One of the best ways to remove a fat or oil stain from your wool or silk shirt is to first let it dry. This will also work for a a more complex stain such as salad dressing or gravy (once it's dry). Rub cornstarch (or cornstarch powder, or even talcum powder) into the stain , then let it sit for at least 20 minutes, and then brush it off with a soft brush or a clean, dry washcloth. Repeat the treatment several times to fully remove the fat. Further washing or dry cleaning is not needed.

You can even speed up the process by placing a paper towel above and below the treated spot, and going over the area with a hot steam iron. This can be repeated several times as well, until the stain is gone. My husband loves this simple method. It has saved shirts, ties and trousers from dinner mishaps while he's been on business trips!

Another amazing item that works on removing fat, grease, oil, tar, and wax is the citrus oil (actually, citrus turpine) which you will find in products such as CitraSolve. Citrisolve is a Citrisolve is a blend of d-limonene, aliphatic hydrocarbon solvents and emulsifying agents.

They are made from natural, steam distilled citrus oils. They are not non-toxic, but they have the lowest toxicity of all solvents and is ideal as a heavy duty degreaser. What you do is dab on the CitraSolve with a cotton swab, use a paper towel to cover the stain and the solvent and use a hot iron. This evaporates the CitraSolve and with it the oil stain as well!

Stains from fruit/veggies, which includes wine and tomato sauce, can be removed from washable fabrics easily -- simply pour boiling water over them in a bowl or basin and watch them immediately disappear. Another method, if someone spills red wine on your rug, is to pour salt directly on the wine spill to soak it up before it sets. Baking soda, is also reported to be somewhat effective, but many people report less than satisfactory results.