You placed a HEAVY load on my shoulders....an oxidized oil stain is the hardest stain known to man to remove and sadly is going to require knowelage out of my scope..perhaps Sin will read this and offer his expertise...if it was anything but oil based I'd say steam...but I just don't know about oxidized oil...is the shirt a wet or dry wash garment?

One word. Ammonia ;)

Ammonia and Liquid Tide or Wisk as a paste might be enough to remove it.

Mich..the stain oxidized. .I need to think

I am inclined to believe the cleaner. If they can't remove it with the arsenal of products at hand, then it can,t be removed. There really is absolutely nothing you can use.

They wet washed it or dry cleaned it? If it was wet washed you could have them dry clean it. It's possible the solvent will release the stain, providing there using good ole fashion Perc.

Stain spotting and removal is a time intensive process. After reading the OP over, he likely rejected it because it's not worth his time, effort, and product for 2.50 and good professional cleaners know when to just reject the garment.

I just called the cleaners and it was a wet wash.

@mitch. Do u mean hot water soak in ammonia and liquid tide?

@bossyvossy, pour liquid ammonia over the stain, and soak it in a diluted solution of Liquid Tide in Hot Water.

Soak overnight for best results.
It should improve, but may need a second soak.

Just read about oxidized grease stains and says no water.

Mitch, I will do and report here. Thanks laundry-obsssessed. I lurk in your forum. You're gonna make me win the freebie. Lol

Needs solvent cleaning and even now there is no guarantee. It's been set! If the cleaner could have removed the stain he would have, prior to washing. Good luck but you won't be collecting the free press anytime soon. Had the garment been originally spotted and dry cleaned, you would have had a different outcome. However no cleaner dry cleans washable shirts.

THisis exactly what I thought..which is why I wanted Sin to confirm. Oxidized is different than just a spot of grease/oil on a shirt...it actually carmalized into the garments fibers.

OK you guys, how does a stain become oxidized? Is it time or heat and time?

BTW, I love a good challenge;)

@pink - your correct mama.! To further complicate matters, Im quite sure the shirt went through a finishing press before the stain was even caught. It will never come out completely. For all we know the cleaner may have not even caught it prior to processing and it was never spotted! Volumes of shirts are given a quick eyeball unless the customer specifically tells them it's stained.

@enduring - it's both. Over time those yellow and brown stains that are seen are from storing for long periods of time. Residual oils or residual elements react with oxygen and create a chemical reaction causing the oxidation. Heat will set some stains immediately.

Bossy, I'm sorry I was unable to give you an absolute way of removing this stain, but oxidized oil is different from just a oil stain. But you should at least try, the shirt is already ruined so it can't hurt any. I don't even think us consumers can get our hands on Perc, which is what would be needed for even a remote chance. I wish you luck.

See if you can track down a bar of Octagon. It is a bar detergent, usually in the detergent isle. I have had full success with removing old, oxidized stains using it. Get the stain really wet, rub with the bar, and rub it into the stain. Let it set a minimum of 30 mins. Wash in hot, obviously. Bleaching will not help, it is all about detergent. Blue Dawn might help, too. I have been using a spray bottle of water, spiked with a tiny bit of STPP, and an Octagon bar for a laundry pre-treater for years. I use it with great success. Oxidized oil is murder to get out, but I think it can be done. I wish you luck!

Good idea Joel...do you keep this spray bottle of pretreater at the ready? I'm asking because wouldn't the stpp be decomposed in about a day?

Wow. Are there no good cleaners anymore? I has a similar issue a few weeks ago. Detergent and a scrub brush got out the oils but left a stain. Washing at 205 took care of the rest.

I don't know if Octagon is still available. Fels Naptha is probably the closest alternative. Blue Dawn is about the best grease remover I know of other than a commercial solvent. It has to be the blue stuff without conditioners.

Remember if clothing has a stain you should attach a small note to the garment, many cleaners just do a quick eyeball and don't catch it all..no excuse but it could save clothing in the future.

Yes, it is just one of those tiny spray bottles that hold like 6 ounces. I never really thought about the STPP not working after a while. I just thought it would give some umph to stain removal. lol. I used it last week on some unknown stain that my nephew had on his shirt, and it came out the first time.

To be honest, I rarely pretreat anything unless I know it is a difficult stain, or a repeat wash. I guess I am just a lazy ass and let the Miele do the pre-washing, soaking, and hot washing for me. lol. I rarely have anything not come out the first time, without pre-treatment. If not, then the water spray and Octagon take care if it, typically. :)

I also rarely pretreat stains, unless like you I know its a tough one. and its very rare for the stains not to come out in the wash. I think a lot of us don't need to pretreat. IMO it has a great deal to do with water temps, those that wash in cold will for sure need to pretreat lol.

Octagon is no longer sold. Think they stopped making it in 2012 or 13. You can find it on e-bay now and then but it is outrageous.

Really?! They still have stacks of them at all the WalMart's, Food Lion's, Kroger's and Martin's grocery stores in my area (Virginia). I reckon I better stock up....

Sandy1616: Does the blue Dawn Ultra have conditioners?

Blue Dawn doesn't so blue ultra should be fine.

