Did a few drops of paint fall on your favorite shirt? Have you accidentally leaned against a freshly painted wall? Regardless of how it happened, you will have to deal with a stubborn stain of paint on your clothing. If the color has not yet been absorbed by the fibers, you must act promptly, because once it dries it will become a very difficult task to remove it. If you can handle the problem while the color is still fresh, you can remove it completely without much difficulty.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: With a Simple Detergent
Step 1. Remove any fresh paint that may have remained on the fabric
The detergent method is more effective if the color has not yet penetrated completely. It is also the best approach to dealing with the problem on the fly as, in most cases, everyone has access to a soap both at home and at work. If you don't have any kind of cleaning product available, you can try liquid soap or a bar of soap. It probably won't be quite effective, but you still need to try to clean the fabric before the paint dries.
Step 2. Rinse the wrong side of the fabric with warm water
You need to wash the stain from the underside, isolating the affected section. If the stain was caused by a watercolor or kid's gouache paint, it will likely begin to peel off and run off pretty quickly. This doesn't always happen immediately, although you should still notice that the color begins to fade. Check the label on the paint package to see if it is a washable product: in this case it will be much easier to clean the stain and just rinse the fabric with water without using detergent.
Step 3. Mix equal parts dish soap and hot water
Before starting to apply the solution to the fabric you should check the label of the garment and the detergent, to be sure that the product does not cause more damage than it fixes. If in doubt, apply the solution in a hidden corner of the garment: this way you can check if the mixture is suitable for the type of fabric without creating irreparable damage. Dip a clean sponge into the cleaning solution; do not use a paper towel or cotton cloth as their fibers may peel off due to friction and stick to the garment, causing even greater damage.
Always place a cloth or fabric under the damaged garment, so as not to stain the surface you are working on. Even if the paint is washable, you need to prevent the table or counter it is standing on from absorbing the color
Step 4. Blot the straight side of the dress with the soapy sponge
Remember that dabbing is different from scrubbing: if you scrub the fabric with the sponge, you push the color even deeper into the fibers, making it worse. Although you have to act fairly vigorously with the sponge, you must be cautious, so as not to permanently damage the item of clothing. You can also hold the shirt between your fingers by gently rubbing the cleaning mixture into the fabric.
Step 5. Rinse the garment under hot water, always from the inside out
If it is a water washable color, a good amount of pigment should already be oozing off the fabric. At this stage, be careful not to stain other objects, including the sink. If the dress has absorbed a lot of water and paint, then you should squeeze it into a separate bowl to get rid of the colored water more easily.
Step 6. Repeat this procedure, dabbing and rinsing the fabric until the stain is almost completely gone
At this point you can try scrubbing the area with a toothbrush. This method could be effective for scraping the last traces of paint from the fibers of the fabric without rubbing the fabric, thus preventing the color from penetrating even deeper. However, be especially gentle with your toothbrush, as too much pressure could do even more damage.
Step 7. Make the final rinse in the washing machine
Making a final wash in the washing machine allows you to remove all traces of color. The paint has been loosened with the cleaning solution, so the appliance will have an easier task to do. If you didn't pre-treat the stain, the washing machine probably wouldn't be able to clean the fabric completely. Note, however, that this step may not even be necessary if the stain was caused by certain types of washable or water-based paints.
- Do not wash the paint-stained garment with other garments, as you risk transferring the color to it. You don't have to mess up your entire wardrobe just to save a single item.
- If the stain does not disappear even after washing in the washing machine, apply a little acetone to the right side of the fabric and dab with a clean sponge. Do not put acetone on fabrics that contain acetate or triacetate as it will dissolve the fibers upon simple contact.
Method 2 of 3: With Paint Solvents or White Spirit
Step 1. Take safety precautions
Before starting, remember that paint thinner is very toxic, so when trying to get rid of stains, you should wear appropriate safety clothing, including gloves, goggles and a respirator. If you are inside your home, be sure to open a window to ventilate the room and let the fumes out. Also remember that the solvent is very flammable, so you shouldn't bring it near any open flame.
Although white spirit is less toxic than thinner, it also doesn't hurt to take all necessary precautions and wear protective clothing
Step 2. Remove any traces of color that may still be on the fabric
Paint thinner and turpentine (another term for white spirit) are most effective with oil-based paints, especially if they have dried on the fabric. This type of paint is much harder to get rid of than a water-based one, but you can still fix it if you know what to do.
- Keep in mind that oil-based paints take much longer to dry than washable or latex paints. Once an oil paint has dried completely, it is a much more challenging task to get it off. If you see a stain like this on your dress you should rub it immediately: the chance of saving the garment increases exponentially if you can treat the stain promptly.
- If the color has penetrated the fibers, you will need to use a small knife or other sharp object to scrape it off the fabric. Be careful not to damage the garment with the blade.
