Picture this: you’re reaching for a slice, distracted by the mesmerizing cheese pull and glistening sheen of tomato sauce when plop! A glob of pizza lands right on your new pants that you fought tooth and nail for at last week’s sample sale. Before you go all Lady Macbeth, we’re here to tell you that there’s no need to cry over spilt pizza or stained pants.

Here’s the not-so-secret way to salvage your clothes of any perilous grease stains.

Good ol’ dish soap! It’s cheap, accessible, and effective. Its intended use is to cut through grease so a few drops should do the trick. Cover the spot with dish soap and let it sit for a good 5 – 20 minutes depending on the severity. Blot with warm water and this process should easily lift the grease right out.

If additional reinforcement is needed, try utilizing baking soda to absorb whatever’s left before gently scrubbing it off. Other stain removers like OxiClean (sponsor us!) can also be used as arsenal–just be sure to follow instructions and when it doubt, patch test.