How do you get bike grease out of a nice new white jersey?
KnightOfTheLongTights
Posts: 1,415
I've not washed it yet - thought there might be something you should do before washing?
Any special tricks?
Or what I believe the kids these days call 'hacks'...?
Any special tricks?
Or what I believe the kids these days call 'hacks'...?
0
Comments
-
no promises, but this has worked for me before - put in the washing machine on your normal wash. when it's finished, use a (clean/white) toothbrush and some fairy liquid and scrub in a circular motion on the stain. perseverance pays off.0
-
a dry cleaner once told me to rub in salt and fairy liquid - then put it in the washing machine
I have found it effective in a number of circumstances (though not tried yours)0 -
I've used degreaser on 1 or 2 items of clothing. Sprayed on, gave a quick rub to try and get things moving and then thrown in the washing machine.0
-
I've used degreaser on 1 or 2 items of clothing. Sprayed on, gave a quick rub to try and get things moving and then thrown in the washing machine.
Yes I have also used that special mechanic's handwash stuff before it has sort of worked.0 -
Be careful using a toothbrush or anything abrasive — you might damage the finish of the material and risk just rubbing the grease in. I use a bar of Vanish soap before a machine wash — wet the material, rub the soap on and give it a gentle scrub against itself. Leave for 20 minutes or so before washing.0
-
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19669704#p19669704]Surrey Commuter[/url] wrote:a dry cleaner once told me to rub in salt and fairy liquid - then put it in the washing machine
Insanity! Everybody knows that Fairy Liquid is full of salt!!! :roll:
(I am just joking - I just get fed up of people saying that on Internet forums. It's bollox)
My advice is don't RUB or SCRUB anything in - gently massage. Fairy is a good suggestion. Swarfega is probably better. Both are design to break down grease and should be applied and left for a short while before the first wash. Vanish will be pretty ineffective. If things start to look desperate, car brake cleaner (with something disposable and absorbent on the other side) sprayed on the mark is a good shout.ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0 -
Be careful using a toothbrush or anything abrasive — you might damage the finish of the material and risk just rubbing the grease in. I use a bar of Vanish soap before a machine wash — wet the material, rub the soap on and give it a gentle scrub against itself. Leave for 20 minutes or so before washing.
This is good advice. Cycle clothing fabrics are very delicate.
Make sure you always wash your cycle clothing in non-bio detergent, that has no conditioners or softeners. These additives can cause problems with very technical fabrics, especially waterproof/windproof garments.0 -
If things start to look desperate, car brake cleaner (with something disposable and absorbent on the other side) sprayed on the mark is a good shout.
Or bike degreaser maybe?
Thanks. Should I be aiming to get all the grease out before I put it in the wash, or just break it down a bit?0 -
Hair spray works really well on getting ink out of clothes. I haven't used it for grease but if all else fails, it's worth a go.0
-
Make sure you always wash your cycle clothing in non-bio detergent,
Can you explain to me what the enzymes do to damage the clothes?ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19669756#p19669756]KnightOfTheLongTights[/url] wrote:If things start to look desperate, car brake cleaner (with something disposable and absorbent on the other side) sprayed on the mark is a good shout.
Or bike degreaser maybe?
Thanks. Should I be aiming to get all the grease out before I put it in the wash, or just break it down a bit?
Probably not bike degreaser. The point about brake cleaner is that it's designed to leave no greasy residue (basically a highly volatile pure solvent). Bike degreaser is probably a bit more "rough & ready" and may contain dyes (for consistency of colour) and other crap you don't want.
Detergents basically grab grease at one end and water at the other. I'd start by using Swarfega (the green version) gently massaged in and given a chance to work. Then I'd wash the jersey on the hottest wash you think you can get away with on its own with plenty of laundry detergent (bio will have fat/oil enzymes in it). See how it looks after that. Maybe repeat if not clean first time. I'd resort to brake cleaner only after the washing fails. Apply to the dry jersey with plenty of absorbent material to blot up the residue. Then treat again with Swarfega and wash.
No guarantees but that's what I would do (I used to make Fairy Liquid, Ariel, Daz, Bold etc).
One final thing you might try at the end is Ace or another peroxide (must be peroxide) laundry bleach. That might just sort it. It's brilliant for blood and other proteins - never tried on bike grease. Whatever you do, don't let it dry out after youve applied it to the stain. The stain will be gone because so will the fabric....ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0 -
Make sure you always wash your cycle clothing in non-bio detergent,
Can you explain to me what the enzymes do to damage the clothes?
Biological detergents mainly affect waterproof fabric performance. However, these type of detergents are usually more aggressive and can contain hidden softeners and bleaches which can also affect the wicking properties of specialist garments etc0 -
thanks a lot for the info meanredspider: I tried pretty much what you said and it's worked pretty well.
Massaged in my version of swarfega (forgotten what it's called) along with a load of Fairy; left it for a minute or two; then put it in some hot water with lots of non-bio powder for a soak; and rinsed. No machine wash as yet.
There are a couple of faint residual marks left that probably only I can notice - but which are still irritating me as it's a brand new top!0 -
Make sure you always wash your cycle clothing in non-bio detergent,
Can you explain to me what the enzymes do to damage the clothes?
Biological detergents mainly affect waterproof fabric performance. However, these type of detergents are usually more aggressive and can contain hidden softeners and bleaches which can also affect the wicking properties of specialist garments etc
Sorry - at least for Ariel and Daz (Bold is 2-in-1 so has unhidden softeners in it), that's utter borlicks - I used to make them. The enzymes in Bio products are there to help clean the products (especially at low temperatures) but they aren't "aggressive" - the only real reason to buy non-Bio is if you get a skin reaction to the enzymes: some people are sensitised to them. There are no "hidden" softeners or bleaches. Liquids, in particular, couldn't contain bleaches even if we wanted to because they aren't stable. The softener in AP clay. You don't want to use a softener but you would only do it on purpose. For reference I've been using Ariel for years and years on all my cycling gear - absolutely no issue. Like the Fairy Liquid thing, there's a lot of rubbish on the internet about laundry products.ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19670090#p19670090]KnightOfTheLongTights[/url] wrote:thanks a lot for the info meanredspider: I tried pretty much what you said and it's worked pretty well.
Massaged in my version of swarfega (forgotten what it's called) along with a load of Fairy; left it for a minute or two; then put it in some hot water with lots of non-bio powder for a soak; and rinsed. No machine wash as yet.
There are a couple of faint residual marks left that probably only I can notice - but which are still irritating me as it's a brand new top!
That's good. I'd repeat the process and use a Bio detergent for the machine wash (machines are much better at it - especially Bosch and, in particular Miele). Leave the cleanser and Fairy to work longer. It's a chemical process so needs a finite amount of time to happen. After that, I'd leave it and just wash it when you've used it for riding.ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH0
