# How to Wash Workwear and Work Overalls

> How to remove engine grease from workwear? Fuller's earth, pre-soaking, 60 °C. Protocols for paint, cement, odours + laundromat 18 kg machines.

**Published :** 2026-03-23

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**Résumé :** Workwear is a technical garment exposed to extreme soiling: **engine grease**,
**paint**, **cement**, **heavy sweating**. Washing requires **systematic
pre-treatment** (fuller's earth + dish soap for grease, solvent for paint,
vinegar for cement) followed by a **60 °C cotton cycle**, always **separate
from everyday laundry**. The 18 kg machines at the laundromat are ideal for
these heavy, bulky garments.

## At a glance

- **Always pre-treat** — grease, paint, cement: each stain has its own protocol. The machine alone is not enough.
- **Separate wash mandatory** — engine grease migrates and permanently stains everyday laundry.
- **60 °C, long cotton cycle** — heavy cotton handles the heat. 60 °C degreases and disinfects.
- **Baking soda for odours** — soak 2-4 hours before washing to neutralise sweat and chemical smells.
- **18 kg machine at the laundromat** — overalls are heavy (1.5-2 kg each) and overload home machines.

## Workwear: a textile apart

Workwear — overalls, coveralls, matching jackets and trousers — is built to withstand occupational wear. Its fabric is a **heavy cotton twill** (240-350 g/m2) or a **cotton/polyester blend** (65/35 or 80/20) offering mechanical strength, thermal comfort, and breathability.

This durability is an advantage for care: heavy cotton tolerates high temperatures, aggressive stain removers, and mechanical scrubbing that would destroy a delicate fabric. However, the weight and bulk of workwear creates a capacity problem in home machines.

### Types of occupational soiling

Workwear is exposed to soiling very different from household laundry:

- **Engine grease and motor oil**: the most common stains in automotive repair, industry, and maintenance. These are hydrocarbons — petroleum-based fats that penetrate deep into fibres.
- **Paint**: acrylic (water-based) or alkyd (oil-based). Each requires a different solvent.
- **Cement, plaster, filler**: mineral materials that harden in the fibres.
- **Chemicals**: solvents, acids, bases, cutting oils — depending on the industry.
- **Heavy sweating**: physical work produces abundant sweat that soaks deep into the fabric.
- **Dust**: wood, metal, concrete, soil — fine particles that embed in the weave.

## Stain removal by soiling type

Pre-treatment is the decisive step. Workwear put directly into the machine without stain removal comes out almost as dirty as it went in — heat sets grease and paint instead of removing them.

### Engine grease and motor oil

Engine grease is a heavy, viscous hydrocarbon that penetrates fibres and resists water and standard detergents. It is the hardest stain to tackle on workwear. See our [full grease stain guide](/en/blog/remove-grease-stain/index.md) for complex cases.

**Fresh stain:**

1. **Fuller's earth**: sprinkle this absorbent clay generously over the stain. [Fuller's earth](https://amzn.to/4syYeHm) absorbs hydrocarbons by capillary action — the same principle used for oil spills on a garage floor.
2. Leave for **2-4 hours** (overnight for thick stains).
3. Brush off the powder.
4. Apply **concentrated dish soap** (supermarket brands tend to be more degreasing than "eco" versions) directly to the area. Massage in.
5. Leave for **15 minutes**, then scrub with a stiff brush.

**Old stain:**

For ingrained engine grease, a counter-intuitive but effective technique: apply **butter** (or margarine) to the stain. The chemical principle is simple — a fat dissolves a fat ("similia similibus solvuntur"). The butter liquefies hardened engine grease, making it easier to treat with dish soap afterwards.

1. Apply soft butter to the stain.
2. Leave for **30 minutes**.
3. Treat with concentrated dish soap.
4. Scrub, rinse, and repeat if needed.

> Sludge (black engine grease) is a mixture of grease, metal particles, and
> soot. The metal particles abrade fibres during scrubbing. Use a knife to
> scrape off as much surface sludge as possible before applying fuller's earth.
> The goal is to remove the solid matter before treating the greasy component.

### Paint

Treatment depends entirely on the paint type. The most common mistake is treating oil-based paint with water — which has no effect — or acrylic paint with white spirit — which is unnecessary and toxic.

