How to Remove Oil Stains or Spots

Oil is one of the most difficult-to-remove stains, owing to its chemical makeup. Whether you have oil stains on your driveway or garage floor, or spots on your carpet, car, or clothing – to remove them you need a cleaner which can penetrate and dissolve the oil.

Because oil stains are so common, (there’s cooking oil, motor oil, lubricants, machine oil, baby oil, and all kinds of other oily substances) people have developed many different methods to try to remove these difficult stains.

For instance, you might have heard of trying to remove an oil stain from your clothes by soaking up the spot with baby powder or cornstarch, and then laundering the garment – but beware! If the oil stain isn’t completely removed, washing and drying it will actually set the stain permanently.

Perhaps you’ve tried to remove an oil stain from a concrete floor or driveway using cat litter, or a combination of paint thinner and sawdust, spreading it over the oil and letting it absorb the stain. This doesn’t usually fully remove the problem – and it leaves you with a big mess to clean up.

Try this instead: To remove all types of oil stains, from clothing, carpet, cars, furniture or concrete - try Goof Off® Heavy Duty Spot Remover & Degreaser - the all-purpose, miracle remover that cuts through the toughest, oiliest, greasiest and grimiest spots and stains and removes them quickly and effectively.

To Remove an Oil Stain or Spot the Easy Way:

For motor oil, lube, machine grease, hydraulic fluids and other petroleum product stains on hard surfaces:

  1. Apply Goof Off® Heavy Duty stain remover directly to the oil.
  2. Agitate it with a stiff brush.
  3. Wipe away that stain.

For automotive oils and grease on soft surfaces such as carpeting or upholstery:

  1. Apply Goof Off®Heavy Duty to a clean, white cloth.
  2. Gently blot until the stain is gone.
  3. Rinse area with water.
  4. Blot dry with another clean dry cloth.

For motor oil and grease on clothing:

  1. Apply a small amount of Goof Off®Heavy Duty to the stain.
  2. Allow it to penetrate until the stain dissolves.
  3. Launder the garment according to manufacturer’s instructions.

For household oils such as cooking oils, baby oil, suntan lotion, furniture treatments, massage oils, etc. use Goof Off® Heavy Duty Spot Remover & Degreaser. Use according to package label and directions. No harsh fumes. Safe for most surfaces. Environmentally-friendly.

TIP: When removing oil stains and spots on clothing, upholstery or carpeting, don’t rub or scrub. This will push the oil deeper in to the fibers. Instead, always be careful to “blot” - gently.