Step 3. Create an absorbent pad on the other side of the fabric using kitchen paper or a cotton cloth
This blocks any loss of color that could stain the underside of the garment, while protecting the work surface. This is even more important in the case of oil paints, because it is not easy to get rid of their stains, as is the case with washable or latex paints.
You will likely need to change the absorbent pad at least a couple of times during the operation. If the paint has run completely through the fabric and stained the pad, it will no longer be able to absorb any more color and you risk staining the rest of the garment. Always carefully check the amount of color that the pad has absorbed: if you are concerned that it may let paint through, replace it immediately
Step 4. Apply paint remover or turpentine directly to the stain
Make sure it is really a paint thinner and that it is suitable for the type of color you need to treat. If it is too volatile and flammable, it will most likely damage the fabric. You have to pay attention to the type of thinner you buy, to avoid discoloring the dress. If you don't know what kind of paint stained your dress, rely on white spirit.
Step 5. Scrub the stain with detergent
Once the area has been treated with the thinner or turpentine it would be advisable to use a little detergent. Make sure the fabric is bleach-washable, and if it isn't, use a bleach-free detergent. You can freely apply the product on the stained area, dabbing with a small sponge or cloth. Be gentle and don't scrub too hard or you could cause the paint to penetrate even deeper into the fibers.
If you are still wearing rubber gloves you can apply the cleaner with your fingers. If not, however, do not touch the thinner directly with bare skin, as most of these products are toxic and not worth the risk
Step 6. Leave the garment to soak overnight and do a machine wash the next day
Fill a basin with hot water and let the stained clothing soak overnight. Read the label of the dress to check the maximum temperature it can withstand; the next morning you can do a normal washing cycle in the washing machine. Wash it separately, otherwise you run the risk of staining the rest of the laundry.
If after the first attempt you notice satisfactory results (the stain has shrunk considerably), then it is worth repeating the procedure. Otherwise the stain could be permanent, which means the dress is no longer usable. By applying the thinner or turpentine several times you risk damaging the fibers more and more
Method 3 of 3: With Hairspray
Step 1. Eliminate any traces or residues of fresh paint
If you know the stain is caused by latex-based paint, and the paint is already very dry, you can try removing it with hairspray. You should always try to remove as much excess color as possible, but if you have chosen to use the lacquer method, your stain has probably already entered deep into the fibers. Use a small knife or other sharp object to try to remove the already absorbed paint.
Although latex paint is much easier to remove from fabrics than oil-based paint, it is also true that it dries faster; in fact, 1-2 hours are enough for it to be completely dry. This is where you should think about using hair spray. If you can treat the latex paint before it sets in the fibers, just use soap and water. After a few hand washes and a cycle in the washing machine, the stain will probably have completely disappeared
Step 2. Spray the hairspray on the stained area
If you don't have this product available, you can use pure isopropyl alcohol. It is the same ingredient found in the hairspray that helps eliminate the stain, which means that both methods work in the same way. Leave the hairspray on the stain for a few minutes, making sure you have covered it thoroughly. The area must be quite humid, as it takes a lot of product to make the color that has penetrated the fabric disappear.
Step 3. Scrub gently with a brush or cloth
Don't be too energetic as you could ruin the fabric permanently. You should notice that the paint begins to loosen or melt a little. If you can't get any effect, you probably haven't put in enough product or the hairspray doesn't have enough alcohol content. Keep scrubbing until the stain or pigment begins to shrink.
If you don't see immediate results with hairspray you should buy denatured alcohol to get rid of the stain completely. You can use the same technique you followed with hairspray
Step 4. Wash the garment in the washing machine
After you've successfully wiped some of the paint off by scrubbing the fabric, you can put it in the washing machine and set up a normal wash cycle. While the stain has not completely disappeared, it has certainly partially dissolved and should completely disappear in the washing machine.
Once you've applied the hairspray, you can also use a little water and detergent to scrub the dirty area. Since latex paint has no adverse reactions to water, you won't end up with the "gummy substance" of oil-based paint
Advice
- If you are unsure of the nature of the paint, you can easily tell by the smell. Latex ones are virtually odorless, while oil-based ones have a strong odor and are toxic - so you have to be careful not to inhale them.
- You don't usually have to rely on just one method of removing color stains from fabrics. However, before using two different chemicals you need to be sure that no unexpected reactions occur. These can be different on a case-by-case basis, depending on the amount of diluent or detergent and their active ingredients.
- Do not treat the oil stain with water before applying thinner or turpentine as this may aggravate the damage, as this type of paint becomes "rubbery" when it reacts with water.
- Washing in the washing machine is almost always a good idea, especially if you have already tried unsuccessfully to scrub the stain with a brush or cloth. Sometimes the problem is just a matter of how much force is placed on the stain and, in some cases, hand washing is not enough or could damage the fabrics.