- **Acrylic paint (water-based)** — Fresh: rinse thoroughly with warm water + soap. Dry: rubbing alcohol (70 %) or acetone on a cloth, dab then rinse.
- **Oil-based (alkyd) paint** — Fresh: dab with white spirit, rinse with Marseille soap. Dry: white spirit + scraping. Do not rub — it spreads the stain.
- **Spray paint (aerosol)** — Usually solvent-based. Dab with acetone (beware of synthetic fibres — acetone dissolves them). Rinse immediately.
- **Stain and varnish** — Water-based: warm water + soap. Solvent-based: white spirit. Check the tin label to identify the base.

For details, see our full guide on [paint stains](/en/blog/remove-paint-stain/index.md).

### Cement, plaster, and filler

Construction materials are mineral — treatment is mechanical before chemical.

**Essential rule**: let it **dry completely** before treating. Wet cement sticks to fibres and smears when rubbed. Dry cement breaks away more easily by scraping.

1. **Scrape** the dry cement/plaster with the back of a knife or a spatula.
2. **Brush** off residue with a stiff brush.
3. For ingrained traces, soak the area in neat **[white vinegar](/en/blog/white-vinegar-laundry/index.md)** for 30 minutes. The acetic acid dissolves the calcium (the main component of cement and plaster).
4. Brush again, rinse.
5. Wash in the machine at 60 °C.

### Resin, tar, and bitumen

Waterproofing and road materials are heavy hydrocarbons, similar to engine grease but even more viscous.

- **Cool** with ice cubes to harden the product, then scrape off as much as possible.
- **Dab** with turpentine (gentler on fibres than white spirit).
- **Treat** with dish soap and wash at 60 °C.

## Persistent odours: sweat and chemicals

Workwear worn daily develops stubborn odours that a standard wash does not always remove. Heavy sweating in physical environments produces fatty acids and sulphur compounds that embed in cotton.

### The anti-odour protocol

**[Baking soda](/en/blog/baking-soda-laundry/index.md)** is the most effective agent for neutralising organic odours. Its alkaline pH (8.3) neutralises the fatty acids responsible for sweat smell.

1. Fill a basin or bucket with warm water (40 °C).
2. Add **3 tablespoons of [baking soda](https://amzn.to/3NGERgg)** per litre of water.
3. Submerge the workwear and soak for **2-4 hours**.
4. Wring lightly and put in the machine for the normal 60 °C cycle.

**[White vinegar](https://amzn.to/4bReOuT)** as a complement: add 100 ml of [white vinegar](/en/blog/white-vinegar-laundry/index.md) to the machine's softener compartment. It activates during the final rinse and removes odour residues that the wash did not dislodge. White vinegar also neutralises chemical odours (solvents, cutting oils).

> Industrial solvent odours (trichloroethylene, acetone, white spirit) evaporate
> better in open air than in the machine. Hang the workwear outside for 24 hours
> before washing — natural ventilation eliminates the volatile organic compounds
> (VOCs). Washing then removes the non-volatile residues.

## Machine washing: settings and precautions

### Why you must always wash separately

This is an absolute rule for workwear: **never mix it with everyday laundry**. The reasons are multiple:

- **Engine grease** migrates easily from one fabric to another in the wash water. A grease mark on a white T-shirt is nearly impossible to remove.
- **Chemical residues** (solvents, acids, bases) can damage delicate fibres.
- **Metal shavings** and other debris trapped in pockets scratch other fabrics and the drum.
- **Indigo dye** from classic workwear can bleed, especially in the first washes. Even "old" workwear can release pigment in the presence of residual solvents.

### The optimal programme

| Garment type | Temperature | Programme | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton workwear | 60 °C | Cotton long, normal spin | Most durable. Tolerates percarbonate and scrubbing. |
| Cotton/polyester workwear | 60 °C | Cotton or synthetic, normal spin | Polyester dries faster but retains odours more. |
| High-visibility jacket | 40 °C | Synthetic, reduced spin | Reflective strips degrade at high temperatures. |
| Disposable coverall (Tyvek) | Not washable | — | Single use. Do not machine wash. |
| Welding apron (leather) | Not washable | — | Damp wipe only. Leather cannot go in the machine. |

### Before putting in the machine

1. **Empty all pockets**: screws, nails, metal shavings, bolts — these objects damage the drum and other fabrics.
2. **Turn garments inside out**: grease and dust residue on the surface is better exposed to the drum's mechanical action.
3. **Close zippers and Velcro**: zipper teeth and hook-and-loop abrade other fabrics.

