How to Get Butter Stains Out

By Matt Oden | Comments | Food and Drink Stains → Butter

Butter is a greasy oily substance that tends to be a common stain leaving many people asking how to get butter stains out? Although, butter stains can be difficult to remove, with the right tips and steps you can usually save the fabric the butter has stained. Like most stains the sooner you can begin to treat the stain the better.

How to Get Butter Stains Out of Non-Washable fabrics

What you will need:

Dull knife
Sponge
Cornmeal
Afta cleaning fluid or K2r Spot lifter

There are many different types of non-washable fabrics some include, but are not limited to, rope, silk, and wool. Because these fabrics are not washable it is a little more difficult to remove butter stains from the garments.

To begin removing the butter stain from the clothing try and gently scrape away any of the remaining dried on butter. Gently is the key word. Fabrics like wool and silk are very fragile and you will want to be careful not to make a hole in the fabric. Also you will want to be gentle as to not push the butter stain further into the fabric. This will only make it more difficult to remove.
Next, you will want to apply an absorbent to the butter stain. Cornmeal usually works the best in these cases. Ensure you have used a generous amount of cornmeal so that the entire stain has been covered.
Allow the cornmeal to sit on the stain for several hours. You can leave it on longer if you feel the butter stain is a little bigger or more stubborn.
Remove the cornmeal from the garment. You can do this by simply shaking the garment over the sink or the trash can.
Inspect the butter stained area. If the stain remains you can repeat the process by applying more cornmeal to the stain. After you have repeated the process a number of times and the stain remains you can use fabric cleaner such as Afta Cleaning Fluid or K2r Spot Lifter.
Using a sponge you will need to apply the Afta Cleaning Fluid or the K2r Spot Lifter. When using these products you will need to make light strokes with the dampened sponge working from the outer part of the stain to the center. Ensure you are using only light strokes and very little spot remover. Remember you cannot wash the garment meaning you do not want the spot lifter to make an entirely different stain.

How to Get Butter Stains Out of Washable Fabrics

What you will need:

Dull knife
Paper towels
Commercial pretreat stain remover
Fabric cleaner (Afta Cleaning Fluid)

It becomes a little easier to remove butter stains on clothes that can be washed. The types of fabrics that are considered washable are: acrylic, cotton, linen, nylon, olefin, polyester, spandex, etc.. Like most other stains it is much easier to remove a butter stain from washable fabrics if you get started right away.

To begin the butter stain removal process, on washable fabric, you will need to use the dull knife to scrape away any remaining butter on the garment. Again you will need to be gentle when completing this step. If you try and scrape too hard you can wear away the fabric or you could push the butter further into the fabric making the stain much worse.
Next, you will want to pick a pre-treating stain remover that will work best for this type stain. For greasy stains aerosols work the best. You can find these products at most any grocery store that sells laundry detergent.
Once you have decided on the best pretreatment for your butters stain you will want to apply it to the stained area.
Blot the stained area with a clean white paper towel. Ensure you do not rub the stain. If you rub the stain you can make the stain penetrate the fabric further making it harder to remove the butter stain from the garment.
Lander the garment as you normally would. Look on the garments tag for specific instructions on washing.
Inspect the stained area. If the stain remains you can move on to step 7.
Place a few layers of paper towels under the stained area. Ensure the stain is face down on the paper towels.
Next, you will want to flush the stain with a liquid fabric cleaner such as Afta Cleaning Fluid. Ensure that you are flushing the stain through the back and onto the paper towel. This will rinse the stain without damaging any other part of the garment.
Again pretreat the stain with the spot cleaner.
Wash the garment as you normally would.
Inspect the garment. If the stain remains repeat steps 7-10 as many times as needed to remove the butter stain.