How to Get Paint Out of Clothes: Latex, Acrylic and Oil, Wet or Dry

Wet latex or acrylic paint usually comes out of clothes if you scrape off the excess, rinse the back of the fabric under cold running water, and work in liquid dish soap before the paint dries. Dried water-based paint needs rubbing alcohol to soften it, and oil-based paint needs the solvent named on the paint can (usually mineral spirits or turpentine) before washing. Keep the garment out of the dryer until the stain is gone, because heat sets paint into the fibers for good.

What should you do first when paint gets on clothes?

Act while the paint is still wet, since every type of paint is easiest to remove before it cures. Start with these steps for any paint:

1. Scrape off thick paint with a spoon, a plastic putty knife or the edge of a card. Lift it away instead of pushing it deeper.
2. Blot, do not rub. Rubbing spreads paint across a wider area and drives it into the weave.
3. Check the paint can or tube. “Clean up with soap and water” means water-based (latex or acrylic). “Clean up with mineral spirits” or a mention of alkyd or oil means oil-based.
4. Check the care label. If the garment says dry clean only, or is silk, wool, rayon or leather, skip home solvents and take it to a dry cleaner, telling them the type of paint.

Test any alcohol or solvent on a hidden seam first. Acetone and nail polish remover dissolve acetate, triacetate and modacrylic fabrics, so never use them on those.

How do you get wet latex or acrylic paint out?

Water-based paint rinses out well while wet. Cold water is the right choice, since hot water can start to set the binder.

1. Turn the garment inside out and hold the stain under a cold tap so the water pushes paint back out the way it came in.
2. Mix about 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of liquid dish soap with 1 cup (240 ml) of cool water, or put a drop of soap straight on the stain.
3. Work it in gently with your fingers or a soft toothbrush, then rinse. Repeat until the water runs clear and no color transfers to a white cloth.
4. Pretreat with a laundry stain remover and wash on the warmest setting the care label allows.
5. Air-dry and look at the spot in daylight before using the dryer.

Kids’ washable tempera and poster paints behave the same way and nearly always wash out with soap and water alone.

How do you remove dried latex or acrylic paint?

Dried water-based paint forms a plastic film, so you need to soften it before it will lift. Isopropyl rubbing alcohol works on most cotton, denim and polyester blends.

1. Scrape or flake off as much dried paint as you can with a dull knife. On stiff denim, flexing the fabric cracks the paint loose.
2. Dab rubbing alcohol on the stain with a cotton ball and let it sit for a few minutes. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a usable substitute.
3. Scrub gently with an old toothbrush, then scrape again. Softened paint comes away in rubbery pieces.
4. Rinse in cold water, apply dish soap, rinse again, and launder as usual.

Acrylic craft paint dries harder than wall paint and may take several rounds. If it has gone through a hot dryer, part of the color may be permanent, much like ink that has been set by dryer heat. On white cotton you can follow the alcohol treatment with the methods for getting stains out of white clothes, but never combine bleach with alcohol or any other cleaner.

How do you get oil-based paint out of clothes?

Oil-based paint does not dissolve in water, so you need the thinner the manufacturer lists on the can, usually mineral spirits or turpentine. Work outdoors or by an open window, wear gloves and keep away from flames, pilot lights and heaters.

1. Blot up wet paint with paper towels.
2. Lay the stain face down on a pad of paper towels or a clean rag.
3. Dab the thinner onto the back of the fabric with a cloth so the paint transfers into the pad underneath. Move to a clean part of the pad often.
4. Once no more color comes out, rub liquid dish soap into the area to break up the solvent and the paint oil, then rinse well.
5. Pretreat and wash the item by itself, warm or hot if the label allows.
6. Air-dry it. Do not put any item that still smells of solvent into the dryer.

Dried oil paint is much harder to remove. Soaking the spot in thinner for a few minutes and scraping can lift some of it, but heavily coated work clothes are often best kept as painting clothes. Artist oil paint on fabric responds to the same steps, and for small spots a dab of dish soap worked into fresh paint can lift a lot before you reach for solvent.

What are the safety rules for paint thinners and rags?

Solvents are flammable and give off fumes, so treat them with the same care as when painting. The EPA indoor air quality guidance recommends good ventilation when using products that release volatile organic compounds.

• Follow the directions on the thinner label, use small amounts and keep it away from children and pets.
• Never mix thinner, alcohol, bleach or other cleaners on the same stain. Rinse one product out fully before trying another.
• Rags soaked with oil paint, linseed oil or stain can heat up and catch fire on their own as they dry. Spread them flat outdoors to dry, or put them in a sealed metal can filled with water, then dispose of them as your local waste service directs.
• Never run solvent-soaked clothes through the dryer.
• If someone swallows thinner or gets it in their eyes, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 in the US, or emergency services.

Which mistakes make paint stains permanent?

• Putting the garment in the dryer before the stain is completely gone.
• Using hot water on fresh latex or acrylic paint.
• Rubbing the stain from the front, which forces paint further through the fabric.
• Letting the paint dry overnight “to deal with later.”
• Using acetone on acetate or modacrylic, which melts the fibers.

Paint mixed with wax, as in some art projects, needs the wax lifted first; the method for getting candle wax out of fabric covers that step.

Quick answers

Does vinegar remove dried paint from clothes?

Warm white vinegar can soften small spots of dried latex paint, but rubbing alcohol works faster. Rinse the vinegar out completely before using any other product, and never combine it with bleach.

Will paint come out of clothes after washing?

Water-based paint that went through a wash but not the dryer often still comes out with rubbing alcohol and scraping. After a hot dryer cycle, some staining usually stays.

Can WD-40 remove paint from clothes?

WD-40 can loosen some dried paint, but it leaves an oily stain of its own and is flammable. Dish soap must follow to remove the oil, and the item should air-dry.

How do you get paint out of jeans?

Denim handles scraping and rubbing alcohol well. Flex the fabric to crack dried paint, soften the rest with alcohol, scrub with a toothbrush and wash inside out in cold or warm water.