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The right way to remove bicycle chain grease from your clothes

Riding your bike is a blast, until grease from the chain marks up your favorite pair of pants. Here's how to clean it off.
/ Source: TODAY

No matter how much you try to avoid it, grease from your bike chain always seems to make it on to your pants. And before you know it, some of that grease has rubbed off on your sofa. Yikes!

No need to lose your cool, however. Here to tell you how to get rid of that grease is a trio of expert cleaners.

How to remove grease from clothing

Clorox's "Dr. Laundry," Mary Gagliardi, says it's important to work on this stain while it's dry.

  1. Pre-treat grease by saturating the stain with dish detergent. Thoroughly massage it into the greasy spot.
  2. Wait 5 minutes, then rinse with a little warm water.
  3. Wash the item in the hottest water the fabric will tolerate using detergent and ½ cup Clorox® Regular-Bleach for white bleach-safe items* or Clorox2® Stain Remover and Color Booster for items with color. (Note: Avoid bleaching wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex.)
  4. Air dry the garment.
  5. If any stain remains, repeat the treatment, starting on dry fabric.

RELATED: How to remove oil and grease stains from clothing

How to remove grease from carpets

Jack White, vice-president of technical services for Rainbow International, suggests a simple way to remove axle/bicycle chain grease. Before you do anything, blot the stain with a cotton towel to remove any residual grease.

  1. Apply a dry-cleaning solvent to the towel and blot the stain. (Dry cleaning solvents are available at hardware stores as paint/oil/grease removers.)
  2. Repeat until grease is completely removed.
  3. Once the stain is removed, rinse by dabbing the area with a dampened cloth. Blot with a dry cloth to remove as much moisture as possible. To speed up the drying process, use an electric fan.
  4. If the stain remains, call a professional.

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How to remove grease from upholstery

Before attempting to clean upholstery, “Dr. Laundry” advises that you check under the seat cover for care instructions and information on the fiber content of the fabric. If it’s a fabric you can care for yourself — think cotton, polyester, nylon and rayon — then the best thing to do is to rent an upholstery cleaner (a carpet cleaning machine with a special hose attachment) and purchase the appropriate cleaning products for the machine at the place where you rent the equipment.

For oily stains like axle and bicycle chain grease, look for a product that includes surfactants on the ingredients list — those are the cleaning agents that will break up the oil.

Here are some basic tips:

Pre-treat the stains while the fabric is dry. Don’t let the chemical used in the pre-treatment to sit on the fabric more than a few minutes. And definitely don’t let it dry out!

Use hot tap water to mix the cleaning solution according to manufacturer’s instructions.