How to get coconut oil out of clothes.

Because coconut oil has many uses and can be used in cooking, baking, cosmetics, soap, and skincare, you will probably need to know how to get coconut oil out of clothes and fabric at some point.

Coconut oil usually ends up on an item of clothing or a pillowcase, and you need an effective way to get coconut oil stains out of clothes and linens, so I am sharing that with you today.

What is coconut oil?

Coconut oil is an edible oil from the wick, meat, and milk of the coconut palm fruit. Coconut oil is a solid white fat that melts at warmer room temperatures. In warmer climates during the summer months, it becomes a clear, thin, liquid oil that can easily spill and stain clothes.  

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Benefits of coconut oil for the skin and hair

• Moisturizes dry skin, including eczema.
• Reduces inflammation from mild sunburn or prickly heat.
• Promotes wound healing.
• Antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties.
• The lauric acid in coconut oil has nourishing properties that soak into your hair strands. Coconut oil absorbs into your hair quickly, providing moisture to tame frizz and heal breakage.

Coconut oil stains

 95% of all stains come under three categories:

1. Earth stains like coffee and tea
2. Protein-based stains like blood, sweat, and milk
3. Oil-based stains like petroleum and vegetable oils.

Let’s look at the makeup of coconut oil stains and see which category of stain it comes under.  

Coconut oil falls into the oil-based category, so there are a few simple methods to try in our quest to get rid of coconut stains out of clothes.

 For a new spill:

Removing fresh coconut oil stains is easier if you can catch the stain before it has had time to take hold.

 ✔️The first step is to always scrape off any blobs of fresh coconut oil sitting on top of your fabric.

✔️ Take some paper towels or anything white, like a plain white towel, face cloth, or napkin. Coconut oil can remove dyes from some fabrics, so don’t use a colorful microfiber cloth, or you may transfer dye into the stained area.

✔️ Always test in an inconspicuous area to ensure that you can remove the coconut oil stain without causing damage to the garment.

Method 1

1. 6oz of degreaser, or dishwashing liquid like this one
2. Add 1oz (or a tablespoon) of water
3. Mix well.
4. To make this a stronger solution for more stubborn stains, you can add a tablespoon of acetone to the mixture, as long as you are not trying to remove coconut oil stains from acetate fabric because it will melt the fabric and cause damage. 
5. Spoon the mixture onto the stain.
6. Place a clean white cloth underneath the stain to prevent it from transferring to another part of the garment.
7. Rub with a clean white cloth and gently agitate until the stain disappears.
8. For particularly stubborn stains, let it sit for a few minutes.
9. Wash it afterward with a mild detergent and maybe an in-wash stain remover like this one or a safe laundry bleach like this one for whites

Method 2

1.  Blot out as much of the excess coconut oil using a white cloth or paper towel.
2. Apply baking soda, arrowroot powder, corn starch, or baby powder and sprinkle it generously all over the stain.
3. Sprinkle more than you think you need and make sure the whole area is completely covered.
4. Leave the powder to sit on the stain for at least 10 minutes until it turns a light browny-yellow color as it begins to soak up the oil.
5. If you’re dealing with a deep stain, you will need to add more baking soda or powder to soak up the excess oil.  If the powder starts to turn brown very quickly, that is a sign that you will need to add more.
6. Keep repeating this stage until it takes most of the coconut oil out of the fabric.
7. Take something like a credit card, a kitchen scraper like this one, or a thin but sturdy piece of cardboard and scrape the baking soda or powder very carefully from the stain.
8. Wash the clothing on the hottest possible setting, so the hot water helps to melt out the remaining oil. If you happen to have an oxygen bleach product like this one, add that to the load to help remove any traces of the coconut oil.

How to get coconut oil out of fabric, sofas, carpets, or curtains

1. Scrape off any excess oil, then apply baking soda.
2. Allow the powder to sit for a few hours.
3. Instead of scraping the excess powder, use a stiff brush to remove it. Do not be tempted to vacuum up the residue, as this may damage your vacuum.
4. Be careful to work inwards towards the stain so you don’t spread it.
5. Take a white flannel soaked in warm water and a spot of dish soap to wipe the area until the stain disappears. We use this method because you obviously can’t throw carpets and sofas in the washing machine like you can with clothes.

How to get coconut oil out of clothes that have already been washed.

 Sometimes people contact me asking about an older coconut oil stain that has already gone through the washing and drying process and has set in the fabric. So, if you are wondering how to get an old coconut stain out of clothes, you can try this method. It’s not 100% guaranteed because once oil is set into the fabric, it can be challenging to shift, especially if it’s been set in by the washer and dryer.

1. Place 6 oz of powdered oxygen bleach into 1 gallon of hot water.
2. Stir the mixture until it is completely dissolved
3. Place the stained garment in the bucket of solution and completely immerse it.
4. Allow it to soak for at least 2 hours or longer. If you soak it for a couple of hours, the solution should pull out the oil, and you should see a reduction in the stain, even if it’s not completely gone.
5. Follow by washing the garment as normal on the hottest wash setting to try to melt any residual coconut oil.

For carpet or upholstery,

1. Mix up the solution and soak the stained area, working inwards towards the stain to prevent spreading the oil around.
2. After about an hour, rub vigorously with a stiff scrubbing brush like this one to help pull out the stain from the fabric.  
3. Allow it to air dry, or use a blow dryer.

So that’s it. It’s pretty simple. You just need a couple of tools to remove oils stains from clothes. Baking soda , arrowroot powder, corn starch, and then oxygen bleach

Do you have any tips for removing coconut oil out of clothes? Please email me or let us know in the comments below.

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