Whether you are repainting your walls, working on your latest craft project, or your oil paint masterpiece, the chances are that you will get some paint on your clothes.
But if you find that you have paint spills or splatters on your favorite shirt or pants, don’t fret or hurry to throw them away because most likely there are ways to remove the paint stains from your clothes completely.
Keep in mind that delicate fabrics like silk and velvet may not be treatable and permanently damaged by certain paints. In order to prevent incurring further damage to your clothes by treating paint stains, always perform a spot test with the cleaning solution you are planning to use beforehand.
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This can be done by choosing a hidden small part of the garment and applying the treatment to it. If you notice that the dye of the fabric is transferring to the cleaning cloth or towel, or if discoloration happens, then you should avoid treating the stains.
Also, if you get any paint on your clothing, make sure that you act as quickly as possible with the stain removal in order to prevent further staining or permanent damage.
The best way to keep your clothes free of paint stains is to wear protective clothing when dealing with paint.
How to get paint off clothing – a step by step guide
Removing stains from water-based paint or latex
Water-based paint is the easiest to remove from clothing, especially if the stain is fresh. In case you have soiled your clothes with latex paint, and it has already dried, then you should try scraping off any excess paint with a spoon or a dull knife, and then rinse the stain under running warm water.
Mix a cleaning solution of equal parts of lukewarm water and some mild dishwashing detergent in a bowl, and use a sponge to treat the stain by dabbing the solution into it. Do not rub it in circular movements if you want to avoid increasing the stain size and the damage to the garment.
After that, rinse the stain off under the tap and repeat the cleaning and dabbing.
Do this until there are no signs of the paint.
In case the stain persists, you can try blotting it with a cloth dampened in acetone (nail polish remover) and then proceed to wash it as you usually would.
Removing stains from oil-based paint
Oil-based paint can be trickier to remove from some types of clothes. The first thing you need to do is check what type of product for thinning is recommended by the manufacturer of the pain. In case the stain is still fresh, you can try to remove any excess paint by carefully scraping it off with a spoon.
After that, use a clean white or colorfast cloth to blot the paint. Please, do not rub it so that you don’t increase the stain’s size and cause further damage to the fabric.
After there is no more paint transfer to the cloth, you should rinse the affected area and place it faced down on a pile of absorbent paper towels. Blot and tamp the back of the stain with turpentine, and keep blotting and replacing the paper towels until there are no more traces of paint left on them.
In case the stain persists, use a prewash stain remover on it and launder the garment.
Removing stains from acrylic paint
Rinse the acrylic paint stain under a running tap with warm water and then proceed to blot it with a dishwashing solution and warm water mix until the stain is completely removed.
After that, wash your garment like you usually would do.
Removing paint stains from carpets
If you accidentally soil your carpet with paint, you need to act quickly. Scrape off any excess paint with a spoon, and then gently dab it with paint thinner or varnish remover. Avoid rubbing it around. It is a good idea to perform a spot test on a hidden area beforehand.
Use a solution of mild dishwashing soap and warm water to dab off any removing paint with a clean white or colorfast cloth. Rinse it by blotting it with a damp cloth and let it dry, or cover it with paper towels and press them down with something heavy until the water is absorbed.
