How to Remove Dried Paint From Clothes
No matter how careful the painter, painting spills and splatters can happen. Fortunately, most water-based paints will come out of clothing, even if the paint has dried. For these paints, you normally will not need to use any kind of solvent. The chance of saving clothing stained with paint is better if you treat it as soon as you discover it. However, even if it has had time to remain on clothing awhile, a bit of labor and common household items should get that paint out. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Blunt edged knife or scraper
- Paper towels
- Dish soap
- Warm water
- Laundry detergent
Instructions
-
How to Remove Dried Paint From Clothes
-
1
Use a blunt-edged knife or scraper to scrape off as much dried paint as you can.
-
2
Pour liquid dish detergent directly on the paint, covering it. Turn the article of clothing inside out and place paper towels beneath it to protect the rest of the article or other surfaces from stain bleed-through. Pour on more detergent from this side of the clothes in the area behind the stain.
-
-
3
Wet a sponge in warm water. Rub the fabric behind the stain with the sponge, soaking the fabric thoroughly. Scrub the area with an old toothbrush.
-
4
Work on the front of the paint stain. Scrub it with a toothbrush to loosen more of the paint from the item's fibers.
-
5
Blot it with wet paper towels until you can't get any more paint out. Rinse the article of clothing under warm water.
-
6
Machine wash the article of clothing in warm water with detergent. Check the article to make sure the stain is completely gone before putting it in the dryer.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If the paint is oil-based, you'll need to use a solvent to remove the stain -- soap and water alone will not generally work. The steps for removing oil-based paint are similar to the steps above. Simply treat with a solvent first (make sure it is safe for the fabric) and then blot the stain with paper towels. Launder the item as usual, but make sure the stain is gone before placing the item in a dryer.
If the dye in the clothing is not colorfast, it may come out a bit if you use vigorous cleaning methods. Dry-clean only fabrics may require different stain-removal methods. Consult a dry cleaning professional first.
