People use baby oil for many reasons. But whatever the reason, it can sometimes be hard to control how much comes out. It can also be messy. Both of these can lead to baby oil getting on your clothes. This leads people to wonder if baby oil can stain clothes when it gets on them.
Just like other oil-based products, baby oil can stain your clothes. And since it is oil-based, it may not come home with just soap and water. Because of this, baby oil should be removed from your clothes as soon as possible.
But why does baby oil leave stains? And since baby oil is clear, would the stain even be noticeable? How can you remove the stain from your clothes, and what happens if you can’t? In this article, we’ll cover all of those questions so that you know what to do if you do spill baby oil on your clothes.
Does Baby Oil Stain Clothes?
As you can probably gather from the name, baby oil is an oil-based product. Other examples of oil-based products include salad dressing, mayonnaise, butter, and some types of makeup. Most of us have had experience with spilling food or makeup on our clothes, but spilling baby oil on our clothes may be a new experience.
Unfortunately, baby oil can stain clothes just like other oil-based products can. And the problem with oil stains is that they are harder to remove from clothes. Most fabrics aren’t made to wick away oil in the same way that they wick away water. And unlike oil, even if water is absorbed by clothing, it doesn’t leave behind a stain.
Other stains that aren’t oil-based can also be removed with just detergent and water in most cases. This isn’t the case with oil stains. While a soap that cuts grease may help remove some of the oil, the stain can’t be washed away with just water.
Oil and water do not mix well, so it makes sense that you can’t simply remove an oil stain by washing it in the washing machine. The key to removing this stain is to use the appropriate products as soon as possible.
What Does A Baby Oil Stain Look Like?
You may think that since baby oil is clear, the stain wouldn’t be that noticeable. But it isn’t the lack of color that’s the problem. It’s the thicker consistency and the chemicals that make it up that cause a stain to be left behind. Fabrics don’t absorb baby oil in the same way that they do other spills.
So if you’re wondering if baby oil is going to be noticeable if you spill it on your clothes and leave it untreated, the answer is probably so. The stain probably won’t be a different color than the clothing. But you may notice an area that is generally the same color as the clothing but darkened slightly.
The stain may also look “greasy.” But how noticeable the stain is will depend on the color of the clothing and the type of fabric it is made of. For example, you may notice an oil stain on a white shirt more than you would a navy blue or black one. Also, an oil stain may not be as noticeable on jeans as it would be on a t-shirt.
Even though you may not notice a baby oil stain on your darker-colored clothing right now, it could become more noticeable over time. This is especially true if the color of the clothing fades due to being washed repeatedly. The dye will fade, but the area where the stain is will not.
If you decide not to treat the stain because you think it will eventually come out, it won’t. You’re risking making the stain more noticeable by deciding to leave it alone. That is something that you don’t want to do if it’s a favorite piece of clothing or one that you wear all the time.
Do Baby Oil Stains Come Out?
If you do get baby oil on your clothes, you should be able to get it to come out as long as you act quickly. You need to treat the stain before it has time to dry. The longer the stain stays on the clothes, the harder it is to remove. And once the stain gets dry, you may not be able to remove it at all.
Are Baby Oil Stains Permanent?
Whether or not baby oil stains are permanent depends on how long the stain is left on the clothing. If the stain is allowed to dry, you may not be able to remove it at all because you would have no way to absorb the stain.
That’s why it is so important to treat the stain as quickly as possible. In the next section, we’ll explain how to go about removing baby oil from clothes before it has the chance to dry and leave a stain.
How To Get Baby Oil Out of Clothes?
The most effective way to remove a baby oil stain is by sprinkling some kind of powder onto the stain before it has a chance to dry. The powder will absorb the oil and make the stain easier to remove. Here is what you’ll need:
- Corn starch
- Sponge
- Dish detergent
- Pre-wash stain treatment
- Laundry detergent
For this method to work, remember that you must treat the stain as soon as you spill the baby oil on your clothes. Follow these steps to effectively remove baby oil:
- Lay the clothing on a flat surface such as a table or the top of your washing machine.
- Sprinkle corn starch over any areas where baby oil was spilled. The purpose of corn starch is to absorb the oil.
- Let the corn starch sit on the stain for up to 15 minutes to allow the oil to be fully absorbed.
- After the 15 minutes are up, use a dry sponge to remove the corn starch from the clothing.
- Pour liquid dish detergent onto the stain. Dish detergent works better than laundry detergent because it is designed to remove grease and oil from dishes.
- Dampen a sponge and use it to rub the dish detergent into the fabric. Let the detergent sit in the fabric for about 15 minutes.
- Use warm water to rinse the clothing until all of the detergent has been removed. This should cause a lot of the oil that is left over to be rinsed out as well.
- Apply a pre-wash stain treatment to the stain. If you don’t have a stain treatment, you can reapply dish soap. Just be careful not to use too much, as it produces many suds if used in the washing machine.
- Toss the clothing in the washing machine. Pour in some laundry detergent and wash the clothing using hot water.
- When the clothing has finished washing, check to see if the stain has been removed. If it hasn’t, reapply the stain treatment or dish soap and wash it again.
- Allow the clothing to air dry. You should avoid putting the clothing in the dryer unless you are sure that the stain is gone. Heat can permanently set the stain into the fabric.
However, you should check the care label on the fabric before you wash anything using hot water or bleach. Some fabrics can become damaged by bleach or hot water.
How Do You Remove Old Baby Oil Stains From Clothes?
If the stain has been set in for a while, then the chances are that you probably won’t be able to remove it. However, if the stain is relatively new but was allowed to dry on the fabric, you may still be able to remove it. Below are some things you can try.
If the stain has dried but is still relatively new, you can try soaking the clothing in hot water for about 15 minutes to try to loosen the stain. After the clothing has soaked, rub a grease-fighting laundry detergent or dish soap into the stain and wash it in the washing machine using the hottest water that the fabric can handle.
You may have to repeat this process several times. Just be sure that you don’t put the clothing in the dryer until you’re sure that the stain has been removed.
If the stain has been set in for a while or is still fresh, but you are having a hard time removing it, try using hairspray. Hairspray can help to reactivate the oil, which will make it easier to remove. Spray a little hairspray onto the stain and let it sit for 20 minutes. Then wash the clothing using warm water and your normal detergent.
Conclusion
We hope this article gave you an idea of how to remove baby oil if it gets on your clothing. Since it will stain and is oil-based, it will be hard to remove if you allow the stain to dry. Be sure to treat the stain as quickly as possible to get the best results. If you found this article helpful, share it with others and leave a comment. Thanks for reading!