First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Scrape off what you can with a dull knife or spoon, without pressing it deeper.
- Lay the stain face down on paper towels so the color moves into them.
- Blot instead of rubbing, which spreads the color.
- Keep the item away from dryer heat, which can set the stain for good.
Lipstick is bright color mixed into oils and waxes, so a regular wash barely touches it on its own. It needs a solvent or grease-cutting step before any detergent, and that's the part most people skip. Set lipstick can still come out, but expect to repeat the blotting and detergent rounds until no more color transfers.
Lipstick out of clothes comes out best when you work from the back of the fabric, so the color pushes out instead of deeper in. Red lipstick usually needs a prewash stain remover stick before the wash, not harder scrubbing. Keep the garment out of the dryer until no pink shows, because heat sets whatever color is left.
7 items
What you'll need
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- Dull knife or spoonLifts off excess lipstick or gloss without pushing it deeper into the fabric.
- Paper towels or clean white towelsAbsorb the color from the back of the stain as you work. (opens Amazon)
- Rubbing alcohol, 70 or 90 percentLifts the oily color out of the fabric and onto the towels. (opens Amazon)
- Light-duty liquid detergentWorks into the oily base of the stain before the wash. (opens Amazon)
- Small brushScrubs in a prewash spray if you choose that option. (opens Amazon)
- Commercial spot remover or prewash stain removerA product alternative to the alcohol if you'd rather use one. (opens Amazon)
- Chlorine bleachClears the last traces on fabric that tolerates it, and only after everything else is rinsed out. (opens Amazon)
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7 steps
How to get lipstick out of clothes
Step 1 of 7
Scrape off the excess
Use a dull knife or the back of a spoon to lift off any waxy lipstick or gloss sitting on top. Keep the pressure light and move from the outer edge toward the middle so the color doesn't push further in.
Step 2 of 7
Blot the back with alcohol
Place the stain face down on a couple of layers of paper towel, and test rubbing alcohol (70 or 90 percent) on a hidden seam first. Dab the back of the stain with a towel dampened with the alcohol, moving to a clean towel until no more color comes off. On acetate, mix the alcohol with 2 parts water before you dab.
Tip. Keep moving to fresh paper so the color always has a clean place to land.
Careful. Use solvents in a ventilated room away from flames.
Step 3 of 7
Use a spot remover instead
If you'd rather skip the alcohol, apply a commercial spot remover or prewash stain remover to the stain. Blot it with absorbent material, repeat until the pigment stops coming out, and then rinse.
Step 4 of 7A few minutes
Work in light-duty liquid detergent
Work light-duty liquid detergent into the stain with your fingertips until the outline is gone. If you have a prewash spray, spritz it on both sides, let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub gently with a small brush.
Tip. Work from the outside edge inward so the color doesn't spread.
Step 5 of 7
Rinse and launder the item
Rinse the spot from the back, then wash the item as its care label allows. If any color is still there afterward, go back through the alcohol blotting and the detergent work before the next wash.
Step 6 of 72 minutes
Bleach only the final traces
Once every trace of alcohol and spot remover is rinsed out, mix 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach into 1 tablespoon water and dab it on the remaining color for no more than 2 minutes. Flush the spot with water afterward, and only do this on fabric that tolerates chlorine.
Careful. Never use chlorine bleach on wool, silk, mohair, leather or spandex.
Step 7 of 7
Air-dry and check the spot
Let the item air-dry, then check the spot in good light. Use the dryer only once no color shows, and repeat the alcohol and detergent work if any remains.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for lipstick
Pick a spot remover or prewash stain remover made for oily stains, and check its label for the fabric types it allows.
Utopia Kitchen White Flour Sack Towels
How we picked these: each product is made for this type of stain, its maker doesn't warn against using it on this fabric, and its directions fit the steps above.
Finished the steps? How does it look?
Nice work. Let it dry completely and check it again in good light before using any heat. Here is what done looks like:
How to tell it's really gone →A faint mark usually needs one more round, not a stronger product.
See what to do for what you're seeing →If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →Pick what it is on
Lipstick on every material
No match. Try the main search for anything else.
How to tell it's working
The alcohol blotting is working when the towel picks up pigment and the outline of the stain starts to fade. The spot is done when the towel stays clean and the fabric looks the same color as the rest of the item. If the towel still picks up color after several passes, keep going rather than switching products.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your fabric
White shirts and whites
White cotton and other white fabrics can take the whole sequence, including the bleach step for the last traces. Keep the bleach on the spot itself rather than soaking the whole shirt in it.
Once the spot is gone, wash the shirt in the hottest water its care label allows, since white fabric can take hot water. The rest of the garment doesn't need any chlorine.
Jeans, shirts and dresses
Colored clothes are where the bleach step matters most, so only use chlorine on the spot if you know the color is colorfast. Denim, canvas, cotton and linen can handle the steps as written, with the alcohol test on a hidden seam first.
Polyester and other synthetics don't take hot water, so keep the wash to the cooler setting the label allows. Use the same blotting and detergent steps on them, and skip anything hotter.
Red, matte and long-lasting shades
Long-lasting and liquid lipsticks are the hardest in this group, since some need more work to come off. When that's the case, keep repeating the alcohol blotting until no more color transfers to the towel.
