Staining your clothes with paint is a common event. Whether you are creating a masterpiece on your canvas or painting a wall to improve the aesthetic value of your home, there are odds your clothes may get stained with the paint. Any splatter here and there doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be able to wear your clothes again or have to discard them.
You Will Need Different Ways to Treat Different Paint Types
First things first!
Not all paint is created equal. Thus, before you start, you need to understand the kind of paint that has stained your clothing. Removing it depends upon how quickly you notice the stain. If you have noticed it quickly after it splatters on your clothes, it is wet, and you can use a spoon or knife to scoop it out immediately. But if your paint has dried and you have noticed it after a few hours, you may have to do some hard work in eliminating it from your shirt.
Some of them are easy to remove even when they have dried, while others are not. All in all, it depends upon the type of paint you have stained your shirt with.
Here are some easy hacks and remedies to use to remove the stain of paint from your clothing.
How to I Remove Paint from my Clothes?
There are many easy ways using which you can do away with the paint in no time.
Let us reveal some of them to you.
Use a Dish Detergent
Using a dish detergent is one of the simplest remedies to get rid of the paint from your clothes. This remedy works wonders if the paint is water-based or latex. All you need to do is rinse the stained fabric with warm water. Afterward, dab the stain with a rag soaked with water and a dishwashing liquid.
Let this solution sit for a while. Scrub the solution and rinse it using warm water. Once done, wash your clothing in cold water. It is a common cleaning method that works well for glossy and acrylic paint, in short, it works for all the paint types used by the artists on wood and canvas.
Let Rubbing Alcohol Come to Rescue
Rubbing alcohol has many uses. Apart from fixing your makeup, you can also use it to remove paint stains, especially latex paint stains. You may use this remedy if dishwashing liquid doesn’t work well.
Start wetting the stain a little bit with warm water to dampen it. Soak a toothbrush or cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and scrub it on the stain. Rinse the stain with warm water and repeat the process if the paint is stubborn. Rubbing alcohol is considered a tried-and-tested method for removing paint stains from clothes, specifically acrylic paint stains. Wash the garment properly once you are done removing the paint.
Use an Acetone Nail Paint Remover
Do you know there is a product in your makeup kit that can help you get rid of paint stains on clothes?
Nail polish remover has a similar effect on removing the stains from the clothes as rubbing alcohol. This method works the best on latex paint. Simply soaking a rag in it and blotting the stain helps you remove the paint to a great extent. Toss the clothing in the wash once the stain is treated.
But before you try this remedy to clean the paint from your clothes, ensure the fabric doesn’t contain triacetate or acetate. It is because the acetone in the nail paint removes and damages those fibers.
The Hairspray Remedy
Hairspray is also considered an effective remedy if you want to clean the paint from your clothes. This tip is the best solution if you are dealing with removing the stains on the smaller side. As many aerosol hairsprays include alcohol, spraying a stain may help loosen the lingering paint.
You don’t have to soak your garment in hot or cold water. Spray the stain until it is fully covered and give it a good scrub using a toothbrush. Afterward, you can wash your cloth and do away with the paint in no time.
Try a Duct Tape Remedy
It may sound strange but you can try a duct tape remedy to remove stains of paint from your garment. It works the best on latex paint when it is completely dry.
Do not wet the fabric while you perform this remedy. Before you begin, try to loosen the paint by scraping it with a knife or toothpaste. Take a small duct tape and use its sticky side to pry up as much paint as possible. Press the tap firmly on the stain and lift it quickly.
Use Salt, Ammonia, and Vinegar
Another effective remedy to clean stains from your clothes is salt, ammonia, and vinegar. Mix a tablespoon of salt with two tablespoons of vinegar and two tablespoons of ammonia. Using an old toothbrush or rag, scrub the stain until it comes out.
If you have stained a large part of the fabric, fill the sink with water, add these ingredients in more quantities and soak the garment in the same.
Removing Different Kinds of Paint
Here is how you can remove different kinds of paint from your clothing.
Acrylic Paint
Removing acrylic paint from your clothing is no rocket science.
- Flush the stained area of your clothing using warm water and sponge it in a mixture of dishwashing soap. Repeat the process.
- If the stain has dried and soaking in water doesn’t loosen, use a soft scrub brush or spoon to scrape off the paint from the fabric.
- You can now use the above-listed remedies such as rubbing alcohol or a paint cleaner to brush on the cloth. Always test the fabric first to save it from getting damaged.
Water-Based Paint
Similar to acrylic paint, water-based paint is also easy to remove. All you need to do is to catch it before it starts drying.
- Put your stained cloth under warm running water. Take the dishwashing soap and scrub off the paint. Repeat until you get the desired results.
- If the paint is a water-based wood stain, place the clothing on the layer of paper towels and use a small amount of acetone to remove the stains.
- Start at the outer edges and then rub toward the middle until you see the stain disappearing. Wash the stain afterward with normal water and soap.
- If the paint is dried, you can use a mix of warm water and detergent to saturate the stain and blot it with a cloth or paper towel.
Oil-Based Paint
The process of removing oil-based paint from your clothing may become a bit daunting. It is because oil paint is a little stubborn compared to others. Nevertheless, you can work on the following steps.
- If the oil-based paint stain has dried, you can soften it by treating the spot using the same product the paint manufacturer recommends for thinning the paint. It is essential to read the paint thinner label. Always carry out a spot test because delicate fabrics are prone to damage.
- If the stain is wet, scrape off the excess paint and blot it as much as possible using a clean cloth. Rinse the area. Place the fabric face down on a stack of the cleaning cloth or white paper towels. You can use turpentine to tamp the stain and separate it from the fabric.
- Repeat the process to remove all the signs of staining. If a little bit of stain remains, you can use dishwashing soap to treat it.
- Alternatively, you can use a pre-wash stain remover available on the market to remove stains before laundering.
Spray Paint
To clean the spray paint, check if it is oil-based or water-based before you proceed to the following steps.
- Blot up the stain as much as possible using clothes or paper towels.
- If the paint is water-based, used the dishwashing soap hack to do away with all the stains. You can use a soft toothbrush to scrub the paint.
- If the paint is oil-based, use hairspray, turpentine, or WD-40. Saturate the paint with the product and let it sit for ten minutes before you start with the drill.
- After removing most stains, rub the affected area using a dry cloth. It will absorb all the stains. Repeat the process until you see the paint removed from your clothing.
- Wash and dry the garment.
- For dried paint, use a nail polish remover and see the results.
Other Tips to Consider
- To remove the paint from your clothing, the number one key is to act immediately. When you act immediately, it removes the stains and works from becoming a permanent problem. The longer you wait, the more time-consuming it becomes to clean the paint stains from the fabric.
- Do not begin the paint removal mission before testing the fabric, especially if you are working on a delicate one. Carry out a spot test. If the results are favorable, proceed.
- If you use triacetate or acetate to clean the fabric, do not use acetone, it will melt the fibers.
- Always wash your clothes after you have used the above-listed remedies to treat the paint from the surface.
We hope the above-listed remedies and cleaning methods come to your rescue in removing stains from your clothes. Start working on these tips now. Keep in touch for more.
