Paint, especially one with a glossy finish, is one of the most difficult stains to remove, but luckily we have several tricks that will allow us to remove it and save the item of clothing it has fallen on. Next, we offer you a step guide in which, in an easy way, we explain how to remove paint stains on clothes.
The most advisable thing is to use old clothes when we paint, but often it is too late and we have stained a blouse or a jean that still works for us. Fortunately, paint stains can be removed from clothing, especially if you do it quickly. So let's see how to remove various paints from clothing, both water-based and oil-based.
Steps to remove paint stains on clothes
This is all you need to do to remove any type of paint stain from clothing.
- Act as quickly as possible. Once the paint has dried, it becomes much more difficult to remove it. If you don't have the right cleaners on hand, try to at least keep the stain wet until you can clean it properly.
- Remove excess color before treating the stain. Use a spoon or dull knife to remove excess paint from clothing without spreading it. Then use an old rag or towel to gently rub the stain and soak up as much of the paint as possible. After that, you can start treating the stain.
- If the paint has already dried, scrape off as much as you can. With the help of a brush with stiff bristles, scratch the solid paint, but don't get carried away and avoid damaging the fabric underneath.
remove water-based paint stain
- If you have to remove a water-based paint stain, the stain will be much easier to remove. Keep in mind that there are many paints and it is not always possible to completely clean a stain.
- You have to do what was explained before and then wet the stain with hot water.
- Turn the fabric over to expose the opposite side of the stain and run it under warm running water (preferably in the kitchen sink) to remove as much of the paint from the fabric as possible.
- Treat the stain with detergent and warm water. If you don't have laundry detergent on hand, dish detergent may work.
- Use a clean cloth or sponge and rub the detergent into the stain until it's gone. You may need to rinse and repeat this step several times to get a good result.
- If the above technique isn't "harsh" enough, rub the stain repeatedly with ethyl alcohol (do a test on a small piece of the stain first). You can also use acetone for nail polish, which is even stronger, but this will damage synthetic fibers (such as cellulose diacetate), so check the label on your garment.
remove oil-based paint stain
- If the paint is oil-based, the stain will be much more difficult to remove, but it is possible!
- Remember to first apply the steps described above to start acting.
- The next step is to treat the stain with turpentine.
- Lay the stained side of the fabric on a piece of kitchen paper or a rag.
- With a cloth or sponge soaked in turpentine, rub the stain until it disappears.
- You may have to repeat the process several times. Some garments are very sensitive to products such as turpentine, so first read the composition of the garment and also read if there are cleaning instructions on the paint can you used.
- Another option is to rub the stain with laundry detergent and warm water, and let it soak overnight.
- Saturate the stain area with detergent and submerge the garment in water at the highest temperature recommended by the label.
- Finally, clean one last time and machine wash.
If you act quickly, these tips will help you remove stains from your clothes as quickly as possible. From now on a paint stain will no longer be a challenge!
