you’re going to use will vary depending on what kind of fabric the oil has stained, as well as how long the stain is. These are the various methods, starting with fresh coconut oil stains.
Fresh Coconut Oil Stains
In removing fresh coconut oil stains, here are the things that you need to prepare.
- Plain white towel
- Old toothbrush (optional)
- Baking soda or cornstarch
- Dishwashing detergent
Step 1: Start patting your plain white towel on the coconut stain to absorb the fatty residue. Make sure that it is plain white because coconut oil is known to lift colors, making it risky to make your stain worse.
Step 2: Sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch on the stain. Using your old toothbrush or fingers, gently spread and brush it on the stain. Let it soak up the oil. As the oil is absorbed, you will notice that the powder will change its color within at least ten minutes. Once that happens, add more powder until the color change slows down or stops.
Step 3: Brush off the powder. After that, add a drop of dish detergent to the stain, and wash it in hot water.
Step 4: Make sure to air-dry your clothing, as heat from dryers can only set the oil stains.
Dried Coconut Oil Stains
Removing dried coconut oil stains is one of the hardest things to deal with, but it isn’t impossible. While it requires more time, energy, and effort than removing fresh stains, the stains can be removed. This method works best on white and neutral-colored clothing.
To remove the dried coconut oil stain, these are the things you will need:
- Cardboard which can cover the stain
- Water-displacing spray (WD40)
- Baking soda or cornstarch
- Old toothbrush (optional)
- Dishwashing detergent
Step 1: Put the cardboard behind the stain in order to stop the stain from transferring or spreading to the other side of your clothing.
Step 2: Apply your water-displacing spray (WD40) to the stain to activate the fatty residue in the stain. By doing this, the residue will seep through the cardboard from the fibers of your clothing.
Step 3: Apply baking soda or cornstarch on the area of the stain. Using your fingers or old toothbrush, spread the powder throughout the area with the water-displacing spray. In a few minutes, you will notice the powders forming little clumps.
Step 4: Keep adding and rubbing baking soda. Brush off the excess powder so that you can see if you still need to work on a certain area.
Step 5: Continue working on brushing and adding baking powder. When it stops clumping, it means that the water-displacing spray has been lifted.
Step 6: Remove the cardboard and shake off all the remaining baking soda.
Step 7: Add a drop of dishwashing detergent to the area and allow it to soak for 15-20 minutes.
Step 8: Make sure to air-dry your clothing.
Stains on Delicate Fabric
For delicate fabric such as silk, too much rubbing and baking soda can cause more damage than fix. Dealing with stained clothing such as this needs a softer touch. These are the things that you need to do:
Step 1: Use unscented baby powder instead of baking soda or cornstarch.
Step 2: Leave the powder on the stain for at least an hour.
Step 3: Using your fingers, gently rub it off.
Step 4: Add a small drop of dishwashing liquid and wash as normal.
Stains on Polyester Fabric
When faced with a situation where your polyester clothing is stained with coconut oil, it’s safe to use baking soda. The only thing you need to avoid is using hot water, and make sure you use cold water throughout the process. Rubbing extra baking soda will also be highly likely, as polyester holds on to stains more than any other fabric.
In summary, stains are inevitable. Your clothes can be stained, your furniture can be stained. But it isn’t impossible to remove, especially if you know the various ways to do it. Now that you know how to get coconut oil out of clothes, you can worry no more the next time it happens.
