Slathering a warm ciabatta in garlic butter, ready to eat alongside bolognese, is so mouth-wateringly good that you just can’t help yourself. You’ve got to rip a slither of bread off to indulge in the garlicky goodness as you cook!
All is well until you forget your hands are coated in oily dregs, and you wipe your greasy fingers on your jeans!
But don’t fret. Follow the guide below, and those buttery fingerprints will disappear from your denim in no time.
Things to Know When Dealing with Garlic Butter Accidents
- Act fast! The quicker you respond and remove the stain, the better your chances are of getting rid of the entire eyesore.
- Don’t dry a garlic butter-stained item of clothing until all of the greasy goodness has been removed. Heat sets marks and makes them more difficult to remove.
- Don’t worry if you have to treat the garlic butter stain multiple times. Some stains are trickier to remove than others.
- Do a patch test with your chosen cleaning solution. Find a hidden patch of material, dab some cleaning product onto it and watch what happens. If nothing happens, continue using said solution. If you see damage or discolouration, stop what you’re doing and find another product to use.
- When cleaning delicate materials, handle them carefully and use neutral cleaners that won’t damage the fabric further. The most suitable method is to coat the garlic butter in an absorbent powder, like bicarbonate of soda, and leave it overnight. The bicarb is neutral and won’t damage the delicate fabric.x
- Do not scrub the garlic butter stain. Scrubbing will drive the grease further into your clothing’s fibres. As a consequence, the garlic butter will be more difficult to remove.
- Always read and stick to the cleaning instructions on the care label. Not listening to the advice you’re given could result in you cleaning your item in the wrong way and ruining it.
- When treating garlic butter-stained laundry, create a workspace for yourself. You will need to find a quiet spot where you can leave your garment flat and undisturbed for several minutes at a time.
How to Remove Garlic Butter from Clothes
Tools you’ll need:
- Teaspoon
- Paper towels
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Washing up liquid
- Soft toothbrush
- Running water
- Biological laundry detergent
- Laundering method: hand washing tools or a washing machine
Steps to follow:
- Use a teaspoon to scrape off excess garlic butter from your item.
- Blot any remaining garlic butter off the surface using paper towels.
- Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on the stained area.
- Wait while the bicarb absorbs the oily stain. This could take several minutes/hours.
- Scrape off the paste-y reside that’s on the surface.
- Repeat Steps 3 to 5 if need be.
- Assess the blemish. If the mark has gone, you can launder your item according to the washing instructions on the care label. If not, continue with the steps below.
- Grab some washing up liquid (one that’s known for its degreasing abilities).
- Put a blob or two of washing up liquid on the back and front of the stain. Work the solution in using a soft toothbrush.
- Wait ten minutes.
- Rinse the item clean using hot water (the hottest temperature permitted for the material).
- Check the blemish again. If the garlic butter has gone, you can wash your item according to the washing instructions on the care tag. If not, continue with the steps below.
- Put a blob or two of biological liquid laundry detergent on the front and back of the stain – work the solution in using a soft toothbrush.
- Wait 15 to 20 minutes.
- Wash your item as instructed on the hottest water temperature possible – add a regular amount of detergent.
- Assess the blemish after it’s been cleaned. Dry the item if it’s free from garlic butter stains. If not, repeat the steps above or try an alternative method noted below.
Tip: If you’ve got more than one stained patch on your outfit, consider soaking the item in a tub of washing up liquid or detergent and water instead of spot-treating the areas (Steps 8 to 14). This is a much quicker option.
Alternative Methods
Absorbing solutions
- Cornflour can be used instead of bicarbonate of soda in the method above. It will absorb the greasy butter.
- Baby powder (talc) can be sprinkled onto garments instead of bicarbonate of soda. It will soak up the garlic butter.
- You can sprinkle bicarbonate of soda over tricky stains on delicate materials, leave them overnight, and clean them the following day. By morning, the bicarb will have drawn out the oil.
Cleaning solutions
- You can use shampoo to clean garlic butter stains in a pinch. Shampoo is known for clearing away oily deposits, so try it out on your stained outfit. Rub the shampoo into the stain, wait a few minutes, rinse the item and launder it.
- WD-40 can be used to remove some greasy deposits. However, it can also stain a surface. So, if you’re going to use this solution, keep this in mind.
Stuff an old cloth behind the stain, spray WD-40 directly onto the blemish, wait five minutes, and then dab the mark with a damp, neutral-coloured cloth. As you repeatedly blot the surface, the garlic butter should transfer to the cloth. You can launder your item as usual when you’re done.
Official stain remover
Dr. Beckmann’s Stain Devils Fat & Sauces is a quick and convenient way to treat garlic butter-stained items.
The solution can be put on the stain and left to work, and within minutes, you can clean your garment in the washing machine. It’s as easy as that.
Dry cleaning
Remove as much garlic butter as possible from your delicate, vintage and ‘Dry Clean Only’ pieces, then take them to a dry cleaning shop.
The professional at the store has access to different tools and cleaning solutions and will be able to treat your item in a more appropriate way.
You can buy DIY dry cleaning kits, but they get mixed results. Sometimes, they work out well and occasionally, they have no impact.
Given that you’re handling an item requiring professional care, it may be better to get a specialist to do the cleaning work for you. Otherwise, you could ruin an expensive or irreplaceable garment.
Are Garlic Butter Stains Permanent?
If you react quickly and remove the garlic butter stain using the tools and solutions listed above, you should be able to clear the entire blemish. No trace of the greasy deposit should be left behind.
However, if you allow the garlic butter stain to dry or dry the mark using a tumble dryer, the eyesore will have set into the material’s fibres. Removing blemishes that have dried into a piece of fabric is often challenging.
You may be able to remove some of the marks with a lot of elbow grease, but be prepared for some of the stain to remain on the fabric.
How to Remove Old and Dried Garlic Butter Stains
Old, greasy stains are troublesome to remove. And to some extent, you’ve got to be prepared for the worst; the blemish may not come off your outfit.
To treat an aged garlic butter stain, follow the steps above – leave out the bicarbonate of soda steps – but this time, leave the degreasing solutions (washing up liquid/laundry detergent) on the fabric for longer.
This will give the solutions time to break down the greasy mark. Once you’ve done this, launder your item in the hottest water permitted for the material.
After the cycle, check your garment. You will likely have to re-treat your piece. So, either repeat the steps above or try another cleaning solution, like an official stain remover, WD-40, or dry cleaning.
Unfortunately, because the garlic butter has aged and become ingrained in the material, it’ll be a case of ‘trial and error’ until you find a suitable cleaning solution. And even when you find something, it may not eradicate the entire blemish; it may just dampen the appearance of the mark.
Bethan has a passion for exploring, reading, cooking and gardening! When she’s not creating culinary delights for her family, she’s concocting potions to keep her house clean!
