Motor oil & greaseon stone & wood surfaces
Do NOT put water on it first — water spreads grease and drives it deeper. Absorb first, then degrease.
Phase 1: Immediate first aid
Use what you have right now. Nothing to buy.
Blot & isolate
Scrape off any excess with the edge of a spoon. Cover the mark thickly with cornflour or bicarbonate of soda and leave 15–30 minutes to soak up the oil, then brush off. On stone or wood: wipe up fast — porous surfaces wick stains in quickly.
Pantry pre-treatment
You need
30 ml Bicarbonate of Soda (Bicarb)+15 ml cold water
Bicarbonate of Soda (Bicarb): Not baking powder — that has added acid and starch.
Called something else where you are?
- Bicarbonate of Soda (Bicarb)
- 🇺🇸 🇨🇦Baking Soda🇬🇧 🇦🇺 🇳🇿Bicarbonate of Soda (Bicarb)🇩🇪Natron🇫🇷Bicarbonate de soude🇪🇸Bicarbonato de sodio
Method
Mix to a peanut-butter paste, spread 5 mm thick over the stain, cover with cling film and leave 24 hours. Lift off with a plastic card. Stone only — on wood, skip this and just dry the area.
Final flush & wash
Wipe clean with a cloth dampened in warm water, rinse with clean water and dry thoroughly. On wood, never leave water standing.
Why this one's tricky
Oil on a stone patio, garage floor or kitchen worktop soaks into the pores, so the trick is pulling it back out rather than scrubbing the surface. A thick poultice of bicarbonate of soda and water, covered and left for 24 hours, draws oil up as it dries. Repeat for older stains. On wood, keep it dry and use an absorbent powder only. Avoid acids on natural stone, and never use a pressure washer on a fresh oil spot, which drives it deeper.
Phase 2: Deep restoration
If a faint shadow remains after the initial rinse, or for fabrics that cannot tolerate water agitation:
Residual ghost-ring or dry-clean-only fibre?
Normal washing often won't shift the last trace of a set-in stain. Treat it with a targeted spotter before it goes anywhere near tumble-dryer heat — heat locks in whatever is left.
AlbaChem Dry Spotter
Solvent-based spotter for grease, oil, wax, make-up and ink. Works without water, so it suits fabrics that can’t be wet-cleaned.
Apply a few drops with a cotton bud, tamp gently, then flush as the label directs. Patch-test first.
- Vanish Oxi Action
Pick the formula labelled for this stain type — the range is split by stain.
Build your laundry first-aid kit
Top 3 essential spotters for next time — one for each stain family.
- AlbaChem Dry SpotterGrease, oil, wax, make-up, ink
- Alba-ProBlood, urine, grass, chocolate
- Alba-TanWine, coffee, tea, tomato, curry
Always patch-test on a hidden area first. Never mix bleach, ammonia, vinegar or peroxide together. For valuables, see a professional cleaner.