How to remove lipstick from clothes without spreading it

Step by step: how to remove lipstick from clothes without spreading it

1. 1

   Scrape off the excess

   Lift any smear of lipstick off the surface with a dull knife or spoon, scraping in one direction away from the stain. Do not wipe with a napkin, which spreads the oily color into a wider streak.

2. 2

   Set the stain face down on a clean cloth

   Turn the garment inside out and lay the stained area face down on a folded white cloth or several paper towels. Working from the back pushes the color out the way it came in, instead of deeper into the fabric.

3. 3

   Dab the back with dish soap

   Put a few drops of liquid dish soap on a second cloth and dab, do not rub, the back of the stain. You should see pink or red transfer onto the cloth underneath. Move to a clean section of the bottom cloth each time.

4. 4

   Repeat until no more color transfers

   Keep dabbing and shifting to a clean spot until the cloth underneath stays clean. On a large or dark stain this can take 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse the area with warm water when you are done.

5. 5

   Pretreat the outline

   Spray or rub a laundry stain remover or liquid detergent into any faint ring that remains, working it in with a soft toothbrush. Leave it for 5 to 10 minutes, but do not let it dry on the fabric.

6. 6

   Wash on the warmest safe setting

   Wash the garment in the warmest water its care label allows with your usual detergent. Add an oxygen booster or bleach only if the fabric is bleach-safe.

7. 7

   Check before drying

   Look at the spot in good light while the garment is still damp. If any color or greasy outline remains, repeat the dish soap and pretreat steps. Only put it in the dryer once the stain is completely gone.

Why is lipstick hard to get out of clothes?

Lipstick is both oily and heavily pigmented, so you have to remove the wax and oil before the color will rinse out. Clorox describes lipstick stains as oil-based, brightly colored and impossible to hide, and its method is the dab-from-the-back technique above with dish detergent.

The University of Georgia Extension treats lipstick the same way in two stages: apply a solvent-type cleaner or prewash stain remover and blot with absorbent material until the pigment is gone, then rub light-duty liquid detergent into the stain until the outline is gone, and launder. Expect to repeat on a heavy stain.

How to remove different kinds of lip color

Classic cream lipstick responds to dish soap; long-wear formulas need a solvent; glosses and balms are mostly oil.

For foundation, mascara and other makeup, see our makeup stain guide.

How to get dried lipstick out of clothes

Pretreat it longer. A stain that has been washed or dried once is harder, but often still fades with a long pretreat. OxiClean says to leave its laundry stain spray on makeup stains for at least 10 minutes, and up to 7 days on colorfast fabric; on fabric prone to color change, do not leave it on more than 5 minutes. It also says not to treat a garment while you are wearing it.

• Tide’s method for fresh makeup is to scrape, rinse under running water, work liquid detergent in with a soft toothbrush, wait five minutes and wash on the hottest temperature the label allows.
• On silk, wool, velvet and anything labeled dry clean only, blot off what you can and take it to a dry cleaner the same week. Tell them it is lipstick.
• On a white shirt collar, finish with bleach only if the fabric is bleach-safe cotton or polyester without spandex.

Mistakes to avoid

• Wiping lipstick with a napkin or wet wipe and smearing it into a long streak.
• Working on the front of the stain instead of pushing it out from the back.
• Using hot water before the oil is broken down with dish soap.
• Putting the garment in the dryer with a faint pink outline still showing.
• Using rubbing alcohol on silk, acetate or a dark dye without testing.