How to Remove Chap Stick Grease Stains from Clothing

Last week, I managed to wash TWO tubes of Chap Stick with my laundry.The worst part is that I did not notice it until after the clothes had gone through the dryer and the grease stain was set it. All my clothes in that load looked like this.

I gathered up a bunch of supplies and experimented to see what would get the grease stains out of the clothes. There were 2 pairs of jeans and 4 t-shirts that had the most grease stains, so I used them for my tests.

I tried baking soda and Oxi Clean, Borax, Dawn, Tide Oxi, Goop, Oxi Clean, Kids 'N Pets, chalk, Dawn Platinum, clarifying shampoo, and Shout Advanced Grease Busting Foam. After each treatment, I washed the clothes in the warm water with Tide Simply Clean. I let each item air dry until I knew if the stain came out. If the stain was still there, I did not put it in the dryer.

Here is what worked and what failed!

Method 1: Baking Soda and Oxi Clean

Pour a decent amount of baking soda on the grease stains. Use more than you think you will need. Use an old toothbrush to scrub the baking soda into the stain. You may need to add more baking soda. Then let that sit over night. The next day, dump the excess baking soda off. The baking soda should have soaked up the grease.

Then spray the stain with whatever laundry stain pretreater that you use. I used Oxi Clean and let it sit for 10 minutes before putting it in the washing machine. This method removed some but did not remove all the grease stains. I have used this method before with fresh stains. In that case, this method works well.

Method 2: Borax

Follow the directions on the box and allow it to soak for an hour. This method did not work.

Method 3: Dawn

I read that grease stains could be removed with Dawn dish soap, so I gave it a try. I put a small amount on each spot, rubbed it in, and then washed it. I was a little nervous to try this method because I have an HE washing machine and I know that Dawn causes lots of bubbles. I was afraid that it would cause too many suds for the machine, so I was a little stingy on the amount I added to the clothes. This method got rid of the majority of the stains, but not all of them.

Method 4: Tide Oxi

Follow the directions on the box and allow it to soak for 30 minutes. This method worked a little but, did not remove all the stains.

Method 5: Goop

I use Goop around the house to take care of tough stains and to wash my hands after painting or staining. This was the first time I tried it on clothes. Follow the directions on the tube. Apply a liberal amount to the stain and rub it in. Let it sit overnight. This method not only did not work, but actually left a bigger stain.

Method 6: Oxi Clean

I had tried Oxi Clean with baking soda, but I also wanted to try Oxi Clean alone. Just spray it on and let it soak in for 10 minutes. This method did not work.

Method 7: Kids 'N Pets

I use Kids 'N Pets all the time to clean up carpet stains and other surface stains from my pets. Until this point, I never tried it on clothes. Spray it on the stains, let it sit for 5 minutes, and then wash it. This method worked pretty well, but did not remove all of the stains.

Method 8: Chalk

After the baking soda and Oxi Clean combo failed on this shirt, I needed to try another method. I read that you could use chalk to remove grease stains. Use normal chalk, not sidewalk chalk. Simply color in the grease stains and let the chalk sit overnight. This method did help, but not much. The information I read said that this method would work for fresh stains, but it did not work for my set in stains.

Method 9: Dawn Platinum

I had tried Goop on this shirt and the grease stain actually got larger. The Dawn had worked pretty well. I had some Dawn Platinum under the sink that I use for cleaning greasy pots and pans, so I gave that a try. I put a small amount on the stains and then rubbed it in with a toothbrush. I let it sit for 5 minutes and put it in the wash. It did take away some of the stain, but overall was a fail.

Method 10: Clarifying Shampoo

At this point, I ran out of supplies to try at home and I still had a load of grease stained clothes. I found on the internet that clarifying shampoo would remove oil stains from clothes. I went to the Dollar Tree and bought a bottle. I put a small amount on the shirt that I had originally tested with Tide Oxi. I rubbed the shampoo in with a toothbrush. I let it sit for 5 minutes before putting it in the wash. This method really did not do anything to remove the stains. Although, that load of laundry did smell really good.

Method 11: Shout Advanced Grease Busting Foam

I still had a bunch of grease stained clothes and didn't know what to try next. I went to the laundry section at Shopko. I found Shout Advanced Grease Busting Foam. It said it removed grease stains, so I thought I would give it a try. Just spray it on and let it sit for 5 minutes.

I wish I would have tried this method from the start! There are a few small grease stains here and there, but this removed almost everything! I treated the leftover stains and ran it through the wash a second time and everything was removed. This product is definitely the winner!

After lots of trial and error, I found that Shout Advanced Grease Busting Foam did the best! I make no guarantees that this product will work for everyone and on every type of fabric, but it worked for me to remove the Chap Stick grease stains.

Hopefully in the future, I will remember to check my pockets prior to putting anything in the washing machine. But if this happens again, I know what methods work and what does not work. If you have any methods that work for you, let me know!