In my paper this past Sunday (4/27/14) Kenneth asked a question about removing automotive grease from clothing. By far, the best thing I have found to remove all automotive grease and grime from my clothing is water-less hand cleaner. There are MANY name-brand products out there, they all work on washable fabric. Coat stain(s) in product, rub in well and wash in the hottest water the fabric will tolerate. I’ve gotten grease out of silk (don’t ask!) successfully…
Christine
Thanks for the pointer, @mistressdolittle.
Tide liquid with hot water in the laundry is what works for me.
My wife uses GoJo hand cleaner original creme formula and it’s white in color.
For my car-repair denim coveralls I just wash them w/Tide in the normal cycle and don’t care if the stains remain or not. The stains combine over time to create something of an artistic effect. If the Grateful Dead were appearing in concert I could wear the coveralls and fit right in. The first days are the hardest days … lol …
For items I really do want the stain removed, I use Tide w/hot water and a little Borax in the soak cycle. After the soak cycle, I follow by a regular clothes-wash cycle using warm water. If it is a particularly bad stain I’ll rub the stain before both cycles with some lye bar-soap. Works pretty well with natural fabrics like cotton, but no so much on synthetics. The most important thing is to not put the item into the dryer until you are satisfied the stain is removed to your satisfaction.
FYI, 49-state brake cleaner is Tetracholroethylene…same stuff as dry cleaning fluid. Aside from the enviro issues, I’d have the greatest faith in a suitable non-polar solvent like this as a degreaser. (Like dissolves like, after all.)
I’d DIY dry clean it, and then hit it with a good detergent in a basic solution to promote saponification and dispersion of the grease. (i.e. tri-sodium phosphate.) I’d pour the TSP-laden waste water over the lawn rather than down the drain so it’d fertilize the yard, not the algae in the Allegheny.