How to Get Paint Out of Clothes

Pinakin Joshi
5 min readDec 24, 2020
Picture source: Image by Юлия Зяблова from Pixabay

How to get paint out of clothes? Yes, we have all been there and asked the same question to ourselves. removing paint stains from clothes is not an easy task and no matter how careful you have been, we all have one of those jeans with paint splatter all over. This guide will help you remove paints from the clothes.

How to Get Paint Out of Clothes

The first step to remove the paint off the clothes is to know which kind of paint it is. Check the label on the paint to know about the type of paint you are working with, more often, you will find cleaning recommendations suggested by the company too. Sometimes, when people work with more than one type of paint, they need to know which one they are dealing with. The simplest solution is, soak a piece of cloth in rubbing alcohol and dab it to the stain and if you find paint on the piece of cloth then it's latex. Otherwise, it will be oil-based paint and you need to use paint thinner.

How to Get Water Paint Out of Clothes

Water-based paint is one of the most commonly used colors at home. Kids wipe their hands to their clothes all the time and it’s also fairly easy to remove.

● Scrap paint as much as you can from the cloth

● Let it soak in detergent water for a while

● Clean it in weather washer or with hand

● Let it dry, if you find paint stain in cloths, rub the mixture of detergent and water to that spot and wash again

● If paint stain still remains, use rubbing alcohol or non-acetone nail polish remover and then clean it again

Most of the water-based paint is washed out in the first attempt and clothes will be ready to wear outside.

How to Get Latex Paint Out of Clothes

Latex paints are a little bit harder to remove from the cloths. Most of the house painting projects end up with badly stained clothes. Removing paint from carpet and clothes demands a lot of time and attention. Let’s see how to remove latex paint from clothes quickly.

● Fresh paint needs to be covered with a paper towel or rag, so it won’t spread on the cloth.

● Scoop the paint with a putty knife or butter knife as much as you can

● Rinse it with warm water and clean it with a paper towel, turn inside out and run the warm water from the back.

● Make sure that your cloth doesn’t bleed color or its color-safe, if not use the liquid laundry detergent.

● Use the liquid dishwasher and apply directly to the stain

● Use the sponge to clean the area and move ahead

● Make sure to blot it with a paper towel to know the progress

● Make sure to let it dry first if the stain still appears then scrape it off the surface

● If that method is not working, then use the rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover to clean the stain

● After that, just wash the cloth in the washer, however, if the stain still remains use a toothbrush and then wash it again.

Most probably the paint stain on clothes now vanishes. Make sure while removing paint from the cloth to blot it as many times as you can. Bloating with a paper towel is the easiest way to know the progress of the cleaning.

How to Get Oil Paint Out of Clothes

Oil paints are one of the hardest to clean. They require a lot of work and need paint thinner as well. We advised that remove paint from clothes in a ventilated area, open windows, or doors otherwise do it outside because you will be working with chemicals.

● Make sure to find the paint stain on clothes early and scoop it off with a knife as soon as you can.

● If the paint has dried then scarp off with a butter knife

● Turn the garment inside out and put a paper towel under the stain

● Soak a rag in paint thinner and dab it on the stain

● Switch that part of the rag or switch the cotton ball after dabbing it because it must have soaked the paint in it.

● Change the paper towel under the stain for blotting

● If the paint stain still remains, just pour out the paint washer directly on the stain and use a toothbrush to scrub it off.

● After that, use some detergent to rub it on the stained part and clean it with laundry detergent

● If the paint still appears to be on the cloth, use mineral spirit or nail polish remover with the same method.

● If you tried all of this method and paint stain on cloth still remains, most probably because it’s a permanent stain and if it gets lighter, clean it again with paint remover.

How to Get Dried Paint Out of Clothes

Those who didn’t catch the fresh paint, have to deal with a dried paint stain on clothes. It doesn’t matter which type of paint it was, any paint stain on clothes can be removed with a little bit of hard work.

● Use the putty knife or butter knife to scrape off paint from the surface

● After that use the paper towel and warm water to blot the stain

● Use the detergent to clean the stained part

● Make use to blot again with a clean paper towel to know that paint is releasing

● Make sure to use rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover to clean the stain

● Use the liquid detergent to wash the clothes.

Any of the above methods can be used for dried paint stains. The only difference between dried and wet paint is, wet paint is fairly easy to remove.

Everyone has faced this situation and had to deal with paint stained clothes. This guide will help you clean your clothes easily and quickly without any hassle. Delicate fabric may need a lot of attention but on the other hand cotton or denim with paint splatter is easy to remove. We hope that this article answered all of your questions including how to get paint out of clothes.

(read my other article for best mac cleaner 2021)

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Pinakin Joshi

Freelance Content Writer,Quora Writer, SEO Enthusiast