How can you remove a greasy stain from a paper surface using improvised means?

Among the variety of life situations, one often has to think about solving the most incredible problems. For example, after children's games or a hearty lunch next to work documents, the question may arise how to remove a greasy stain from paper and whether this is possible in principle. As practice shows, even such a problem can be solved if you approach it wisely. If desired, it is possible to remove even persistent perennial stains, which often appear on wallpaper, without resorting to cosmetic repairs in the process.

Rules for working with paper products when removing stains

Before you begin to treat contaminants that have affected the paper surface, you need to familiarize yourself with a number of important points, otherwise the risk of damage to the product increases:

1. If you need to clean the wallpaper, you should not immediately resort to traditional methods, they can cause harm. First you need to consult with the manufacturer of the products or at least evaluate their texture. From some wallpaper, grease can be easily and simply erased with a regular eraser, and any chemical compound can only increase the severity of the formation.
2. Paper belongs to the group of very fragile objects, so mechanical impact on it must be minimized. When trying to get rid of fat, it is better to rely on physical and chemical methods.
3. When working with paper, you should not rely on products designed for working with fabric, as this can damage the surface.
4. The paper can also be different. A newspaper and a photograph react differently to the same influence, so it is recommended to first test the chosen method on an unnecessary analogue of the damaged product.

If you need to restore an expensive or delicate item, you shouldn’t take risks; it’s better to immediately contact professionals who will assess the degree of contamination and quickly fix the problem. Depending on the type of affected surface, these may be specialists from a dry cleaner, photo laboratory, or printing house.

Chemical options for affecting greasy marks covering the paper surface

The most effective options for treating grease stains are considered to be approaches that involve the use of chemical reagents. At home, these can be the following substances:

White clay powder

• White clay. Take white clay powder and dilute it with cool boiled water in equal proportions. Apply the resulting homogeneous mass in a thin layer to the problem area and leave until completely dry. Then we erase the formed crust with a soft sponge. Line the sheet with paper towels and leave to dry. If the stain cannot be completely removed, you can repeat the procedure.
• Salt. The contaminated area can be sprinkled with fine table salt, covered with a paper towel and pressed down firmly with something heavy. The fat will transfer to the crystals and stick to the paper.
• Starch. We dilute a spoonful of corn or potato starch in a glass of water. Gently apply the resulting solution to the stain using a sponge or cotton pad. We leave the area to dry and then carefully clean the mixture with a soft, lint-free cloth.
• Petrol.Place the contaminated sheet on a paper towel, take a sponge, soak it in gasoline and gently blot the stain. Take another paper towel, cover the sheet and blot in the area of ​​the greasy formation. We change towels several times.

Careless use of these methods can irreversibly damage the material, so you need to act extremely carefully, not exceeding standard dosages and not neglecting the rules.

How to eliminate greasy stains using physical methods?

To treat delicate and thin surfaces, it is better to use preparations that involve cleaning according to a physical principle. While the risk of product damage is much lower, these approaches are highly effective:

• Iron. We lay out the soiled sheet on a flat, dense surface, cover it with a clean paper napkin or blotter and begin to iron the affected area with a slightly warm iron. As the fat transfers to the napkin, we change it to a new one or turn it over with a clean area.

Advice: This method is effective, but very insidious. If you overexpose the iron slightly or do not replace the napkin in time, the grease will return to the paper again, but this time it will become fixed and will be difficult to remove. For an area covered with ink, this is also not the best option, because... During the exposure process, the font may be imprinted on the auxiliary surface.

• Chalk. The effectiveness of the previous approach can be increased if you sprinkle a little crushed chalk on the stain before ironing. As the fat transfers, you need to renew the layer of chalk and the napkin.
• Chalk and bread. A longer but absolutely safe approach. Grind the chalk to a powder, apply the substance to the stain in a dense layer.We remove the sheet to a safe place without drafts for three days. After this time, take a little crumb of fresh white bread and scrape off the resulting crust with it.
• Bread. Take a little crumb of black bread and, without rubbing it, apply it forcefully to the stain. We remove the crumbs soaked in fat and replace them with new ones. We do this until we completely remove the stain.

The proposed methods can help clean the paper surface even from old greasy stains. But you don't need to use all methods at once. It’s better to start with the most gentle ones, moving to more aggressive ones if necessary.