I've been sloppy about changing on my way home from work, since it's only a 3 mile commute and a net downhill. I also haven't been rolling my pants legs up because it's 34 degrees outside.

So what's the best way to get pants clean? I've noticed I still have some black splotches when getting my clothes out of the dryer today.

Most of the 'damage' is maneuvering the bike in & out of the building. Not from riding itself.

So what's the best way to get my pants clean again?

Don't get them dirty, roll the leg up

Tuck pants inside of a big, long sock. Or use paraffin wax instead of oil on the chain.

For your current predicament...my wife has had good luck using either Goo Gone or oxyclean. I think. I had a nice linen shirt I wore while working on my bike....and somehow managed to get grease across the whole front of it. She got the majority of the grease out Not perfect...but good enough for my fashion absent self.

I have this problem every now and then on my commuter bike... seems like especially when I wear light-colored slacks (short commuting sections, so work clothes are fine).

After washing and drying they ay be hard to get out... best to treat them beforehand. Here's how I do it:
Lay the fabric out flat on a smooth surface like the top of a washing machine. Apply some "Goop" hand cleaner (no pumice) and rub it in. Take your thumb nail or a suitable dull, hard plastic object and rub hard over the stain. Add more Goop as necessary. Rinse with hot water to remove the Goop, then throw in the wash. Sometimes I will pre-treat the stain with laundry detergent after the Goop treatment, but the Goop is pretty effective. It does not always work, of course.
Steve

Simple Green works pretty good when I get oil on my coshes. We keep our apartment pretty cold and I, too often, get grease on sweatshirts when working on the bike. Always good as new afterwards. Cheers!

Whatever you use to get the grease out, just let it soak for a few hours. (Make sure it's a fabric safe chemical.)

Don't try to scrub it out right away or you'll just spread the problem out more.

Let it soak. Then wash.

Dawn and let them soak. Have them laundered.

I work in truck parts and we get some pretty nasty black grease. We use Brakleen. It gets everything out and doesn't hurt the fabric. I have never tried it after washing something though.

Liquid detergent and cold water have never failed me. I use the hack from old Tide ads, if applying some directly on the stains, rubbing it in a bit, and waiting a few minutes before starting the wash.

Cold water is important because heat can sometimes set stains.

BITD, I used to use the old school Italian method of soaking the stain in olive oil for a few hours, then washing normally. That also worked very well, but Tide's way is easier.

Shout is made to remove stains and works well. (Perhaps giving the real chemists the first try might be wise) I spray both sides of fabric and let it stand for a while (at least an hour but that might be longer than you need.). Wash in the machine. Depending on the severity of the stain, you may need to repeat.

Well, don't use greasy stuff on the chain would be the best way This is my winter bike in the depth of winter

IMG_1153 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

and this is how dirty my chains are on a regular basis

2013-07-26 08.06.29 by Stuart Black, on Flickr

Wax based lubricants are way cleaner.

You could also look into gaiters. These short ones might even do the trick.

That said, the way to get the grease off clothing if you have to is to use Carbona Stain Devils. There's one for motor oil and lubricants. Treat the area and put them in the wash. They work very well.

Goop or a similar hand cleaner works about as well as you can hope for. Rub it on, let it sit, rub it in, wash it alone so nothing else gets dirty. You may run into a problem if there's solids (metal bits, rust, etc.) in the greasy gunk; when that's the case, I haven't found a way to get it out of fabric.

Looks like you could use some titanium chainring bolts!
Also, I've been looking for my Lizard Skins chainstay protector... give it back!
Steve

Wear black pants is my solution.. + my chainrings have disc trouser guards to keep them out of the chain..

Make a paste of liquid dish soap & baking soda(the consistency of toothpaste). Rub in with a toothbrush & let sit for 10 mins. then wash in cold water. This works for damn near any stain.

Won't work if you've already washed the item though.

Sullalto, Howdy;

The sentence that I highlighted in RED generally means that there is nothing that will work,
Goose cooked. However I slept at my home and got a good night's sleep, so ... my Mom used
to get some truly difficult stains out by doing the following;
- As the stain is now 'set' you need to re-activate the source material (Chain Lube), so,
put a few drops of lube on the stains and allow them to soak in.
- Get some Fels-Naptha ( https://www.google.com/search?q=Fell...ient=firefox-b), soap dampen the material and scrub the soap into it with a stiff brush.
Rinse and repete as necessary.
- Me, I always treat with Dawn before running it through the wash as a final step.

Next time either protect your trouser leg or pre-treat BEFORE washing.

hank

If you've put it thru the dryer already, your best bet is to bring the pants to the dry cleaners, tell them what's up, and they should do their best. No guarantees but I've had good luck. My cleaner has even sent my pants through three times to get every trace out, no extra charge.

Nothing to get your trousers clean but for the future you could try some trouser clips. No need for riding with a naked leg in winter.