## The laundromat: the solution for large volumes

A single pair of work overalls weighs **1.5-2.5 kg** depending on the model (full coverall vs trousers only). In a 7-8 kg home machine, you can only wash 2-3 sets per cycle — not enough if you have a week's worth of workwear to process.

### Why the 18 kg machine

The **18 kg** commercial machines at the laundromat offer three decisive advantages for workwear:

1. **Capacity**: 4-5 sets in a single cycle, with room for the garments to tumble freely in the drum.
2. **Water volume**: 50-60 litres per cycle, versus 15-20 litres for a home machine. This volume is essential for diluting and flushing engine grease, cement, and chemical residues.
3. **Mechanical power**: the large drum creates a more effective beating action on heavy fabrics than a small domestic drum.

The commercial tumble dryer completes the advantage: heavy cotton overalls take hours to line-dry, but only 45-60 minutes in a high-capacity commercial dryer.

> If you work in a team (building site, workshop, garage), pool the workwear of
> several colleagues for a group wash at the laundromat. An 18 kg machine easily
> handles 6-8 overalls in a single cycle — more economical and more effective
> than individual home washing.

## PPE and regulations: who pays for laundering?

### The legal framework

In many countries, labour law requires the employer who supplies personal protective equipment (PPE) — including mandatory work clothing — to **maintain it at their own expense**. This obligation includes washing, repairing, and replacing worn garments.

### In practice

Three organisational models coexist:

1. **Commercial laundry service**: the employer sends garments to a provider. The most common solution in industry and construction.
2. **Maintenance allowance**: the employee washes their own garments and receives a fixed allowance covering real costs (detergent, water, electricity, machine wear).
3. **On-site machine**: some companies install a washing machine in the changing rooms. Employees wash their workwear during the working day.

### What the employer may not do

> **Warning:**
> - **Refuse maintenance without compensation** — if the employer supplies PPE, they must maintain it. The employee cannot be forced to do so without an allowance.
> - **Require home washing of contaminated garments** — clothing exposed to hazardous substances (asbestos, lead, CMR chemicals) must NEVER be washed at home. The risk of household contamination is real.
> - **Charge for normal wear and tear** — the employer cannot deduct the cost of worn workwear from wages. Wear is inherent to professional use.

## Wash frequency by trade

Wash frequency depends on the intensity of soiling and physical effort:

| Trade / sector | Recommended frequency | Main reason |
|---|---|---|
| Automotive / industrial mechanics | After every shift | Engine grease, oil, soot |
| Construction / masonry | After every shift | Cement, plaster, dust |
| Painting / decorating | After every shift | Paint, solvents, fillers |
| Logistics / warehousing | Every 2-3 days | Sweat, dust |
| Landscaping / gardening | Every 2-3 days | Grass, soil, sap |
| Office / light craft | Once a week | Light soiling, moderate sweating |

To maintain a smooth rotation, plan a minimum of **3 sets of workwear** per person. This allows a clean set every day while leaving time to wash and dry the others.

## Mistakes that ruin workwear

> **Warning:**
> - **Washing without stain-treating** — the machine alone does not degrease workwear covered in sludge. Pre-treatment is mandatory.
> - **Mixing with everyday laundry** — engine grease migrates in the wash water and permanently stains other fabrics.
> - **Forgetting to empty pockets** — screws, nails, and metal shavings damage the drum and puncture clothes.
> - **Using bleach routinely** — bleach weakens cotton and strips indigo dye. Reserve it for occasional disinfection of white cotton.
> - **Ignoring high-visibility garments** — reflective strips degrade above 40 °C and in a hot tumble dryer. Wash them separately at 40 °C.

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*Cet article contient des liens affiliés. Les prix et la disponibilité peuvent varier.*



## Sources and references

- [Remove a grease or oil stain](/en/blog/remove-grease-stain/index.md)
- [Remove a paint stain](/en/blog/remove-paint-stain/index.md)
- [White vinegar and laundry](/en/blog/white-vinegar-laundry/index.md)
- [Baking soda and laundry](/en/blog/baking-soda-laundry/index.md)
- [Washing temperatures guide](/en/blog/washing-temperatures/index.md)
- [Laundry smells bad after washing](/en/blog/laundry-smells-bad-after-washing/index.md)
- Labour law — PPE maintenance obligations (employer responsibility)
- Case law on the duty to maintain and replace work clothing