It often happens that while trying to multi-task, or even just by being careless, you spill some oil on your important papers. Removing these oil stains can be quite a pain if you do not know the right methods to do so. Here are some of the best tips on how to remove oil stain from paper.
Remove oil stains from paper using paper towels
Oil stains can be quite tough to remove and require quite a bit of patience. With this method, you can remove oil stains from paper using paper towels and weight. I recommend using Bounty Paper Towels (link to Amazon) as in my experience tend to soak up oil much better than any other paper towel out there.
- Take two sheets of paper towel and fold them each in half.
- Place one sheet below and one sheet above the stained piece of paper such that the stained paper is sandwiched between the two paper towels.
- Place a heavy book, a flat item, or any other weight on top of these papers. Ensure that the item you place is heavy and flat so that the weight is equally distributed.
- Let it sit for about 2 to 3 days.
- Most of the oil stain will be removed by now. If there is still some residue oil stains left on the paper, pour some baking soda on this stain and allow it to sit overnight. The baking soda will have absorbed any of the remaining oil stains from your paper.
How to remove oil stains from paper using cornmeal
Oil stains, unlike water-based stains, can spread pretty quickly and leave nasty stains on your important papers. The most important thing to do is to act quickly as soon as you spill the oil on the paper. It is also important to completely clean your hands of any oil residue by washing and drying them well before continuing, as your fingers can spread the oil stains even further.
- Lay the oil-stained paper on a flat surface and cover the stained area with a thick layer of cornmeal. Allow this to sit undisturbed for about 30 minutes or more.
- Remove the cornmeal off the stained area on the paper, and rub some talcum powder on to the same oil stained area on the paper.
- Allow this to sit for 10 minutes, before brushing off the talcum powder. Ideally, the oil stain should have reduced drastically.
- Repeat the process of adding talcum powder and brushing it off after 10 minutes, until all of the oil stains has been removed from the paper.
- Wipe off the residue of cornmeal and talcum powder from the paper after you are done.
- Stick some clear tape on to the back as well as the front side of the oil stain on the paper, and peel it off gently to remove any last residue of oil from the paper. Do this process very gently as you do not want to tear the paper. Repeat the clear tape process a few times till you are certain that the paper is free of oil completely.
Remove oil stains from paper using absorbent paper and alcohol
- Place the absorbent paper on top of the oil-stained paper carefully.
- Allow the paper to absorb most of the oil from your paper before you remove it gently.
- Using a piece of soft cloth, blot off any oil residue from the paper.
- Pour a little bit of alcohol on a cloth, and use the cloth to gently blot the oil stained area on the paper.
How to remove oil stains from paper using flour
Flour has absorbent properties and can remove oil stains from your paper.
- Place some dry tissues on top of the oil-stained paper.
- Remove the tissues after some time, and add flour on top of the oil stained area on the paper.
- Leave this undisturbed for about 30 minutes.
- Remove the flour gently with a scrubbing brush. If required, repeat the entire process till all the oil stain is removed.
How to remove oil stains from paper using powdered pipe clay
This can be quite a long-lasting process; however, it is very effective in removing oil stains from paper.
- Take a container, or a bucket, and fill it up with water.
- Add some powdered pipe clay to this water and start mixing it to make a solution. The solution should be pasty and creamy in texture and not too liquidy, or even too thick. It is important to get the consistency of the solution just right.
- Apply this solution evenly on top of your oil stained paper and allow it to rest for about 5 hours undisturbed.
- Using some paper towels or dry tissues, gently wipe away the solution from on top of your stained paper very carefully. This step is very important and must be done with extreme care.
- After you have removed the solution from the paper, allow the paper to dry naturally for another day before you touch it again. This is also a very important step.
- After drying, the oil stain should be gone completely and you can use your paper once again!
How to remove oil stains from paper using isopropyl alcohol
99% isopropyl alcohol or even denatured ethanol can be quite effective in removing oil stains from paper. However, keep in mind that this is a strong solution and you will need to ensure that you are wearing protective gloves, a mask, and have good ventilation in your room. Keep the windows and doors of your room open when doing this.
- Place a couple of paper towels under the oil-stained papers.
- Put the 99% isopropyl alcohol solution in a spray bottle for ease of use.
- Spray this IPA solution on top of the oil-stained page.
- Let this sit for a few minutes.
- Then, using some dry tissue or paper towels, gently blot the oil stain so that it gets absorbed by the paper. Repeat this process a few times to completely remove the oil stains from your paper.
