Get A Pizza Grease Stain Out Of Your Clothes With A Drop Of Something Already In Your Kitchen

People have strong feelings about pizza grease. Some like their pizza toppings swimming in a pool of it, others use napkins to soak up as much grease as possible before digging in. But wherever you fall in the debate over blotting greasy pizza, it's safe to say no one enjoys pizza grease on their clothes. Luckily, with just a drop (or two) of Dawn dish soap you can avoid the full-on tragedy of a permanent stain.

Since Dawn (and most other dish soaps) are specifically formulated to combat tough food debris such as grease, it's the ideal solution to the problem. Essentially, it functions as a pretreatment before the soiled shirt, dress, or pants are run through the washing machine.

To use this technique, begin by absorbing any excess grease with a paper towel or clean cloth. If you really want to go the extra mile, you can follow this up by using either some baking soda or corn starch, two pantry staples that remove greasy butter stains, before moving on to the dish soap. Next, add a drop (or two) of dish soap directly to the offending area. Then, use your finger to spread the soap across the entire stain, working it into the fabric. Some folks rub the cloth against itself or scrub it gently with a toothbrush to agitate and loosen the particles. Then, let the garment sit for 5-20 minutes, allowing time for the dish soap to penetrate and work its magic. Finally, wash it as you normally would in the washing machine.

Grease is considered among the worst stains because it's made up of lipids, a type of molecule that is hydrophobic (a.k.a. water repellant). Whereas something as straightforward as boiling water can actually clean some food stains, grease requires a surfactant, like dish soap, to first lift and separate the grease molecules from the fabric so water can do its part and rinse away the stain. But what if your pizza spill isn't merely a droplet or two of grease, but say a whole piece of pepperoni pizza toppled into your lap? 

In this case, first remove any stuck on chunky bits of food (i.e. cheese, toppings, crust, and clumps of sauce). To accomplish this, use the front end of a spoon (to refrain from damaging your fabric) taking care to lift the food away from the fabric and not press or rub it further into it. Next, handle the grease first, following all of the above instructions.

Reminder, if any actual red sauce lands on your clothing, you'll need to treat this portion of the stain
separately, following conventional guidance for tomato-based stains (rinsing with cold water from the backside of the stain before applying soaks or stain treatments and washing). One final note — this dish soap technique is not recommended for delicate fabrics such as silk. For all fabrics, be sure to follow manufacturer's recommendations on the tag, before applying any outside advice.