How to get paint out of clothes

Identify the paint and act fast

Check the can or tube if you have it. Latex, acrylic, tempera, poster paint, washable kids' paint and most wall and craft paints are water based: they clean up with soap and water while wet but dry to a flexible plastic film that water no longer dissolves. Oil based paints, alkyd enamels, many trim and floor paints and artists' oil colors are solvent based, and the label will say to clean brushes with mineral spirits or paint thinner. Spray paint can be either, so read the can.

If there is no label, dab a hidden part of the stain with a cloth dampened in warm soapy water. If color transfers to the cloth, it is water based. If nothing moves, try a drop of rubbing alcohol; latex usually softens with it, while oil paint does not. Whatever it is, keep it wet if you cannot deal with it right away. The University of Georgia textile extension suggests wrapping the stained area in plastic to stop it drying, since dry paint is much harder to shift.

Remove wet latex or acrylic paint

This is the best case, and it usually comes out completely if you move quickly. Work from the back of the fabric so you push paint out the way it came in, not further through, and keep the stain wet from start to finish. The same steps work for washable kids' paint and tempera, which rinse out even more easily.

1. 01

   Lift off the excess

   Use a spoon or a dull butter knife to scrape up any blob of paint, lifting rather than smearing. Wiping with a cloth spreads it across more fibers, so leave the blotting until the thick layer is gone.

2. 02

   Flush from the back

   Turn the garment inside out and hold the stain under cool or lukewarm running water. You should see cloudy color rinsing out. Cool water keeps the paint soft; there is no benefit to hot water here.

3. 03

   Work in detergent

   Rub a few drops of liquid laundry detergent or dish soap into both sides of the stain with your fingers or a soft toothbrush, then rinse. Repeat until the rinse water runs clear. Dish soap does help with fresh latex, because it loosens paint that has not yet cured into a film.

4. 04

   Pretreat and wash

   Apply a stain remover, then wash on the warmest setting the care label allows. Check the spot before drying; if any color remains, repeat the detergent step or go on to the dried paint method below.

Remove dried latex and acrylic paint

Once water based paint has dried it acts like a thin layer of plastic glued to the fibers, so the job is to soften the film and then break it up. Scrape off as much as you can first with a butter knife or your fingernail; on sturdy cotton and denim, flexing the fabric often cracks the paint so flakes fall away.

Then saturate what remains with rubbing alcohol (isopropyl, 70% or higher) and let it sit for several minutes. Scrub gently with an old toothbrush, and you should see the paint soften, turn gummy and begin to lift. Blot with a clean cloth, apply more alcohol, and repeat. Alcohol based hand sanitizer and some aerosol hairsprays work on the same principle and can help in a pinch. Finish by rubbing in liquid detergent, rinsing, and washing as usual.

Acetone nail polish remover is stronger on stubborn acrylic, but use it with care. The Drycleaning and Laundry Institute warns that acetone dissolves acetate, which is common in linings and some dressy fabrics, and it can also damage triacetate and modacrylic. Check the fiber content, test in a hidden seam, and never use acetone on those fibers. Some dyes run with alcohol or acetone too, so test either solvent first on colored clothes.

Remove oil based paint

Water alone will only spread oil paint, so you need a solvent, much as with grease stains. Work outdoors or by an open window, away from flames, pilot lights and heat, and wear gloves. Check the care label first: if the garment is dry clean only, stop here and take it to a cleaner, since solvents can damage finishes you cannot see.

Scrape off the excess. Lay the stain face down on a pad of paper towels or an old rag, then dab the back with the thinner named on the paint can, or with mineral spirits or turpentine if the can is gone. The paint will transfer into the towels; move to a clean area of towel and keep tamping until no more color comes out. While the area is still damp with solvent, work in liquid laundry detergent, which helps carry the solvent and the loosened paint away. The UGA extension suggests soaking stubborn stains overnight in hot water before washing, if the fabric allows it, and repeating the process as needed.

Wash the garment on its own, then let it air dry and check it before it goes anywhere near a dryer. Solvents are flammable, and clothes that still smell of them should not go into a dryer. Rags soaked in oil paint or linseed oil should be laid flat outdoors to dry or sealed in a water filled metal container, because they can heat up as they dry.

Paint that has already been washed and dried

Paint that went through a wash usually survives with its edges softened. The dryer is the bigger problem, because heat fuses the film into the fibers. Try the dried paint method anyway: saturate with rubbing alcohol, give it time, and scrub. On oil paint, try the solvent method. Expect several rounds, as with dried ink stains, and stop if the fabric starts to pill or thin.

If the stain will not move after two or three honest attempts, it is probably permanent. Delicate fabrics, silk, wool and anything labeled dry clean only should go to a dry cleaner, ideally before you try anything, and you should tell them what kind of paint it is. For casual clothes, a small speck can become your painting shirt, and dyeing a garment darker can hide a light stain on cotton.