Great tips for removing grease stains

Grease stains will get worse over time, as dust and dirt attach themselves to the sticky surface. The longer you wait to clean a grease stain, the harder it will be to do it properly. How you clean depends on what you're cleaning.

• Remove excess grease with a paper towel, a plastic spatula or the dull edge of a knife.
• If possible, have the fabric professionally dry-cleaned, but if you can't, follow these steps:
• Lay the stain face down on a soft, white, absorbent cloth.
• Apply a dry-cleaning solvent to another cloth.
• Blot from the inside of the garment, forcing the stain out and into the other cloth as the solvent dissolves it.

• Always closely follow the instructions on the solvent product label.
• Before using a dry-cleaning solvent on a fabric, always test it in an inconspicuous corner of the stained item.

• Follow the same steps as for stains in fabrics.
• When it comes to applying the dry-cleaning solvent, make sure to moisten a cloth with the solvent and blot the stain.
• Don't pour the solvent onto the carpet, because it may soak into the padding beneath and trigger new stains.
• As a good substitute for a dry-cleaning solvent, use an acetone-based nail polish remover. But don't use it on anything made of acetate, because the acetone will dissolve the fabric.
• It's always safest to test in an out-of-sight corner of the material first.

• Sprinkle dry cement over the grease.
• Once it has absorbed the grease, sweep it up with a dustpan and broom.
• If you don't have dry cement handy, then try salt. If that fails, wet the stained area of concrete with water and sprinkle it with powdered dishwasher detergent.
• Wait a few minutes and then pour boiling water on the area.
• Wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands, scrub with a stiff-bristled brush and rinse with water.