The 2 Pantry Staples That Help Remove Greasy Butter Stains From Your Clothes

Garlic bread, popcorn, noodles, and lobster — all things that are vastly improved with a spread, drizzle, or dip of warm, melted butter. But your fancy dress, work suit, sports tie, or that favorite vintage boy band tee — not so much. When it comes to stains, butter and grease are in their own category and must be handled carefully. Luckily, there are a couple of pantry staples that most of us have on hand to rid you of those greasy melted butter glops before they permanently ruin your clothes (or your reputation). Let's give a buttery warm welcome to: baking soda and corn starch.

The fat content of butter and other oils makes them uniquely challenging to clean when compared to other foods stains like coffee or ketchup. Baking soda (not baking powder) and corn starch (as well as talcum and baby powders) work wonders when used immediately after your clothing is stained. This is because they're absorbent, soaking up offending particles like a sponge via capillary action. This powdery approach contradicts our first instinct, which may be to run them under water. But when it comes to fat stains, that's bad advice. If used before other treatments, water will only lodge the fat more firmly into the fibers, instead of loosening it. 

As with all stains, time is your enemy. The quicker you act, the better. So, let's go over how to use the technique before that unbearable butter stain sets in.

In addition to baking soda's stain-lifting abilities, this butter-busting hack offers many other genius ways to clean your kitchen. Corn starch works well, too, but there's no need to use both. To eliminate the stain, begin by carefully removing any excess butter by either gently scraping it off with a utensil (if it's solid) or (if melted) dabbing it up with a paper towel. Next, cover the stain with your powder of choice. Allow it to sit for at least an hour or as long as overnight while it works its magic.

Your powder can then be brushed off and the garment inspected. If the stain is still there, apply a little de-greasing dish soap to the stain (a drop or two will do), rubbing the stained area quickly together against itself to break up the grease. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes before rinsing it with cool water. Inspect and repeat if necessary. (Molecules called surfactants found in dish liquid make it excellent for battling butter and grease stains. If you weren't able to treat the butter stain right away, you might go straight for dish liquid instead of a powder.)

Once the stain from your favorite buttery recipe is no longer visible, launder the garment per its instructions — but no dryer it until you've inspected the clothing to see if your stain is fully gone or not. If it's not, you may have to repeat the whole process. Warning: Drying the garment when the stain is not completely out will permanently set the stain. For more delicate fabrics like velvet, cashmere, etc., it's best to take them to your dry cleaner and have the stain professionally removed.