How to get Paint out of Clothes
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Don’t throw it out! Learn how to get paint out of clothes, so you don’t have to throw your favorite piece in the trash.
We’ve been in the middle of working on our family room makeover, that I told you about a few months ago. We decided to wait until the holidays were over to really get started.
As soon as the Christmas tree came down, we got to painting. I finally decided on Benjamin Moore Coventry Gray and couldn’t be happier!!
It’s the perfect gray paint color! I can’t wait to share some pictures of the progress soon.
During the painting, my husband happened to walk thru the room with his favorite coat on and brushed a corner with fresh paint……and you guessed it, he ended up with paint on the sleeve.
How does that always happen?! It’s not just him.. I know I’ve done it myself more times than I care to admit. You think you’re being so careful…
You should have seen the disappointment on his face when he told me about it – after it was dry.
I told him, no worries, I know a little trick that should get dry paint out of clothes, and since the jacket was machine washable, it should come right out!
This method is 99% effective, and is worth a try! Since you already have paint on the garment, you don’t have much left to lose, right?
It’s definitely worth the effort, I promise!
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Paint can be removed from clothes, especially if you act quickly. I’m going to explain how to remove water-based paint from clothes that can be machine washed.
Table of Contents
How to get paint out of clothes:
Supplies:
All you need is an old cloth, 91% Isopropyl alcohol (aka rubbing alcohol, you can get at the drug store or Amazon) and a brush (I used an old toothbrush).
What To Do First:
Act As Fast As Possible: Try to follow the steps below as soon as possible, because once the paint dries, it can become more difficult to remove. If you are not able to treat it quickly, try to keep the paint stain wet until you can treat it properly.
Remove Excess Paint Before Treating: Use a spoon or flat side of a table knife to scrape excess paint from the fabric. Working from the back of the fabric, flush the stain under warm running water. Or blot stain with a clean rag to absorb as much of the remaining paint that you can from the fabric.
IF Paint Has Dried: Use a spoon, dull table knife or hard bristled brush to scrape away as much paint as you can from the fabric.
Now that you’ve gathered what you need and scraped away what you can, you’re ready to get down to business. Don’t worry, you’ve got this!
Steps to remove paint from clothing:
Use a wet cloth to get the area with the paint wet – it doesn’t need to be soaking wet, just dab it with the wet cloth until the fabric is wet.
Saturate the paint stain with Isopropyl alcohol
Use your brush to scrub until the paint is no longer visible. (if needed, add a little more alcohol while scrubbing) you will see the paint break down and crumble.
Place garment in the washer and launder according to the label.
That’s it!!
It should look as good as new!
Remember, unexpected painting accidents don’t have to mean disaster. As long as you act quickly and follow the instructions on the garment care tag, these handy tips should help you remove paint from your favorite clothes in no time at all.
I’m a big fan of anything that will save clothes and money. Especially when they’re a favorite jacket or sweatshirt!
He’s a happy man again!……and you get a little sneak peek at my beautiful gray walls! 😉
UPDATE:
See how the perfect gray paint looks in our home!
Transitioning to Spring in the Family Room
It’s been four years since we painted the family room and I still love the color!! See all the updates to our family room decor by clicking the image below.
Like this tip on How to Get Paint Out of Clothes? PIN IT!
Happy painting!
Hi there, I'm Cheryl!
As a wife, mom, and caffeine enthusiast, my journey has taken me from bustling mornings with my family to sharing delicious recipes, home care tips, and heartfelt decorating insights with wonderful readers like you. My love for baking, photography, and tidiness shines through every post I craft. Dive into my world and discover the art of homemaking, one tidy moment at a time. Read more...
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I wish I had known about this earlier. I own a rental property – so I do a lot of painting and I had noticed that hand sanitizer with a lot of alcohol would roll the paint right off my hands. I should have thought about using the alcohol on my clothes. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks so much tis helped me with my new shirt?
I have a red paint stain on my only white pants. I’ve tried so many things since it happened a few months ago to get it out and nothing has worked. Not even this trick. I could use some help or advice to get it out. Any thing will help. I love these pants and would love to be able to wear them again without the stain.
