We've showed you how to get out tough stains and even make your own detergent, but oil and grease stains are notorious for lingering after washing. Next time you spill salad dressing on yourself, just rub it with chalk for quick absorption.


Photo by sutartpilbrow.

Our friend Sarah Rae Trover over at home improvement weblog Apartment Therapy describes one of her favorite stain-removing tips:

Instead of using extra laundry detergent to pre-treat, instead we turn to our old school friend - white chalk. Simply rub onto greasy stains and the chalk powder will absorb the grease, making the stain easily removable by the laundry soap in the wash. It might sound silly, but it's worked wonders for everything from lipstick to bacon grease and even though our laundry area is on prominent display, we still keep it out in case disaster (or in our case, Murphy's Law) strikes!


Keeping chalk on hand (or any white, absorbing powder—baking soda or corn starch are popular solutions as well) is a great way to nip these stains in the bud. Just make sure you've got it at the ready at all times, because once that stain sets, no amount of chalk will save you. Got any of your own grease stain-removing tips? Share them with us in the comments.

Use Chalk to Rid Your Clothes of Greasy Stains [Apartment Therapy]