It’s just a small DIY job. The kids are out, and you’re listening to your favorite music. How can you possibly spill paint on your clothes? Whoops!
Even if you’re just touching up a tiny area of paintwork, paint seems to get everywhere, no matter how careful you are. Fortunately, latex paint can often be removed from clothing, although it’s easier if you find the mark quickly before it’s dried.
We examine the different ways to lift latex paint stains from different fabrics so you can restore your garment to pristine condition.
Can Latex Paint Be Washed Out of Clothes?
Latex paint is used to decorate walls, ceilings, and other materials, such as wooden furniture. Latex or acrylic paint is popular for home interiors because it’s easy to apply and dries quickly—but you probably know that after you’ve spattered your clothes with it!
It's water-based, suggesting it might wash easily out of fabrics. This is partially—but not wholly—accurate.
Latex paint contains pigments, acrylic polymers, and polyvinyl acetate, which are “binders.” Acrylic binders dry to a transparent, water-resistant film, and therein lies the problem when you want to wash dried latex paint out of your clothing.
However, don’t despair. Removing latex paint from clothing is often possible, although it’s helpful if you act fast. Discovering dried-on latex paint a few hours later is a more significant challenge.
As with any other sticky chemical solution, the key to removing latex paint is to know your product. The methods we suggest specifically target latex paint. If you’ve ever removed glue, then this process is completely different.
What To Do Before Removing Latex Paint From Clothing
The first thing to do is don’t panic. If you act quickly, you should be able to restore your garment to its pre-stained state. Note to self: wear overalls next time. Here’s what to do first:
- If the paint is fresh or dried, remove any excess blobs or hardened lumps. Otherwise, you’ll just wash more stain into the fabric rather than out of it, making it worse.
- Rinse the garment quickly with warm water—you may be able to remove all the stains without much fuss.
- Check the garment label. Acetone, which is found in many paint removers and can melt certain fibers, can damage some fabrics.
6 Steps To Remove Latex Paint From Clothing
1. Scrape Off Dried or Fresh Paint
If you don’t discover the mark until you’ve changed and showered after a decorating session, the paint will have dried long ago. So, you’ll need to scrape off what you can. Work from the back of the garment to loosen the paint, protecting the fabric.
Even if the paint is fresh, don’t do anything until you’ve removed the excess. Use something with a defined edge, like a butterknife or even a store card.
2. Rinse Fresh and Dried Paint with Warm Water
If you spot the mark as soon as it occurs, you have the best chance of shifting latex paint. Remove the garment and rinse it in warm water until the stain disappears. If the paint is hours old, you’ll only be able to remove some of it.
3. Wash the Stain
After you’ve loosened the mark, wash the stain using diluted dish soap and warm water, and apply clean pads to tamp the mark out of the cloth. Repeat the process until the stain lightens and you can’t remove any more color.
4. Try Nail Polish Remover, Rubbing Alcohol, or Baking Soda
Nail polish remover is an old trick and just one of many uses for this beauty product. It contains acetone, a solvent used as a paint thinner. You must check the garment care label first. If the fabric contains triacetate or acetate, the acetone will dissolve the fibers in the material.
Rubbing alcohol is another alternative, assuming it's garment-safe. Use a clean cloth and gently massage some alcohol into the mark. If the label’s long since disappeared, patch test the solution on a hidden area, like the inside of a hem. Don’t rub too hard.
If you don’t have rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover handy, try good old-fashioned baking soda.
Baking soda is a wonder household product; if you don’t know what humble baking soda can do around the home, it's worth reading up on it.
Just dissolve half a teaspoon of baking soda in some warm water and gently work the paste into the paint mark. It can take time (although it does work), so add more water and baking soda if you need to keep the paste moist. Rinse off any residue with warm water.
5. Launder on a Cool Wash
Wash the garment on a cool wash with laundry detergent sheets.Our laundry detergent sheets have a stain-fighting formula intended to tackle stubborn marks, even at colder temperatures. We also avoid harmful chemicals such as phosphates, brighteners, parabens, dyes, and 1,4-dioxane.
Our ingredients are gentle on your clothing, and we use less plastic-jug-free packaging to help you launder sustainably.
Avoid hot settings. While it would seem logical to bust a paint mark, heat can have the opposite effect and will set the stain. A cool wash will also work well with fabrics like polyester or polyester mixes, which don’t work well at higher temperatures.
6. Air Dry or Use a Low Setting in the Dryer
Let the garment dry naturally but not in direct sunlight, which can overheat the fabric. If you need to use a dryer, opt for the lowest temperature setting.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the Best Way To Remove Latex Paint?
Remove excess wet or dry paint and treat the stain with either a dilute detergent mix or water and baking soda. You can also use an alcohol-based product like nail polish remover. Swift action makes the job quicker and easier. Always check the garment label and patch test strong solutions first.
Final Thoughts
It’s perfectly possible to remove latex paint from clothing, even reasonably delicate fabrics. We won’t ask what you were doing painting that wall in a silk shirt! The key to success is swift action and using the right products to shift the mark and protect the garment.
Our laundry sheets are suitable for hand-soaking or lifting that mark on a machine wash. They dissolve quickly, and their stain-busting formula means they work even at low temperatures.