Tip of the Week: Getting the Grease OUT!

Inspired by Sara Jane I decided to do a weekly post like her "Color Me" section. I got to thinking about how helpful little hints for things around the house, etc were to me and that I may as well share these things with whoever stumbles across my blog.

So for this week: We'll be tackling GREASE. The gross stuff that sticks to everything that is slimy or gluey in consistency and always a pain to get off or out of anything.

I feel sure we've all experienced getting grease on our clothes or maybe your hands (esp if you do printmaking I've been looking like a mechanic with black oil based ink on my hands lately). Below is an exceptional example of grease:



I picked an image of the Varsity for a very special reason. The parking lot of the Varsity in the Spring of 2008 I encountered the worst grease stain I've ever had in their parking lot. When I lived in downtown Atlanta with my wonderful roommates, Ginnie, Amber, and Sara, Andrew Knight (now Sara's husband) decided to woo Sara by sending her to the Varsity to get a letter which was unbelievable sentimental and a flower. The Varsity was where they had their first date so he collaborated with Ginnie and Amber to get her to go to the very booth where they sat to get the flower and letter which was taped under the table.

One problem: by the time we got Sara there the Varsity was closed. So we had to do some convincing to the disgruntled manager to let Sara in to rush around and find it. I, being excited about this wild goose chase we were on and hurried to get to the door with my roommates to see Sara's face reading the letter, was running with everybody else through the parking lot (I don't normally run in public if not in specific running gear) and on the grease coated pavement I lost my footing big time and SMASH! I fell with a crash to the ground on my knee which seems to get a beating at least once a year. I got up a little wounded both my pride and my body but mostly sad because my JCrew pants had a big black goo blob of grease on the knee.

It was tragic.

But...here our story takes a pleasant turn! The solution for grease that works better than any stain remover I've ever tried.

SHAMPOO!!!

I recommend keeping some cheap shampoo (particularly for oily hair) on hand for degreasing clothes, hands, etc. Pour some directing on the stain or wherever grease is and scrub with your fingernails or a bristly brush that is not too harsh for fabric. Just keep scrubbing (it doesn't take too long) and rinse it off. You can also use face wash because both are made for eliminating oil from our hair and faces and work great for clothes as well. The formula is gentle enough to not worry about testing out to be sure it doesn't bleach your fabric yet strong enough to beat the grease.

This week my hands have been covered in oil based ink from printmaking and I used a little shampoo on my hands and it came off in no time. It works even better than the orange grit soap we have in the studio.