How to remove grease stains from paper

Grease stains often appear on a variety of surfaces, including paper where small children live. Restless pranksters are able to leave traces of their dirty pens on the wallpaper, books and notebooks of older brothers and sisters, even on important parental documents. But adults can also put a greasy spot, for example, if a person has a snack at work and studies reports at the same time, this happens quite often. The good thing is that there are many ways to solve the problem. To learn how to remove such contaminants from paper, read the article by Expertology specialists.

Tips to help remove grease stains from paper effectively and safely

It is necessary to deal with the elimination of oily traces, taking into account some factors:

1. 
   Than a «fresh» stain, the easier it will be to remove it using gentle means and methods. Therefore, the procedure should be carried out immediately after the discovery of a problem, and not postponed until later. If you notice the stain not immediately, but after some time has passed, this is also no reason to despair, because there are ways to remove old contaminants.

2. 
   Color, weight, paper type. If the stain is on white cardboard or other white heavy material, you can use any of the methods listed in this article to remove it. In other cases, the situation becomes more complicated. If thin, colored paper, with printed or written text, drawings, seals has been contaminated, you should act as carefully as possible. Do not use aggressive substances that can damage the surface structure, paper fibers, remove the coloring pigment along with the oil, and also leave a hole or area on the surface that will be discolored.

3. 
   Document Importancewith a greasy stain. Before taking any action to clean up contamination, consider how much damage will be done if the document is damaged. If you can’t take risks, for example, when it comes to important agreements, contracts, passports, etc., it’s better to contact a specialist (photo lab, printing house, dry cleaner) or try to copy, restore the document.

4. 
   Features of paper handling. It must be remembered that this material does not tolerate strong mechanical stress, including hard friction, as well as strong wetting.

And of course, it is necessary to understand that one should act as delicately and carefully as possible, first testing the chosen method and means on a small area of ​​the surface, if possible.

How to remove fresh grease stains from paper — emergency measures

The basic principle on which the method of removing fresh grease stains from paper is based is that something must absorb the grease. This “something” can be Extra class salt, powdered white chalk, flour. The procedure for saving paper is simple, you need to have kitchen paper towels, paper napkins or, in extreme cases, toilet paper with you. Sequencing:

1. Pour salt, chalk on a greasy stain in a thick layer, wait 5 minutes until the absorbent absorbs the maximum amount of oil.
2. Blot the stain with a paper towel, pressing it very firmly against the paper.
3. Sprinkle the greasy trace again with the selected substance, cover with a napkin, iron with a heated iron.
4. If a greasy trace appears on the napkin, it must be changed to a new one so that it absorbs as much fat as possible. You should also add new salt or chalk.
5. The ironing procedure is carried out several times, turning the sheet over with the front and back sides.

Some housewives advise using a slightly modified method for removing oily contaminants. You need to take all the same soda or chalk, a few paper napkins folded in half, a few heavy books or any other heavy object with a flat surface. We put a napkin, pour a thin layer of chalk / salt on it, put paper with a stain, sprinkle chalk or salt on top again, cover with a second napkin, put oppression on top.

Starch mixed with water will also help remove grease stains from paper. To obtain a working mixture, take a few tablespoons of starch and the same amount of plain water. It is necessary to obtain a mixture that is similar in consistency to gruel. Spread it in a thin layer over the surface of the contamination, wait until it dries completely, clean it off the paper with a soft cloth.

Another way to remove greasy stains from paper is to use the pulp of fresh brown bread. Mash the pulp in your hands, form a ball out of it, wipe the surface with it until the desired result is obtained. Although this method is rather dubious, the result depends on the type of bread. Some users report that they have new oily spots on the paper after such a procedure.

If you have white clay, which is used in cosmetics for oily skin, you can try it as an absorbent. To do this, dilute 2 tablespoons of the substance with 1 tablespoon of water, mix, let stand for a while. Apply the mixture to the contaminated area, leave to dry completely (20-30 minutes). Then clean off the clay with a rag.

How to remove old grease stains from paper — we use solvents

It should immediately be clarified that these methods are suitable for «resuscitation» only of thick white paper, without inscriptions, drawings, seals. Since stubborn and dried stains cannot be removed with absorbent substances, you will have to use products that can dissolve grease, and with it dyes, inks, etc.

Hydrogen peroxide

This substance has excellent brightening and degreasing properties. Therefore, it is often used to remove greasy stains, including from paper, this is done as follows:

1. We take a piece of cotton wool, a cotton pad or a clean white cotton cloth, moisten it a little with peroxide.
2. We carefully blot the stain with a disk, making several touches to the sheet, but not allowing it to become very wet.
3. We put the soiled document between two sheets of clean white paper, iron it with a warm (not hot) iron.

After that, the paper can be put under a book press or other oppression for several days so that the treated area does not bubble up.

Purified gasoline «Galosha»

Ordinary gasoline will also help remove grease stains from paper, but after using this product, stains from it will remain on the sheet. If you use refined gasoline, for example, a drug sold under the trade name «Kalosha» or «Galosha». After its application, there should be no traces, streaks, stains, it quickly evaporates.

Refined gasoline can be used in its pure form. To do this, soak a cotton pad with a small amount of the product, wipe the paper until the fat dissolves and the stain disappears. After that, the paper is well dried and ventilated. In the future, it can not be kept near sources of fire.

Tooth powder and refined gasoline

The gasoline in the mixture should degrease the surface, the toothpowder dissolved in the liquid will act as a mild abrasive, pushing oily particles out of the paper fibers. To prepare the product and process it with a dirty page, you need a shallow glass, ceramic or metal container, a stirring stick, a soft brush or brush. You need to process it like this:

1. Pour 1-2 tablespoons of the powder into the container, gradually, in small portions, pour gasoline into it, stirring with a stick or fork. The result should be a paste with the consistency of sour cream without lumps.
2. We are waiting for the complete dissolution of the powder so that there are no large abrasive particles.
3. Apply the product on the stain, leave for a day.
4. Clean off the dried mass with a soft cloth or sponge.

Keep in mind that after such processing, the document will have a pronounced smell of gasoline.

Conclusion

It is quite difficult to remove grease stains from paper, especially thin and of a certain value. The safest way is to use salt or chalk and paper towels, which, under the influence of the low temperature of the soleplate, absorb oil. Experiments with caustic liquids are quite risky. At best, they will not give the desired result, at worst, the document will be completely damaged.