This Is the Best Way to Get Butter Out of Clothes

At some point in your life, you’ll probably end up with a butter stain on your clothes, whether from an errant piece of corn as you chomp down a little too enthusiastically on the cob, a wayward slice as you’re baking in the kitchen, or a drop that fell off buttery crab legs. 

Butter stains can be tricky since they aren’t as easy to dab away as other pesky stains, but they’re not impossible to clean. Here’s how to get butter out of clothes, so you can get your favorite shirt back to tip-top shape without permanent grease stains.

• Butter knife
• Paper towels or napkins
• Corn starch, baking soda, or baking powder
• Grease-fighting dish soap
• Cloth

Follow the six steps below to get butter out of clothes.

Take any excess butter off with a butter knife and gently dab at it with a napkin to soak up extra oil. Avoid rubbing it, as that can settle the stain into the fibers. 

Afterward, you want to soak up as much grease from the fabric as possible. Sprinkle a loose powder like baking soda, corn starch, or even baking powder directly on the stain to soak up the excess grease that will try to embed into the fibers of the shirt. 

Lightly rub the powder into the article of clothing using gentle, circular strokes, and then leave the powder on until it changes colors and becomes crumbly. Remove it with a paper towel. 

Repeat step 3 a few times until the powder no longer changes hues, meaning it has absorbed as much as it can off of the shirt. If your article of clothing is made from delicate fabric, Persil ProClean suggests leaving the powder on the stain overnight and then washing it by hand to eliminate the stain.

If your article of clothing isn’t delicate or dry clean-only, apply a drop of grease-fighting dish soap onto the stain and rub it gently in circular motions. 

Wipe it clean with a damp cloth.

If you’re pressed for time or don’t have any starches or powders nearby, you can also clean your butter blunder with dishwashing liquid. This is a good option if you dirtied your shirt or pants while eating at the kitchen table and don’t necessarily want to take off your shirt, but want to prevent a stain from setting in.

First, dab the grease stain with a clean hand towel. Then, eHow recommends pouring a generous amount of grease-fighting dish soap directly onto the stain, coating the entire blotch. Apply warm water onto the affected area and use a toothbrush, bristle brush, or your fingers to scrub in circles to lift the stain gently. Rinse with water and then pop the clothing into the washing machine and launder as you normally would.

If you’ve already washed and dried your clothes before noticing a butter stain, don’t worry — you can still have success getting the stain out. Alicia Sokolowski, president and co-CEO of AspenClean, shares her steps for removing a butter stain after it has dried:

1. Apply a small amount of dish soap directly onto the butter stain and gently rub it in.
2. Let the dish soap sit on the stain for about 15 minutes to allow the dish soap to work and break down the grease.
3. Rinse the stain with warm water and wash your clothes as usual.
4. After washing, check on the stain and ensure it’s completely gone before drying, as heat can only set the stain further. 

If you see the stain is still there even after washing your clothes, repeat Sokolowski’s process until the spot is completely gone.