Oil and grease family: degrease, then hot wash
How to get bike chain grease out
Black grease plus metal particles. The classic right-ankle stripe.
Do this first
Scrape
Fresh stain
- Scrape
- Solvent remover or dish soap worked in with a toothbrush
- Leave 15 minutes
- Wash hot as allowed
Dried or old
- Repeat solvent and dish soap
- Laundry bar
- Fabric care
- Test solvent on denim.
- Time
- 20 min
- How to tell
- Look: black lines; Feel: greasy; Smell: oily
Where this fix comes from
- University of Illinois Extension, Stain Solutions
- Household folk practice, checked against the guides above
We check every fix against these published guides. We do not run a test lab of our own.
Before you start
- Test on a hidden seam first.
- Never mix cleaners.
- Keep it out of the dryer until the stain is gone.