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How to remove chilli oil, pizza grease and takeaway stains

Updated · By the Luniva team

Quick answer

Use Luniva Pro Formula (the blue one). Spray it directly onto the stain, leave it for 1–3 minutes, then wash as normal following the garment care label.

If the stain is a coloured sauce as well as grease, such as tomato or curry sauce, treat the sauce with Enzyme Powered and wash first, then treat any oily mark that's left with Pro Formula.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Blot the oil

    Press kitchen roll onto the mark to soak up as much oil as you can. Don't rub: it spreads the grease.

  2. 2

    Spray and wait 1–3 minutes

    Spray Luniva Pro Formula onto the stain until it's covered, in a well-ventilated area. Don't let it dry.

  3. 3

    Wash, then air-dry

    Wash with your usual detergent, following the care label. Air-dry and check before tumble drying: oil can wick back.

Safe handling for Pro Formula

  • Use in a well-ventilated area. Open a window or run an extractor fan.
  • Keep away from open flames, sparks and hot surfaces while spraying.
  • Avoid spraying towards the face or eyes. Wear household gloves for prolonged use.
  • Keep out of reach of children. Wash hands after handling.

Chilli oil from a noodle bowl, a drip of pizza grease, kebab and garlic sauce, fried chicken or a chippy tea: takeaway stains are mostly oil, and oil repels water, so a normal wash spreads them into a darker patch. Luniva Pro Formula is made for greasy food and sauces: blot, spray, wait 1–3 minutes, then wash as normal.

Why takeaway stains turn orange and come back

The colour in chilli oil and pizza grease comes from spices and tomato dissolved in fat, so the oil carries the colour deep into the fibres. Water can't lift the oil, which is why a takeaway mark often looks gone when the garment is wet, then shows up again once it's dry. Pro Formula is not an enzyme product. It uses grease-releasing chemistry and surfactants to loosen oily deposits from washable fabric fibres so they can be carried away in the wash.

Fabric guide

  • Recommended

    Cotton, polyester, polycotton, denim, canvas, heavy workwear and most colour-fast everyday garments, towels and bedding.

  • Avoid

    Silk, wool, leather, suede, rayon/viscose, acetate, delicate synthetics, waterproof membranes (e.g. Gore-Tex), flame-retardant finishes, and anything whose care label warns against solvents.

  • Patch-test first

    Spray a hidden area such as an inside seam, leave 1–3 minutes, rinse and let it dry. If you see colour loss, stiffness or surface change, don't use it on that garment.

  • Use it on its own

    Ready to use: never add water. Never mix with bleach, ammonia, acidic cleaners or other detergents. Don't let it dry on the fabric.

Chilli oil, pizza & takeaway grease: questions

Pizza leaves two kinds of mark. The orange grease is a job for Pro Formula. Tomato sauce is a food stain, so treat it with Enzyme Powered (see the tomato sauce guide). Treat each with its own bottle rather than layering them.

Yes. They're greasy sauces, so blot, spray Pro Formula, wait 1–3 minutes and wash as normal.

Usually, yes. Pro Formula is bleach-free and made for greasy food and sauces. Spray, wait 1–3 minutes and wash. If an orange shadow is left, treat and wash it again before drying.

Old, dried oil may need a second treatment. Re-spray, leave 1–3 minutes and wash again rather than leaving one application on longer.

Blue for the grease. Pink for any food sauce that's left, such as curry or tomato.

Based on controlled laboratory testing. Performance may vary by stain type, fabric, age of the stain and wash conditions. Always follow the garment care label and test an inconspicuous area first.

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