How To Get Oil Stains Out Of Patagonia Jacket

  • By: Tiffany Peris
  • Time to read: 9 min.
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In the fashion world, Patagonia is a famous brand worldwide. Specifically, the company’s clear principles relate well with its target customers. As a result, many customers buying Patagonia clothing eventually become loyal to the brand. However, Patagonia products are not cheap. Thus, one has to always take good care of Patagonia’s clothing. But how do you remove oil stains on the Patagonia jacket?

To get oil stains out of the Patagonia jacket, ensure the stain is removed as soon as the jacket is stained. Start by rubbing an absorbent powder such as baby powder, baking soda, or cornstarch into the oil stain. Continue rubbing the powder until you notice that the powder’s color is starting to change. Remove the powder from the jacket and wash the jacket in the washer with a warm water setting.

What if you have a dry oil stain on your Patagonia jacket? Can it come out? Why does oil stain the Patagonia jacket, and can oil ruin the jacket? In this article, you will discover different methods to remove stubborn oil stains from your Patagonia jacket.

Does Oil Ruin Patagonia Jacket?

Oil and grease can be a hazard to your Patagonia jacket. Once your jacket is spattered with oil, the oil molecules can be trapped inside the fibers of the jacket’s fabric.

Oil and grease can ruin Patagonia jackets because when oil spills on the jacket’s fabric, the oil will block the breathability of the specific spot of the jacket that has been splattered with grease. Due to that, the specific section of the jacket with the oil will not permit good air circulation, and as such, you might find that the Patagonia jacket might not be able to keep you dry when you sweat.

To make sure that oil will not ruin your Patagonia jacket, you should always make sure that you remove oil stains on the jacket immediately after you have noticed them. If you allow the oil stain to set on your Patagonia jacket, removing the stain will be a challenging task.

Does Oil Come Out Of Patagonia Jacket?

If you treat the oil stain on your Patagonia jacket correctly, the stain can come out. Like other grease or fat-based stains, oil stains can cause a dark discoloration on your Patagonia jacket. Since the oil on the jacket cannot dissolve in water, oil stains on the Patagonia jacket cannot be removed by washing the jacket in the washer. You have to treat the stains first before washing the jacket in the washer.

If you want to use stain removers to remove oil from your Patagonia jacket, not all stain removers can remove the oil stains. The best stain removers to remove oil and grease stains from your Patagonia jacket are the ones that are enzyme-based or have degreasing properties.

Since oil does not dissolve in water, washing the jacket with water will not remove oil stains. Nevertheless, oil dissolves in alcohol. Thus, products with alcohol contents such as turpentine and rubbing alcohol can be used. However, since turpentine can fade the color of your Patagonia jacket and leave a smell, you should never use it to remove oil stains.

Regular laundry detergent, dish soap, and shampoo are suitable degreasers. They can thus be used to remove oil stains on your Patagonia jacket, especially when the stain is still fresh and has not dried up.

If you have a grease stain on your Patagonia jacket, and the grease has already dried up, you can place a paper towel on top of the stain and iron the stain so that the paper towel absorbs the melted grease.

To remove oil stains on your Patagonia jacket, you can use different household products that you already have in your household. The eight methods that you can use to remove oil stains from Patagonia jackets are discussed below.

Pre-treatment Of Grease And Oil Stain On Your Patagonia Jacket

Before using any of the eight methods discussed in the article, you must remove any extra grease or oil on the Patagonia jacket.

Getting rid of any extra grease or oil from your Patagonia jacket will ensure that no oil or grease will spread to other unstained parts of the jacket during the stain removal process.

To remove any extra grease on the jacket, you can use a blunt object such as an old credit card, a spoon, or a spatula. If you have fresh oil on the jacket, use an absorbent towel or a paper towel to absorb the extra fat from the jacket.

Ensure that you do not want the Patagonia jacket when the stain is not removed. If you wash your jacket in the washer when the stain is not removed, the heat inside the washing machine will make the stain set in the fabric, which will imply that the stain will almost be impossible to remove.

How To Get Oil and Grease Stains Out Of Patagonia Jacket – 8 Methods

1. Dish soap

When you have a fresh grease or oil stain on your Patagonia jacket, dish soap is one of the best products to remove the stain from your jacket. When the soap comes into contact with the stain, it will break down the oil stain molecules and lift the stains from the jacket.

Even though dish soap is ideal for getting oils stains from Patagonia jacket when the stains are stills fresh, it can also be used to remove old oil stains that have already dried up.

Here is how to use dish soap to remove oil stains from your jacket;

1. Place the stained Patagonia jacket on a flat surface. The flat surface in this context can be an ironing board, craft table, or a clean floor surface.

2. Apply a few droplets of the dish soap directly into the stain. Ensure the oil stain spots have come into contact with the dish soap.

3. Use your fingers to rub the dish soap into the stain. If you don’t want to use your fingers, you can use an old toothbrush or a soft-bristle brush.

4. Continue rubbing the dish soap onto the stain until you see that oil has been lifted from the jacket’s fabric.

5. Use running water to rinse the jacket so that no soap dish is left on the jacket.

6. Check the jacket and confirm that the stain is removed. If not, repeat the process.

7. Wash the jacket in the washer as you usually do.

Note that you should only wash the jacket once you are sure that the oil stain has been completely removed from the Patagonia jacket. Washing the jacket in the washing machine while the oil stain is not removed could make the stain permanent.

