Any avid cyclist would warn you that it doesn’t take much to get a grease stain on your clothes. After all, even simple maintenance work, think tire change or bike chain guard adjustment, on your bike can lead to ugly stains on your apparel.
Let’s face it—bike grease is a different type of monster when it comes to stubbornness. Not only are bike grease stains visibly noticeable, but they are also incredibly tough to remove.
Though it may seem a lost cause to get bike chain grease out of your clothes, it isn’t an impossible task provided you act quickly.
Here, I can’t stress enough on the importance of you acting swiftly to get bike grease out of your clothes. The quicker your reaction time, the easier it will be to remove the stains.
However, before you adopt a specific cleaning method, it is of paramount importance for you to examine the “care-label” of your stained clothing items. While some may be suitable for a machine wash, others may require a bar soap and a hand wash.
Plus, there are cleaning techniques that are simply more effective on specific fabric. So, it is important for you to be in the know-how of such things before you take measures.
Note: To be on the safe side, consider adopting a cleaning method on a small area first to discover if the cleaning technique will bring in desirable results.
Below, I’ll discuss three different cleaning methods to help you remove bike grease out of clothes. Consider the availability of the materials required and look into the method that is best suited for the fabric you’re working with.
Remember that removing bike grease from clothes isn’t as difficult as many would have you believe.
Table of Contents
How to Get Bike Grease Out of Clothes?
Method 1: Dishwashing Liquid
Contrary to popular belief, the use of dishwashing liquid isn’t only limited to washing dishes.
A dishwashing liquid consists of properties that excel at cutting through fat and grease. Such a handy product can be utilized to get bike grease out of clothing items as well.
This method is best suited for removing fresh grease stains on synthetic and cotton fabric.
Step 1: Make a small mixture of dishwashing liquid and baking soda.
Apply the mixture onto the stain with an old toothbrush and start gently scrubbing the stain away. Then, let it sit for a while before moving onto the next step.
Step 2: Next, use cool water to get rid of the mixture.
During this step, you must allow water to run from the back of the stain. Doing so promotes the extraction of grease from the fabric.
Step 3: Now, check the “care” label on your apparel as a guide and wash your garb as advised by the manufacturer. After washing it, hang your outfit out to dry.
Note: This stain removal method is particularly effective at removing fresh grease stain, but it can also be used on dried stains with a bit of tinkering in the mixture. You can also use dish soap instead of dishwashing liquid.
For dried stains, it is advisable for you to sprinkle a little bit of cornflour or talcum powder on the stain before applying the detergent liquid or dish soap. Then, leave the outfit for a couple of minutes before proceeding with the aforementioned steps.
Method 2: Biological Laundry Detergent
Thankfully, grease stain can also be removed by using biological laundry detergent. This grease removal method is suitable for both fresh and dried stains.
Step 1: Apply the washing powder onto the stain with the help of an old, soft toothbrush. Then, use a toothbrush to scrub the stained area until you’re satisfied and let it air dry for ten minutes.
Step 2: It’s time to wash the stained area with cold water now. As mentioned in the previous cleaning method, allow water to run from the back of the stain.
Step 3: Finally, you have to machine wash or hand wash your stained outfit, whether T-shirts or pants, as per the guideline of the clothing manufacturer. You can find the useful info (washing guidelines) on the care label.
Note: For best results, only adopt this cleaning method for bicycle grease stain on synthetic fabrics. Don’t make the grave mistake of using this method on delicate wear such as wool and silk. You can also use hot water to get rid of bicycle grease from your clothes.
Method 3: Baking Soda
By now, we’ve uncovered bike grease stain removal methods suitable for both cotton and synthetic fabric. However, what if you get those disgusting fresh and dried cycle grease stains on delicate fabrics such as wool and silk?
Thankfully, there is a baking soda in every household to handle such grim circumstances. Here is how you remove bike grease using baking soda.
Step 1: The first step immediately requires you to apply baking powder onto the stain. Be careful to only sprinkle some and not go generous with the application.
Baking soda is used in this instance because it is, by far, the best at extracting oil and grease out of the material without destroying the fibers.
Once you do this, leave the stained clothing item overnight as is. Let it air dry and leave it completely untouched.
Step 2: As soon as you wake up from a good night’s sleep, brush off the affected bike grease area with an old toothbrush. At this moment, you will see that the baking soda has absorbed a sizable portion of the bike grease from the clothes.
Step 3: Finally, it is time for you to wash the garment as per its care label instruction, whether hand wash or washing machine wash.
Note: For best results, consider hand washing the delicate clothing fabrics with detergent and hot water.
Conclusion
I live with one simple, personal mantra—it is best to be safe than sorry. If you don’t want to face the terrible situation of having your favorite piece of clothing outfit stained with bike grease in the first place, make sure you don’t wear them while working on your bike.
However, if you like living dangerously and would rather sport your good-looking T-shirt and pants while on the bike, know that you can do so with confidence as there are many effective ways to remove grease stains. There are also cycling pants that are a little resistant to grease.
The aforementioned methods should enable you to recover your clothes and get them back in mint condition, irrespective of how big or stubborn the cycle grease stain.
Now that you’re aware of how to remove grease from clothes, make sure you spread the word as a responsible rider.