How to get paint out of clothes: latex, acrylic, oil and dried paint

Step by step: how to get paint out of clothes

Safety first. Rubbing alcohol, mineral spirits and turpentine are flammable and give off fumes. Use them outdoors or by an open window, away from flames and pilot lights, and wear gloves. Never put a solvent-soaked garment straight into the dryer; hand wash and air dry it first.

1. 1

   Find out what kind of paint it is

   Check the can or tube: latex, acrylic and most wall paints clean up with water, while oil-based paint, enamel and artist oils say to clean up with mineral spirits or thinner. Fabric paint and most craft paints are acrylic. The cleanup line on the label tells you what will dissolve it.

2. 2

   Scrape off the excess without spreading it

   Lift wet paint off with a plastic putty knife or spoon, scooping from the edges toward the center. Blot the rest with a cloth or kitchen towel; do not rub. If paint has dried in a thick layer, flake off the raised part gently so you do not tear the fibers.

3. 3

   Flush latex paint from the back with cold water

   Turn the garment inside out and run cold water hard through the back of the stain. Keep it wet; once latex dries, it bonds to the fabric. If you cannot treat it right away, keep the spot wet or wrapped in plastic.

4. 4

   Work in detergent and repeat

   Rub liquid laundry detergent or dish soap into the stain with an old toothbrush, then rinse. Repeat until the rinse water runs clear. This takes several rounds on a big splash.

5. 5

   Soak and pretreat

   Soak the garment in cool water with a little detergent for about an hour, then apply a laundry stain remover to any remaining color. Leave the pretreatment on when the garment goes in the washer.

6. 6

   Use alcohol on dried latex or acrylic

   Test rubbing alcohol on a hidden seam. Then saturate the dried paint, let it sit 10 to 15 minutes, and scrub with a toothbrush to break it up. Blot and repeat until the paint softens and lifts.

7. 7

   Use mineral spirits on oil-based paint

   With gloves on and good airflow, blot the back of the stain with a cloth dampened with mineral spirits or the thinner named on the can, over a pad of rags. While it is still wet with solvent, work in liquid detergent, then rinse. Hand wash before machine washing.

8. 8

   Wash, then check before drying

   Wash in the warmest water the care label allows. Air dry and check; if any paint shows, repeat the treatment. Dryer heat sets paint for good.

How to get each type of paint out of clothes

Water-based paints (latex, acrylic, fabric paint, tempera) come out with water, detergent and alcohol; oil-based paints need a solvent first.

The University of Georgia Extension says to sponge latex with water as soon as possible, rub in detergent, rinse, pretreat and wash, and warns that if latex paint is allowed to dry the stain may become permanent. For oil-based paint, it recommends the thinner named on the label, or mineral spirits if you do not know it, with detergent worked in while the solvent is still wet, then an overnight soak in hot water before laundering.

Can you get dried paint out of clothes?

Often yes for dried latex and acrylic, which rubbing alcohol can soften; dried oil-based paint frequently does not come out fully. The thicker and older the paint, the lower your odds.

Tide recommends soaking a latex paint stain in isopropyl alcohol for 10 to 15 minutes before washing, and treating oil-based paint by blotting from the back and then dabbing with white spirit or turpentine before applying a stain remover and washing. OxiClean explains that acrylic paint becomes more water resistant once dry, that fabric paint is essentially acrylic, and that dried oil-based paint may not come out completely, while dried fingerpaint, watercolor and acrylic often can with a long pretreatment.

If a work shirt is covered in dried wall paint, it may be worth keeping as a painting shirt rather than spending an hour on it.

Using solvents safely at home

Use the least solvent you can, outdoors or with a window open, and never near a flame. Keep solvent-soaked clothes and rags out of the dryer.

• The EPA lists paint strippers and other solvents among the household products that release volatile organic compounds, and advises using them with plenty of ventilation and following the label.
• Hand wash a garment you treated with mineral spirits in warm, soapy water and air dry it before it goes in the machine.
• Let solvent-soaked rags dry outdoors and dispose of them the way the product label directs.
• Acetone dissolves acetate, triacetate and modacrylic; check the fiber content first.
• Paint on carpet is a different job; see our guide to getting paint out of carpet.

Mistakes to avoid

• Letting latex paint dry while you finish the wall, when 30 seconds of rinsing would save the shirt.
• Using hot water on wet latex, which can make it bond faster.
• Rubbing the stain, which spreads paint and grinds it into the weave.
• Putting a garment that still has solvent or paint in it into the dryer.
• Using acetone on acetate, triacetate or modacrylic, which dissolves the fabric.