How to Remove Fingernail Polish From Painted Walls

Your new nail polish is pretty great. It's cheery. It's vibrant. It's shiny. It's ... on the wall. Argh.

It's amazing how quickly a simple manicure can turn into a full-blown disaster. If you've just noticed nail polish on your painted wall, you may be afraid you won't be able to get it off — and you might be right. Nail polish is intentionally designed to dry quickly and last for at least a week. This can make removing accidents difficult, but it's not impossible.

Different nail polishes use different dyes and formulas. As such, a cleaner that removes one type of nail polish may not work on another. Wall paints themselves also come in a wide variety of formulations. Because the chemistry of paints and polishes is all different, you may need to use a little trial and error to determine which nail polish removal option will work best for you.

If you realize you've hit the wall in the moment, act quickly to remove the nail polish. It's easier to remove the polish from the wall while it's still wet. Grab a white rag and apply it to the nail polish. Push the rag into the polish and then lift the rag away from the wall. Don't rub, as this will only spread the polish.

Keep dabbing at and removing the wet polish until you've removed as much as you can. You can then remove any residual pigmentation remaining with soapy water or a damp cloth.

If the nail polish on the wall has dried but is still fairly fresh, try fighting fire with fire. Grab your nail polish and use it to carefully apply fresh polish over the dried polish. Give it a minute to soak in and then try blotting the polish off the wall again. Sometimes applying more nail polish will rewet or soften the dried polish and make removal easier.

If you have textured walls, this trick isn't going to work for you. A razor blade can work like a dream on smooth walls though. Simply try scraping the dried nail polish off the wall with the blade. Hold the blade at a 45-degree angle and make sure you don't push too hard. You want to remove the polish without accidentally cutting into the paint or wall behind it.

Perhaps it's Murphy's Law in action, but nail polish mishaps seem to occur only with bright, vibrant colors rather than muted tones. As a result, you may notice a bit of color or pigment left on your wall after you scrape off the polish. Happily, a little soapy water is usually enough to remove this.

Sometimes alcohol is the answer — at least when you're cleaning. To remove nail polish with rubbing alcohol, dampen a clean white rag with the alcohol and apply it to the stain. Again, dabbing the stain is better than rubbing it, although a little rubbing is sometimes necessary. If rubbing alcohol fails, other solvents may still do the trick. Try combining 2 liters of water, 1 teaspoon of ammonia, and 2 ounces of Borax detergent booster.

Always test any cleaning agents in an inconspicuous area to make sure they won't damage your paint. Never reach for the nail polish remover, however, if you can help it. Yes, nail polish remover will easily remove the nail polish from the wall. Unfortunately, it is very likely to take the paint with it. You can use nail polish remover as a last resort, but be prepared to repaint the wall if you do.

You should also expect to wash down your wall after using a cleaning agent to wash away nail polish. If your walls haven't been washed in a while, removing the nail polish could make a noticeable clean spot.

If you have the patience, you can try wearing the nail polish down. As everyone who has sadly watched a great manicure chip and fade knows, nail polish isn't forever. To try wearing the polish down, wash the affected area with warm, soapy water. Repeat this cleaning process every day or every other day to try and break the polish down over time.