How to Remove Butter Stains From Clothing

Butter, margarine and other greasy products can leave seemingly permanent stains on machine-washable clothing. It seems that no matter how soon after an incident the stained garment is laundered, the spots still remain. This process, which uses simple household products and a little elbow grease, nips those stains in the bud and saves these garments.

Things You'll Need

• Butter knife
• Flour
• Towel
• Concentrated laundry detergent

Instructions

1. Scrape any excess butter gently from the material with the dull side of the butter knife. Use a lifting motion so as to not grind the greasy substance further into the garment.

2. Sprinkle a pinch of flour onto the stain and gently rub it into the spot. The flour will absorb some of the grease and will extend the amount of time the garment can wait before being laundered.

3. Turn the garment inside out and slide a folded towel in between the layers of fabric. Pour a dime-sized drop of concentrated laundry detergent onto the stain and rub it in.

4. Launder the garment in the hottest water appropriate for the fabric. Hang it to air dry. If the stain remains, treat it again with the laundry detergent before rewashing it. Do not put it in the dryer until the spot is completely gone as the heat will set the stain if any remains.

Tips & Warnings

• If the laundry detergent doesn't remove the stain, a small amount of dry-cleaning fluid may do the trick. Just sponge a bit onto the garment and rewash it as usual.