Red, pink, black and matte shades use the same steps as written, with no separate method. Keep checking the towel as you work, since it tells you clearly when the color is gone.
Silk, wool and delicates
Silk and wool need the gentlest version of these steps, and the spot should be blotted, not worked. Skip any enzyme detergent or oxygen product, since neither suits these fibers.
Don't rub or brush these fabrics, and don't let them soak, since agitation can make wool felt and shrink. Air-dry the item flat, and if the spot doesn't lift after a few careful blots, send it to a cleaner.
Dry-clean-only items
A dry-clean-only label means the item isn't built for a washer, so skip the wash and the bleach and keep the work to blotting. Use a solvent-based spot remover, and leave out water-based products and oxygen cleaners.
Test on a hidden seam first, as you would for any solvent. If the stain stays after a few careful rounds, a professional cleaner is the safer next step.
Old, dried or set-in stains
Old lipstick is harder to remove than a fresh stain, so the sooner you start, the better. Keep going with the alcohol blotting and the detergent work until no more color transfers.
If the stain has dried, dampen it again with the alcohol before any detergent, and don't let it dry out between passes. A stain that has been through the dryer has likely been heat-set, so expect more rounds than you would for a fresh spot.
When the color still shows, the full sequence adds a diluted detergent solution with a few drops of ammonia, then a detergent with a few drops of white vinegar, then alcohol, then bleach for the final traces, with a water flush between each one. Expect a set stain to fade rather than vanish completely, and if it still shows after all of this, take it to a cleaner.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on lipstick?
There's no fast trick that skips the wash. The alcohol blotting and detergent work take only a few minutes, but the wash is what finishes the job, and the household remedies people often reach for either don't match this oil-based stain or belong to other stains.
Helps2Skip4
Chemical safety
Never mix these
Some products in this guide react dangerously with each other. Use them one at a time and rinse with water in between.
Chlorine bleach + Oxygen bleach (OxiClean)
Both makers advise against combining them: OxiClean says not to mix it with chlorine bleach, and Clorox says the two bleaches cancel each other out.
Chlorine bleach + Rubbing alcohol
Bleach and rubbing alcohol can form chloroform, which causes dizziness, nausea and loss of consciousness.
Oxygen bleach (OxiClean) + Rubbing alcohol
OxiClean's maker says it should not be mixed with household chemicals other than detergent in the wash.
If they mix by accident: Stop and add nothing else; leave the area for fresh air, open windows and keep children and pets away; call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222, or 911 if anyone has trouble breathing.
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't mix bleach with other cleaners
Chlorine bleach mixed with rubbing alcohol, ammonia or vinegar can give off hazardous fumes. If you've used any of those on the spot, rinse the item thoroughly before the bleach goes anywhere near it.
Don't use acetone on acetate
Acetone and nail polish remover dissolve acetate and triacetate, so keep them away from those fabrics completely. Modacrylic is at risk from them too, so skip them on that fabric as well.
Don't use bar soap on the stain
Bar soap sets many stains, so it can make lipstick harder to lift once it has dried in. Use the liquid detergent from the steps for the work on the spot instead.
Troubleshooting
If the stain is still there
Pick what you're seeing:
Color keeps bleeding into the towels.
That means it is working. Keep moving to fresh towels until they stay clean.
A faint pink shadow remains after washing.
Repeat the alcohol blotting and detergent steps, then launder again.
An oily ring stays after the color is gone.
Rub in more light-duty liquid detergent until the outline disappears, then rinse and launder.
The fabric is acetate.
Dilute the rubbing alcohol before blotting, and test on a hidden seam first.
When to call a professional
If the color still shows after the full sequence, or the fabric is too delicate to treat at home, a professional cleaner is the right next step. Tell them it's lipstick, since oil-based color needs a solvent process rather than a regular wash.
Questions
Does lipstick or lip gloss stain clothes, and will it come out?
Yes, both stain clothes because they combine oils and waxes with strong color. Most fresh stains come out with the alcohol blotting, a detergent and a regular wash. Old or heat-set stains take more rounds, but they can still come out if you keep going.
Can you get lipstick out after the item has been washed and dried?
Yes, but it's harder. The dryer has likely heat-set some of it, so start with the alcohol blotting and repeat until no more color transfers. Then work through the detergent and wash again before you dry it.
Is rubbing alcohol safe on clothes?
Test a hidden seam first, since alcohol can move dye on some fabrics. On acetate, dilute it before you use it, as the steps describe.
Can I skip the wash and just use alcohol or a spot remover?
No. The blotting and detergent work loosen most of the color, but the wash removes what's left, so skipping it leaves the job unfinished.
Does lip gloss come out differently than lipstick?
There's no separate method for lip gloss, so treat it as an oil-based cosmetic. Start with the alcohol blotting, then the detergent and a regular wash.
Do I need bleach to get lipstick out of white clothes?
Not always. Bleach is only for the last traces, on fabric that tolerates chlorine, and it goes on after everything else is rinsed out. Colored and delicate items can usually be cleaned without it.
Related
How we know this
Every method, amount and warning here comes from university extension services, industry bodies and product makers. We read them, check every step for unsafe combinations and changed amounts, and write it up so you can follow it.