Worked like a champ! I am in the process of loosing weight and I was down to my last decent pair of jeans that fit and I refuse to buy another in that size. A friend asked me to help paint and of course I was wearing said jeans and even though I was very careful, I got a few drips. Followed your advice and it was soooo easy! Thanks, you saved me!
Oh my goodness thank you! You are going to think I’m crazy, but I just got paint out of some running shorts that was on there for 3 years! I guess I don’t have an excuse not to run.
Thank you for this!!! I had a shirt I use to paint, so it was not a bother that it had 2 drips of paint. What I didn’t expect was for the paint to penetrate the fabric and stain my bra. One day old paint X your suggestion = I get to keep one of my favorite bras ?
Does it have to be 91% alcohol? I only have 70%
I’m not sure, but I don’t think it would hurt to try it!
Will the rubbing alcohol make the fabric colors run? The bar soap I have already tried does.
it didn’t when I used it. I figure, it’s already ruined with the paint, so if I try something that doesn’t work, there’s nothing left to lose 😉 — but you could try sampling on a spot that wont be seen as much
Have you ever tried this on something that has already been washed in cold water and hung to dry once?? I should have checked the internet before just putting regular stain spray on it and washing it, but alas, I did not.
I was spray painting a John Deere lawnmower before we sold it and I had on a good part of under armor pants and I should know better bc I always wear paint when I paint. So of course I got John Deere green spray paint on them and was mad! So I googled it and saw this add and I tried your trick and it worked. Would have never thought of using. Thanks so much.
This worked very well. Thank you!
Hi! I got paint on some of my clothes so I was wondering if I use the 91% Isopropyl alcohol would that bleach the clothes?
Test the alcohol first on an inconspicuous part of the garment and allow the fabric to dry
Paint on a favorite sweatshirt! I followed your directions and it worked like a charm. Now it is good as new.
Thank you. 🙂
Walgreens sells 91% alcohol in a spray bottle!
It worked for me alcohol on my Ralph Lauren fleece jacket I dabbed it with warm water the soaked it in rubbing alcohol, scrubbed with a tooth brush,then bam after ten minutes its good as new,so I thank you
Thanks you! It worked for me 🙂
Tried on a pair of navy shorts did not work at all
So I’m going to take a wild guess that because I washed and dried my pants in the washer and dryer many times that the paint stains that have dried in to my pants for months now will not be able to come out? I have already peeled the paint off but I’m wondering if these methods will work for dried in paint stains that have been there for months after you have washed and dried the pants in the washer and dryer many times?
you don’t have anything to lose if you try it right? Let us know how it goes!
Seeing others’ comments brings me hope as I’ve done the same thing, although only one time.
I tried this! It worked on My husband’s dark brown leather sandals, my dry clean only navy dress (10-15 year old stain)- both had white paint on them, my husband also had a turquoise Nike shirt that had black spray paint on it. All were set stains. My husbands shirt had been laundered (never dried in a dryer) It worked on all 3! I’m ecstatic! Especially about the dress. It took some effort with a toothbrush on all 3, my finger nail and finally, a green scrubbing pad on the turquoise shirt. If any of them had been ruined – so be it, but I had good luck and your good advice and encouragement to boot! Thanks again, Cheryl.
Will dry cleaning get paint out of clothes? My brother got hunter green paint on his black dress pants.
Thanks
Melody
Thank you so much! I’ve had paint on a favorite pair of capris since June. This method completely removed the stain!
I shared this with my little sister who is a painter and has multiple stained clothes. We are so happy there is hope to remove it.
What a find – spilled paint on my carpet and this technique worked like a charm.
yay!! glad it helped!
I don’t know how long there is an opportunity to add a comment but if I can I want to!
This information was a life saver … I saved this to my Pinterest “Cleaning Magic” board a long ago so I would have it ~ just in case. Yep … it happened! I got some salmon pink paint from stenciling on my black pants …. I didn’t realize it until the next day. I followed the steps to get it out and now there is no hint what-so-ever that there was a mess on my pants.
Thank you!