Paint stains on your favorite shirt or pair of pants can be annoying and difficult to remove. However, with the right techniques and products, you can often get fabric looking as good as new. This guide will walk you through the best methods for removing both water-based and oil-based paint from clothing.
What You’ll Need
- Dish soap or laundry detergent
- Rubbing alcohol
- Acetone nail polish remover
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Baby oil or olive oil
- Terry cloth rags or paper towels
- Old toothbrush
- Prewash stain remover
Act Quickly for Best Results
It’s important to treat paint stains as soon as possible after they occur. The faster you can work at removing the paint, the better your chances of getting rid of it entirely. Leaving dried, caked-on paint on fabric makes it much harder to lift.
Determine Paint Type
The first thing you’ll want to do is figure out whether you’re dealing with a water-based paint (latex, acrylic craft paint, poster paints) or an oil-based paint (enamels, alkyds).
Water-based paints are easier to wash out of fabric since they’re water soluble. Oil-based paints contain solvents that can really set into fabric fibers over time. But either type of paint stain can be removed with the right cleaning methods.
Pre-Treat the Stain
If possible, do a quick pre-wash treatment before machine washing the garment:
Hold stain over a sink and dab a small amount of liquid dish or laundry detergent directly onto it. Let it sit for a minute or two. For really stubborn dried paint, try gently scrubbing it with a spare toothbrush and some detergent. The light abrasion can help free embedded paint flakes and loosen up the stain. Rinse detergent from fabric with warm water, then proceed to normal wash.
Remove Water-Based Paint Stains
Hand Wash Method
Hand washing is often the most effective way to attack water-based paints like acrylic before machine washing. Here’s how:
Fill a sink or tub with warm water and add a small squirt of dish soap. Swirl water to create suds. Submerge stained clothing and let soak for 15-20 minutes, occasionally gently rubbing paint stain between your fingers. Drain sink and refill with clean water. Work dish soap directly into paint stain, then rinse until soap is removed. Repeat as needed for stubborn stains. The key is to not let stains dry again before going in the wash.
Washing Machine Method
Check clothing tag and ensure garment can be machine washed. Use the warmest setting safe for the fabric type.
Pre-treat stain by rubbing a small amount of liquid detergent directly into fabric. For dried paint stains, lay garment flat and saturate with rubbing alcohol. Let sit 1-2 minutes before laundering. Wash clothing in your regular detergent, adding 1 c. hydrogen peroxide to machine drum in beginning of wash cycle. Air dry the freshly washed clothing and check if any faint stain remains. Repeat washing process if paint persists.
Remove Oil-Based Paint Stains
Oil-based paints can feel nearly impossible remove once dried, but these solvents can lift even old stains:
Baby oil or olive oil – Saturate stain fully and let sit overnight when possible before washing. The oil will help break down paint. Rubbing alcohol – Excellent solvent for fresh stains. Pour small amount directly on paint. Acetone nail polish remover – Use cotton pad to dab acetone on dried stains. Monitor for color fade and stop if evident.
Whichever solvent you use, always hand wash first by submerging clothing in warm, sudsy water for 15-20 minutes before machine washing. Check care tag rules first and wash on gentle cycle if needed. Inspect clothing after washing and repeat process if any residual staining remains.
With some time and elbow grease, you can conquer even the most stuck-on paint splatters on garments. Just don’t let stains sit too long before attempting removal. The sooner you start working on it, the better!
When to Use a Professional Cleaner
If you’ve tried these methods without success, a dry cleaning service may be able to remove the embedded paint with commercial-grade cleaners. Oil-based paint in particular can set permanently without professional treatment.
Describe the garment fabric and type of paint stain to your cleaner. They have chemical solvents stronger than what can be used at home. With luck, your beloved clothing can come out looking brand new again.
I hope these detailed tips help you banish paint stains for good! Let me know in the comments if you have any other tricks I should add. And may your clothes stay splatter-free in the future.
Laura has had an enthusiasm for laundry ever since she was a teenager experimenting with wash cycles. She went on study textile science in college before working in product testing.
Soon, Laura found friends and family constantly asking her laundry advice, realizing she had become an unofficial laundry guru. The questions kept coming in, so Laura decided to start sharing laundry tips online to help more people. The enthusiastic response led her start the blog “Laundry How”.
Now in her late thirties, Laura uses Laundry How to tackle all kinds of laundry topics – stains, fabric care, detergents, and more. She provides advice from both her studies and experience testing techniques out firsthand. Laura continues to grow an engaged community of laundry learners, feeling fulfilled empowering people to make laundry an easy, confidence-building ritual rather than a dreaded chore.