Getting oil on shoes is not a pleasant experience. It is not easy to remove oil stains, but it is not impossible either. There are some good things you can do to deal with this hassle. If you are curious, read this article. This post is for those who need to know how to get motor oil out of shoes.
Steps to follow
You must act quickly to remove motor oil stains from shoes. First, sprinkle corn flour, salt, talcum powder or any other absorbent material on the stains. Leave the absorbent material sit on your shoes for some time. It will gradually absorb the oil. No matter what type of shoes you have, you can use this trick.
After that, take toothbrush or a soft bristle brush to remove the absorbent material. If there is still some dust on the shoe, remove it with a dry, clean cloth. You can repeat the process if necessary. Here is another recommendation: make a thin paste with some cornstarch and rub it on the stains.
But there are different types of shoes, and you need a bit different approaches for them. Now we will discuss what to do with different types of shoes and how to get motor oil out of shoes.
Some stains are hard to remove. If talcum powder is not enough to remove motor oil stains from shoes, you will find these additional tips helpful.
Leather shoes
- If your shoes are made of natural leather, you can clean them with just some hot water and shampoo. Mix 2 tablespoons of shampoo with 500 ml of hot water. Put a piece of clean cloth in the water and rub your shoes with the wet cloth. If there is excess soap, you can remove it with another piece of wet cloth.
- If the shoes are made of synthetic leather, you can use some washing up liquid to remove the stains. Washing up liquid can remove oil stains because it is a powerful degreaser. But do not use a cheap product as it can damage your shoes. You need to be a bit choosy when purchasing the product.
- Peel a banana and rub it on your shoes if the leather is dark. If there are ink stains on your skin, you can remove them with this trick. It is a good idea to use a hair dryer to dry the shoes properly.
Suede shoes
You need to be a bit more careful when cleaning suede shoes, because they are more delicate. Use some talcum powder to get the job done. The stain should disappear if you perform the first two steps mentioned above.
There is another great thing you can do. Make a solution with ammonia, mild soap and some water. Make sure that the ingredients are mixed properly. Beat it and gradually it will froth. Then use the foal only to remove the stain.
You can use a soft bristle brush to apply the foam on the stains. If there is any leftover foam on the shoes, remove it with a clean cloth. After that, use a hair dryer to dry the shoes well.
Nubuck
This material is not very different from suede. That is why you can apply the same cleaning process to clean these shoes. Try not to use liquid products to remove stains from this type of shoes. However, oil is a liquid material, and it can seep into the shoes and get inside.
That is why it is important to clean the entire shoe. Apply talcum powder as mentioned above. After that, make a solution with some bar soap and hot water. When the soap dissolves, apply it with a soft brush and clean the shoe. You have to pay particular focus on the oil stains.
Fabric shoes
Now we will discuss how to get motor oil out of shoes made of fabric. These shoes are very easy to clean. Use talcum powder as mentioned above. Prepare a mixture of a little baking soda, soap and warm water. Once you have mixed the ingredients properly, apply the mixture with a soft little brush. Then leave the shoes in the sun and dry them out.
Check the label. It is important to be a little careful because some trainers have extra materials such as leather and suede. Washable fabric is usually used to make running shoes. These shoes may also contain rubber and plastic. That is why you can safely put these shoes in a washing machine.
It will be determined to some extent by the sturdiness of the shoes. If you do not want to put them in washing machine, you can remove the stains with the same mixture. And if the stains do not go away, you can repeat the process.
To figure out how to get motor oil out of shoes, you may need to go through some trial and error. But we can say for sure that these homemade tricks can very effectively remove oil stains from your shoes.
If you follow the steps properly, you will not notice the stains any longer. There may be other types of stains on your shoes, and you may need to take a different approach to remove the stains. For example, if there are coffee stains, you need to get a bit creative to remove the stains.
Opt for alternatives
If you can not get some cornstarch, you can use other household staples. We have already mentioned talcum powder. That can be a great alternative to cornstarch. It can remove oil stains from leather shoes very effectively. You can remove some stains by simply rubbing cornstarch with your fingers.
If you keep rubbing, you will feel some heat due to the friction. Then you have to wipe off the material. If the stains do not go away, you can repeat the process. Usually you can remove the stains after repeating the process just a couple of times. Do you need to know how to get motor oil out of shoes? Using cornstarch is the simplest way to do it.
Hands off
You can use a dry cleaner to remove oil stains from leather shoes. If you use a dry cleaner, you may not have to try hard to figure out how to clean your shoes with a DIY method. Here is another important thing to notice: if you leave it alone, the stain may dissipate into the shoes, especially if the shoes are made of leather.
Prevention is key
To prevent future stains, you can use a protective spray. After you buy your leather shoes, it is a good idea to spray on the shoes. Every few months, you can apply some protective spray on your leather shoes. After that you can apply a leather lotion. These preventive measures are often very effective.
Warnings
If you really want to know how to get motor oil out of shoes, you can try any or all of the methods mentioned above. However, you need to be careful about a few things. When it comes to treating stains on leather, some products are off limits.
The list includes ammonia products, abrasive cleaners, detergent soaps, cleaning solvents, saddle soaps, other oils and varnish. The leather’s natural oils will break down if you use any product with silicon or wax.
To remove an oil stain, do not use water. If you do so, the stains will be more easily noticeable, and later you will find it harder to remove the stains.
