You’re in the middle of doing a painting job, and suddenly, you spill paint on your clothes. You know it’s not good for the clothes to stay this way, but how do you get paint out? It can be tough to remove if it is dried on or the shirt has been washed before.
Paint is a liquid substance used for decoration, protection, and insulation, but mistakes are bound to happen.
Learn how to remove paint from clothes in this helpful blog post, which includes some tips on avoiding getting paint on your clothes in the first place!
Tip 1: Prevention
The first step to protect your clothes is prevention. Make an effort to cover any dry paint with plastic and use a drop cloth while painting so that you don’t accidentally get it on yourself or anything else in the room.
Tip 2: Wear Old Clothes
Protect clothes from paint by wearing an apron or old clothing you don’t mind getting paint on. If you’re painting, it’s best not to wear your favorite shirt or dress you don’t want to paint on. Old clothing is preferable because the fabric won’t stick and cause a mess as easily.
If you do end up getting paint on your clothing, act quickly! The sooner you remove the dried paint, the easier it will be to get off.
Keep all your clothes in an easy-to-reach location so it’s not a hassle when they need to be washed or thrown away.
Tip 3: Use Cold Water
To remove the paint, avoid using hot water or a hairdryer to heat up the stain because it can cause some of the paint pigment particles to spread further into your clothes. Instead, use cold water and mild detergent when washing your garment.
If you want an even more gentle approach to removing the stain, take off your clothes and put them in a container of cold water with mild detergent.
Tip 4: Use A Brush, Soap And Cold Water
Remove paint that has already stained your clothes by using a brush, soap, and cold water to wash the area with gentle circular motions until it is clean.
Tip 5: Use Baking Soda
You can also try using baking soda as an alternative for removing stains from clothing because of its abrasive qualities.
Tip 6: Use Nail Polish Remover
For synthetic fabrics like polyester, you’ll need something stronger than soap; try using nail polish remover.
If the paint has been on your clothes for less than 24 hours, you can use clear nail polish remover to dissolve some pigment before washing it out. Be sure to dilute the nail polish remover by adding three parts water and one part alcohol into the container before soaking your clothes.
Tip 7: Use Heady-Duty Detergent
If the paint has been on your clothes for more than 24 hours, you can try to remove as much of the stain by using a scrubby and then soak them in cold water with detergent while rubbing them gently together (think of this like handwashing).
Gently squeeze out any excess liquid and wash them in cold water and detergent.
Remove the clothing and dry it in a well-ventilated area. Use heavy-duty detergent with an enzyme or bleach-containing agent to remove tough stains. Scrub the stained areas until all residue is removed, then wash as usual.
Tip 8: Use Dry Ice
Place a block of dry ice inside a sealed garbage bag and place it outside on concrete, pavement, gravel, etc. The steam will help loosen tough stains that have dried onto the fabric.
Tip 9: Use A Commercial Paint Remover
The first step is to pretreat the paint stain with a product like Resolve Multi-Fabric Cleaner and Upholstery Stain Remover. It contains enzymes that break down stains like these on contact.
Just spray or dab some of this onto the area, wait for the fabric to absorb as much as possible, then blot with a paper towel.
Conclusion
Getting paint out of your clothes is not always easy, but you can do a few things to get it off. One of the first things you can do is use a brush, soap and cold water to remove the paint.
What other methods have you heard about for removing dried paint stains? Have you tried one (or all) of the above tips yet? How did it go? Share your experiences in the comments below!