Joel: Thought I was losing my mind but I googled "Is Octagon soap still made" then click on "My Brands" and it will tell you they stopped making it in July 2012. People there were hoping someday they would bring it back. I used to have 2 grocery stores around me that had it but havent got it anymore. Check ebay just to be looking. You will be floored at the prices, or at least I was. You better buy what you see while you can get it. It's good to take a bath with if you have been in poison oak plus it is good for insect bites and chiggers.

Thanks for the tip. I am gonna stock up! If anyone might be interested, I will ship! I love this soap. I used to make my own home made laundry detergent with it, years ago. I love it for drying out poison ivy, too. I take it camping to wash dishes with, and for insect bites, too. I make my own bath soaps now, but I have been known to shower with it. lol.

It's strange that Octagon was discontinued about the time so many began making their own detergent. I would think sales would have increased. Grab what you can now.

I havent seen the big bottles of Octagon dish liquid in several years either. There was 2 versions white bottle and yellow bottle--remember?

Joel, I would love a bar of Octagon, I'd be happy to pay for product and shipping. I've hunted for several years and have had no luck finding it. My email is. mamapinky0@gmail.com

That's a zero at the end of my name...send me your address and I'll send some $$ gladly.

Dab full strength Lestoil cleaner on the stain. Let it sit for 15 mins and wash as you normally do with hot water and detergent. Has worked for me with all oil based stains. Oxidized or not.

Mama, I sent you an email just this morning. :) Tideman, good suggestion with Lestoil. I have actually never used it, but mayyyybe I better get a bottle of that to have in my laundry stash for those hard to shift great stains.

I just looked at some reviews on Lestoil cleaner on the HD website. The ones were all very positive, except for the one in 2015. There the reviewer states that the formulation was changed due to government regulations. The reviewer loved the product prior to 2015, now states no better than Mr. Clean or Pine-Sol. So it sounds like you need to find an older bottle of the stuff to get the most effective formulation. We know there are plenty of old stock out there of other products, so probably with this product as well.

My Lowes and Home Depot has tons of Lestoil. Maybe look there behind the newer bottles.

OMG!! On my knees praying that they haven't changed the formula of my beloved Lestoil. I also use it to get up oil stains and tar on my floors including the garage floor, and gets out ball point ink and any oil based stains from fabrics.

Lordy, Lordy on my knees praying now.

Better get to the store fast and pick up some old bottles before its too late !!!!

Tideman, thats just what the one review stated. I don't follow these events of government required formulary changes. The bottles might be labeled. Lets hope so.

I have a feeling Tide you will find it..if not let me know I'm sure to find it in my little town.

I sent you a private message back..hope you got it.

UPDATE: I soaked my shirt with "oxidized" stain in hot water and ammonia overnight. Stain remained. I applied Lysol kitchen countertop cleaner with Clorox (yes, you read right, countertop cleaner) on the spot and within 1 hr spot was gone. Either the spot wasn't oxidized or some of you guys are spending a lot of time and effort on solving laundry problems that deserve I fraction of time spent. thanks for your good intentions and continue to enjoy your hobby.

WOW Bossy...good for you!

Now we have one more arsenal at our disposal.

Lysol Kitchen Countertop Cleaner with Clorox.

I'm glad you got that out..way to go...chlorine bleach can at times remove things like this...but at the cost of breaking down the fibers. I agree some of us spend what seems like extra time on stains at times..however chlorine won't remove everything and there's risks involved with it..it causes yellowing and a breakdown of fabrics if caution isn't used. I'm not against Chlorine Bleach, not at all, it has it place for sure, but it also requires proper knowelage of its use or clothing can be ruined. What you did was brave, I would never have applied this straight onto fabric, but I'm glad it worked out for you. I'm thinking it wasn't oxidized otherwise the chlorine would most likely have turned it a lovely shade of yellow. I just realized yoi left it on for an hour..that's real bravery lol.

It's fantastic you got that stain out! What's really suspect here is your dry cleaner, who I happen to think fed you a line! What's really interesting to me is I didn't know Lysol made a product with Clorox, which in itself is a branded product by different company. Not to second guess you, are you sure that's the product you really used, or did you add the Clorox independently?

I stand corrected but Lysol does make s cleaner with bleach, I use them interchangeably. And as far as bleach tearing fabric, yes but i clean with a cotton rag daily using cleaner with bleach and they don't tear up. I am not concerned that shirt will tear up

If such is the case, with all due respect all that shirt needed was washed in hot water, detergent, and chlorine bleach, and the stain would have been gone. Moral of story, your dry cleaner is a sham! Lol

Yep Dry Cleaner failed to do his/her job.. you did the job sweety, and I agree, a good ole hot wash and all would have been well...you can tell the dry cleaner they owe you...and that the stain was not oxidized. Good job reguardless vossy.

Lysol AP with Bleach is the bomb! My favorite cleaner in the world, but it is strong and getting harder to find.

This thread jogged an old memory fragment. I seem to recall that my grandmother repeatedly blotted oxidized stains with lighter fluid. Then Joy dish detergent and a couple of wash cycles, followed by a line-dry. Is that memory real? Or crazy?

That is probably true. A lot of older women had some really caustic stain removers in their arsenal. Lighter fluid would be one of them. I think they might have even used gasoline, too. Back then, you could buy anything a dry cleaner used at the drug store. Today, people are too slap happy and careless with potentially dangerous products. Ever notice how washer user manuals clearly state to not wash anything with grease or flammable liquids on it? I do believe that warning originated, from housewives pre-treating with solvents.