It’s a universal rule that I sometimes forget: Always avoid wearing white clothes when cooking with oil or eating a salad dressed with oily vinaigrette. Because when that oil (seemingly inevitably) splashes onto your clothes, it’ll leave a stain that’s nearly impossible to get out. Trust me, I’ve had this happen to me plenty of times, and it feels like no amount of bleach or detergent will eradicate those pesky oil stains. That’s why I was excited to hear that a natural laundry stain remover that can erase oil splatters (and nix odors, too!) was right under my nose this entire time: eucalyptus oil!

Stubborn grease stains can be tricky to get out of any item of clothing, and they’re especially annoying when the clothing in question is white or cream colored, because the stain is much more noticeable. Most of us resort to using a commercial stain remover to get rid of the grease mark for good, but those stain removers can contain harsh chemicals that might ruin the fabric and irritate your skin.

Thankfully, licensed massage therapist Kathy Sadowski — who works with oil all day — is here to save the day with her simple suggestion of using eucalyptus oil on grease stains. She explains that the eucalyptus (E. globulus) contains antibacterial compounds (specifically eucamalol and limonene) that make it a natural disinfectant to help get clothes clean.

Sadowski says eucalyptus oil works as a degreaser, taking away those bothersome oil splatters with ease. Plus, eucalyptus oil’s fresh smell wicks away musty odors, lending your load of white clothes a refreshingly pleasant scent when they come out of the dryer or off the clothesline.

Eucalyptus oil is widely available in stores and online, and it’s super simple to use: just add a couple of drops to your load before the wash cycle starts. (One to try: Cliganic Organic Eucalyptus Essential Oil — Buy from Amazon, $7.99)

On her TikTok (@mama_mila_), cleaning guru Chantel Mila shares that adding two generous drops of eucalyptus oil into the detergent compartment of a front-loading washing machine is enough to work as a stain remover. If you own a top-loader, adding the drops directly onto the clothes in the machine will also do the trick.

Once the oil and detergent are in the machine, close the lid and run your preferred cycle as you normally would. Afterwards, you should find that the stain is gone and the clothes are ready to dry. Check out the last four seconds of her laundry tips video to see how to use eucalyptus oil as a natural stain remover.

Reply to @deshanel_rocquel 3 simple tips to keep your whites whiter 🤍 which one will you be trying first? #hometips #learnontiktok

I already have a bottle of this amazing essential oil on standby for the next time I’m washing my white shirts, and I’m looking forward to it solving my laundry day woes!

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