Why You Should Use Chalk To Remove Oil Stains

Chalk can be used for more than drawing on the sidewalk or solving math problems on a chalkboard. It's also great at removing oil stains from clothing. Chalk is perfect for getting out oil stains because of how absorbent it is. Blackboard and sidewalk chalk's main ingredient is calcium carbonate, according to Britannica, but what makes it so absorbent is its open-cell structure.

The best way to use chalk to get rid of stains is as a pretreating stain remover, says Budget Savvy Diva. It'll work to remove stains from oil and grease splatters, but you need to work quickly — fresh stains are easier to remove than those set in already. Consider keeping chalk in the kitchen so you can quickly grab it when splatters happen. Chalk will not only get out oil stains, but underarm sweat stains, lipstick stains, and rings around shirt collars too. It also works great at removing musty mildew odors from closets and laundry hampers by throwing a couple of pieces in the closet or at the bottom of a hamper.

When using chalk to remove a stain, you should always choose plain white blackboard chalk. If you were to use sidewalk chalk, you'd be left with a colorful stain on your clothing. To use chalk as a stain remover, you first need to remove any excess food or oil from the clothing with a paper towel. Then the stain should be completely covered with the chalk, but don't rub it in too hard, as Public Goods notes, this could set the stain in deeper. It should be left to sit for about ten minutes for the chalk to do its magic and absorb the oil.

It's best to wash the stained clothing as soon as possible. Before adding it to the laundry machine, spray the stain with stain remover or laundry detergent to really get out the stain if it is tough. Then it can be added to the laundry machine that should be set to as hot as the fabric can take.