I brought a few shirts to the dry cleaners about a year and a half ago because they had some grease stains on them and I had tried and tried to get them out without any success.
I was fully prepared to pay the $2.00 per shirt at the dry cleaners (much less than buying a new shirt, right?) but the very nice lady at the dry cleaners said, “Oh, you can just use some Dawn Direct Foam on that and it will come right out!” Well not only did she create a customer for life (or at least as long as we are living in this city) but she gave me some knowledge that has saved MANY shirts from ending up in a garage sale or at a thrift store (or at the dry cleaners).
So when your shirt looks like the shirt pictured above, just put a little Dawn Direct Foam (or another similar product) on each spot, let it sit a few minutes, and then wash as usual! The grease stains disappear like magic!
This also can come in handy if you are garage sale or thrift store shopping and you find shirts with oil or grease stains. You can pay the 10¢ to buy the stained shirt with confidence, knowing that the shirt will look as good as new after you’re done with it! 
I heard that it also works as a flea shampoo for your dogs, and it’s safe to use.
I have been using the Dawn direct foam for grease stains for quite some time now, it works great, however I tried using a cheaper brand on a few stains, and it did not work as well as the dawn did. It got some of the stain out, but you could still slightly notice where it was on the shirt.
I use lemon Joy and it works too!
I can’t believe I’ve never heard this before! I don’t usually buy Dawn, but I’m totally going to buy one now to keep in the laundry room! I wish I’d known this before now. Do you think this works on shirts that have already been washed/dried?
Yes it does work on clothes already been washed and dried in the dryer. Just remember to let it sit with the Dawn on the stain for a few minutes.
Regular dawn works just as well too and is less expensive than dawn direct.
Love this tip, and love your blog! Thanks for the heads up!
Thanks for the tip!
My dh is a rigger & comes home covered in God knows what & you name it.
I have tried everything & can not get out the stains.
Will try this.
Off to get some Dawn Foam!
Thanks for this fabulous tip! Now I’ll be able to wear the other half of my wardrobe in public again!
I have always used regular dawn dish soap. If it doesn’t work the first wash I put dawn on it and let it sit on the shirt a few days. I learned it from my husband who always gets grease on his clothes from working in the garage.
I use regular Dawn. Works great on ALL grease stains I have encountered so far. I leaned against some pipe elbows that had plumbers grease on them one night at work. I didn’t realize it until I had gotten it all over my hands. I wiped the excess off then left the pants to sit while I researched a good product to use. Dawn seemed to be the over-whelming choice for tough grease stains so I used the bottle in the kitchen and rubbed it in from the inside to help the fabric release the grease. It worked GREAT! I saved my favorite pair of jeans and was so happy.