Blue is tricky. Knowing you, you have already checked for color fastness? Some of the prewash sprays tend to fade some colors, i.e. reds and blues. I would try a spot check with Dawn dish soap to see if that would work and then go with the cooler wash if it does. To me the dryer is the worst shrink agent. Can you hang the slipcover to Dry?

Good luck.

I have used Dawn to remove old oil stains on a blue tee shirt and it did slightly change the color where it touched undiluted.

I have washed many a slipcover and always put it back on the furniture wet with a fan blowing at it directly to dry. This has never damaged the furniture or the slipcover and has prevented shrinkage.

Roc Poppy is right those stain removers cause light to heavy fading. Some even ruin the finish on machines.

So no pretreat? I don't have Dawn and don't want to buy it. Besides, it's a big thing that needs to go into the washer. Can't do by hand.

I would stay in the 105-115F range. I would do a prewash, but not a pretreat!

Persil or the Miele color gel?

I personally would use Miele color gel Roc!!

Iagree Miele color care..keep temps warmish but not warm warm...why not soak In the tub overnight first in cool water and a sprinkle of Miele.

Amiee has a beautiful blue padded headboard never used yet still wrapped tight in the plastic because I've yet to get a slipcover for it. Lol. When I dig it out I'll take a pic.

I like to pretreat. I've had good luck with the Miele colour gel on oily stains. No fading. Then a warm wash with a bit of ammonia.

By some standards 120-125F is HOT water, which IMHO will shrink that cotton nicely. What is the shell construced of? 104-115F to be safe. Regardless cotton anything will shrink by some percentage when exposed to the dryer heat, so line dry and finished. You mght try a little ammonia in the wash for the body oil.

In the Miele scheme, 120f is considered "very warm", 140f is "hot". I washed my DH thick flannel work shirts in 140f, and they minimally, shortened in the sleeve. I DID NOT DRY. So my thoughts on the bed item is like the others, wash warm to very warm (miele) with TOL color type liquid detergent, and maybe some ammonia. The ammonia is a non issue when ever I've used it on DH greasy clothes. It won't leave a smell and it really cuts through grease. Line dry. I like the post that mentioned putting it back on damp and allow to dry installed. Have a fan on in the room to move the air around while its drying.

I don't place much merit in manufacturers temperature nomenclature. If water is too hot to touch, it's considered hot. Washing at 125 will shrink a great many items with a false impression this is warm water. Below 110F is the normal warm. Regardless there will be some shrinkage, although small, at any temperature. Most of that depends on the quality and grade of the textile, how it was milled and processed.

Agree with Sin..I'll also add although not pertaining to Roc's question. .but in the laundry room (here) many of us sing the benefits of hot water washing, however hot water should not be used ondarks, colors, or non-colorfast items, or things that have the potential to shrink. Except f.ex Enduring washing farm clothes that otherwise won't release soils.

I would want to use something that has lipase which is an enzyme that works on fats/oils. Persil 2/1 liquid has this and I have used it on some T shirts with fragile dyes, even to spot stains from food oils. It did not leave a ring so far but it depends on the nature of the dye. I would probably put some on the spot agitate it a little to work it in and wash it in warm~ 115-125F.

Persil color gel lists "enzyme" on the bottle I have but there is a "Color gel Freshness" by Silan Expert that has a lipase.

http://henkelconsumerinfo.com/products/Ctrl

if I had that I would use it.

Also there is a Color Gel Freshness by Vernel that does not.

I have no idea if what I have is either one of those.

I have very light washable cotton slipcovers on a couple of sofas that I have washed about 2-3 times per year x 9 years and they will shrink a little if dried completely dry. I leave them a little damp and they go back on much easier.

Twenty years ago, I took a slipcover class. The teacher said she always washed them in cold water, then placed them right back on the piece of furniture to dry in order to reduce wrinkling and shrinkage. "Cold" now means different temps in different washers, I don't think I would risk any temp higher than 90°F because Home Dec fabrics are likely to shrink a bit and, as always YMMV. (and even that is too warm for our winter parkas, etc., because the interfacing seems to shrink!)

Problems are...there's body oils on it which cold water won't remove, instead it will cause it to harden in the fibers..than there's the fade and shrink factor if a hot wash is used...these slip covers are not cheap and I can fully understand Rocs questions on how to get around this.

Persil 2in1 is for sure a good detergent, problem is it may be to much of a workhorse for the dye in the cover.I would personally use your LeBlanc in temps just above body temp. Choose a long gentle cycle. I know LB is not a heavy duty detergent that's the point..start out using the least caustic detergent on this.

mamap - so true about cold water not dissolving the oils. Somewhere back in the archives of my mind, I remember hearing about gently scrubbing or rubbing cornstarch on oil and grease stains. I wonder if there is anything to that?

I don't have Persil 2 in 1. I have Euro Persil for Colors -- a blue gel. It smells the same as the 2 in 1 and looks the same. But who knows?

Not worried about the fading as much as removing the stain. Planning to put the headboard on Craig's List as it's an extra one not used.

Cavimum, yes I've heard that about cornstarch and talc powder, its supposed to absorb the oils...I've heard the old fashioned clay type cat litter also works..lol

If you haven't checked for colorfastness, mamapinky0's approach sounds good to me; least caustic detergent, no pre treat, long cycle warmish.

It's in the machine now. I used the All Stainlifter pod Mitch sent me. We shall see if it lifts the stain.

Well, mixed results. The stain is partly lifted but still visible if you know it's there. Thanks a million to @enduring for advising to put it on damp. It didn't shrink but that was definitely the way to go.