2. Shampoo

If you don’t want to use dish soap to remove oil stains from the Patagonia jacket, you can then use shampoo. The shampoo has similar grease and fat-busting properties to dish soap. Thus, once you use shampoo to work the stain, the chemicals in the shampoo will break down the stain molecules and remove the oil stains from the jacket.

Ensure that shampoo will not discolor your Patagonia jacket, and ensure that the shampoo you are using has no dye or fragrance.

The procedure to use to remove oil stain from Patagonia jacket:

1. Lay the stained jacket on a flat surface so that the stained spot of the jacket will be on the top.

2. Squeeze a few drops of the shampoo directly onto the oil stains.

3. Using a soft-bristle brush, soft sponge, a spare toothbrush, or your fingers, rub the shampoo into the stain.

4. Continue rubbing the shampoo into the stain till when you notice that the oil stain has been removed.

5. Use running water to rinse the shampoo from the jacket.

6. Check to confirm that the stain has been removed.

7. Wash the jacket in the washing machine like you usually do.

3. Baby Powder or Talcum Powder

Baby powder or talcum powder is highly absorbent. Thus, when the powder is introduced to an oil stain in your jacket, the powder will absorb all the moisture in the stain and, in the process, remove the stain from the jacket.

Here is how to use baby powder to remove oil stains from the Patagonia jacket:

1. Place the stained jacket on a flat surface.

2. Apply the powder to the stain to cover the oil stain with the powder.

3. Leave the baby powder to sit in the stain for at least 10 hours.

4. Shake off the Patagonia jacket to remove the powder.

5. Check the jacket to confirm that the stain has been removed.

6. Wash the stain in the washer.

4. Baking Soda

As a powerful absorbent, baking soda will absorb the oil staining the jacket and remove it from its fabric. Specifically, since baking soda is alkaline, it will react with the oil and remove the stain molecules from the fabric.

If your jacket is also smelling like oil, baking soda will also remove the oil smell from your Patagonia jacket since baking soda is very good at absorbing odors.

How to use baking soda to get oil stains out of Patagonia jacket:

1. Lay your stained Patagonia jacket on a flat surface.

2. Mix baking soda with water to create a thick paste.

3. Apply baking soda paste to the stain to be fully covered with baking soda paste.

4. Let the paste sit in the stain for 3 hours.

5. Remove the paste from the jacket.

6. Check the Patagonia jacket to confirm that the oil stain has been removed.

7. If needed, repeat the process.

To ensure that the oil stain will be removed entirely from your Patagonia jacket, you can sprinkle distilled white vinegar on the stain before applying the baking soda paste.

5. Cornstarch

As a good moisture absorber, cornstarch can be used to remove oil and grease stains on our Patagonia jacket. Specifically, when cornstarch is allowed to set in the stain, the powder will absorb the stain and remove it from your jacket.

Here is how you can use cornstarch to remove oil stains from the Patagonia jacket:

1. Place the Patagonia jacket on a flat surface.

2. Spray white distilled vinegar on the oil stain to refresh the stain.

3. Apply a thick layer of the cornstarch to the stain so that the oil stain will be completely covered with cornstarch.

4. Leave cornstarch to set in the stain for 12 hours.

5. Shake off the jacket to remove cornstarch.

6. Check to confirm that the stain has been completely removed.

7. If needed, repeat the process.

6. Commercial stain removers

While it is not advisable to use stain removers in some jackets such as Gore-Tex, most Patagonia jackets are made of nylon and polyester fabrics which are not ruined by different stain removers.

To use a stain remover to remove oil stains from your Patagonia jacket, you should follow the instructions provided by the stain remover manufacturer on the packaging of the remover.

To ensure that you are using the proper stain remover, you must ensure that the stain remover you are using has degreasing property.

7. Ordinary Bar Soap

The ingredients used in making ordinary bar soap can break down the oil stain molecules and effectively remove them from your jacket. To have good results, ensure that you use a bar soap that does not have any fragrance or color.

1. Lay the stained Patagonia jacket on a flat surface.

2. Spray water on the stained part of the jacket.

3. Using a damp towel, rub the soap into the stain.

4. Continue to rub until you have foam.

5. Rinse the soap with running water.

6. Check the spot that had the stain to confirm that the stain has been completely removed.

7. Wash the jacket as you usually do.

8. Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing alcohol is ideal for removing oil stains from the Patagonia jacket since it dissolves oil. However, since rubbing alcohol can discolor your jacket’s fabric, it is essential that you first spot test the alcohol on a small section of the Patagonia jacket’s material and continue with the process once you have confirmed that the alcohol will not ruin the jacket.

1. Place the Patagonia jacket on a flat surface.

2. Soak a clean towel or soft sponge with rubbing alcohol.

3. Use a clean towel or sponge soaked with rubbing alcohol to blot the stain.

4. Continue blotting until the oil stain has been removed.

5. Wash the Patagonia jacket in the washer.

Conclusion

Oil and grease stains can be challenging to get out of a Patagonia jacket, especially if the stains are old and have dried. If you try to wash the jacket without treating the stain first, the stain could set in your jacket and become almost impossible to remove. You can use any of the eight methods discussed to remove stubborn oil stains on your Patagonia jacket.

When you use one method, but you still can’t effectively remove the oil stain, you should repeat the procedure. Alternatively, you can try a different method.