How to Remove Acrylic Paint from Clothes

Acrylic paint is a popular paint used in crafts, home decoration and general painting jobs. Paint is designed to be water soluble, but if it gets on clothing, it can cause stains. Fortunately, in many cases, you can remove acrylic paint by acting quickly. Either way works, whether the paint is dry or wet, but you always need to scrape the wet paint off your clothes first.

Table of Contents

Preparing to handle clothes

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Quick action. Whichever method you choose, the more likely you are to successfully remove the paint stain from your clothes, the sooner you treat the stain. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Use a spatula or knife to scrape off the hardened or speckled paint from the garment. If the paint is still wet, you can use a paper towel or towel to gently blot it out. It is important to remove as much paint as possible and as soon as possible.

A bristle brush can help with rougher fabrics, especially if the paint sticks to large balls. A toothbrush is a suitable alternative if you find it uncomfortable to use eating utensils such as spoons.

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Don’t panic. Don’t give up and throw your shirt away or get angry. Even if it’s a well-designed piece of clothing, you can still save it from the paint. Just act quickly and follow the instructions.

Use a dry paper towel to absorb as much paint as possible. This step is only effective when the paint is still wet. Remember to only absorb, not rub. Blotting will help remove wet paint that is left over and has not yet soaked into the garment. Rubbing too hard will push the excess paint into the garment and make the stain more difficult to remove. Once you’ve absorbed the excess paint, you can proceed with any of the methods below. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Isopropyl alcohol paint remover

Soak the paint stain in Isopropyl alcohol. Paint stains must be completely soaked, so you need to use plenty of alcohol. Isopropyl alcohol can be purchased relatively cheaply online, in addition to pharmacies or convenience stores.

Scratch the paint. Use your fingers, wooden chopsticks, coins, or other objects to scrape the paint off the fabric. When raking, you should move in the direction of the fabric and then scratch back, scratch back and forth. Try to scrape off as much paint as you can before moving on to the next step. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

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Put the clothes in the washing machine. Set the mode that you normally use to wash this garment and wash it with normal detergent. Machine washing can help remove paint residue that you can’t remove by scratching and using Isopropyl alcohol.

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Dry as usual. Hopefully the paint stain will be removed with alcohol and after machine wash. If you are not satisfied, you can repeat the process once, but it may be too late now.

Remove paint with Ammonia and Vinegar

Soak the paint spot in cold water. Drop the clothes into a tub or bucket filled with water. Soak for about 1 minute before moving on to the next step. The clothes should be completely submerged in water.

Mix 1 cup (240 ml) of Ammonia, 1 cup (240 ml) of white vinegar with a handful of salt. Mix the mixture in a separate bowl. The mixture can be mixed while soaking clothes in water to save time. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Squeeze out excess water from freshly soaked clothes. Twist to squeeze out water from clothes. Try to wring it out until the water stops dripping too much, but don’t worry if the clothes are still wet or damp. Clothes should be still damp because that is the purpose of soaking.

Dip a dust-free cloth or sponge in the ammonia and vinegar mixture. Rub the cloth or sponge over the paint stain. Don’t be afraid to scrub hard. Dip the cloth in the mixture as many times as necessary until the paint appears to have been removed.

Wash clothes with water. Now you can check if the paint stain has been removed. Repeat if the paint stain is still there. The hope is that after repeating the process 1-2 times, the paint will fade away. You will see results immediately. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

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Put the scrubbed clothes in the washing machine. Wash as usual and then dry the paper. Check again to see if the paint stain is gone. If you’re not satisfied, you can repeat the process, but the result may be just fading of the paint.

Remove paint with dishwashing liquid

Turn the garment inside out – or at least the paint spot. Place the garment under warm running water to wash off as much paint as possible.

Mix dishwashing liquid with warm water in a 1:1 ratio. This is the solution that you will use to remove the paint. This method is very useful because dishwashing liquid is always available in the house. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Dip a dust-free cloth or sponge in the solution. Absorb and stomp hard but avoid rubbing too much to avoid spreading the paint. Don’t be afraid to scratch the paint with your nails. Try to remove as much paint as you can.

Wash with water. Check for paint stains. You can continue to apply the dishwashing liquid to the stain if needed or if you are not satisfied with the amount of paint removed. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

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Wash as usual. Wash clothes as usual. Be sure to design machine washable clothing. At this point, you can dry the garment as usual and check the paint stain again. Hopefully the paint stain is gone.

Remove paint with window cleaner or hairspray

Use a rag or paper towel to gently dab the paint stain. Do not rub. This step is only necessary if the paint is still wet. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Spray window cleaner or hairspray on the washcloth or sponge. Place the wet wipe over the top of the nail polish remover bottle to moisten it with a little acetone. If you have window cleaner or hairspray available in your home, you can use it to remove paint stains.

It’s a good idea to test on an inconspicuous area of clothing first to make sure the fabric can withstand the chemicals in these products. If the fabric is not chemical resistant, you should use another method.

Use a damp cloth to rub the paint stain. Place the towel over the paint stain and start scrubbing it up and down. Try not to rub too hard to avoid spreading the paint. Remember to use a knife or fingers to scrape off as much of the paint as possible before scrubbing the stain with a damp cloth. This step helps to avoid spreading the paint as much as possible. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Wash now. This strong detergent mixture needs to be removed quickly before damaging the fabric. Wash as usual and then dry. Paint will be removed.

Advice

Try not to let the paint stain dry. Wet paint is easier to remove than dry paint.
Always test on an inconspicuous spot first to see how the fabric reacts.
Another solution: Use Isopropyl alcohol mixed with 409 kitchen cleaning spray. Use a toothbrush to rub the mixture on the paint. This works well for paint stains that have been dry and stuck on clothes for months.
Any detergent mix can make the problem worse, depending on the product you use, the type of fabric affected, and how the mixture is used. Even if your clothes are stained with paint, you should at least try to remove the stain.
Non-washable fabrics will always have paint stains. Try taking it to a dry cleaner to see if they can do something about it. If not, come up with creative ways to cover or incorporate paint stains into your clothes.
Try dabbing nail polish remover or thinner on the stain, however, this can damage the clothes. Test on natural fabrics only and test first in an inconspicuous spot on the garment.

Steps