First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Check the fiber content before you touch the stain.
- Test any remover on a hidden seam, and look for color change or distortion.
- Blot the polish; rubbing spreads it into more fabric.
Nail polish is a lacquer that water and detergent won't lift on their own, so it takes a remover-based approach. Fresh polish gives you the best odds, because a dried stain is often permanent even after a solvent has loosened it. Before you touch the spot, check the fiber, since acetate, triacetate and modacrylic should go to a dry cleaner instead.
When you're getting nail polish out of denim jeans, dab at the spot instead of rubbing, since rubbing pushes the color deeper into the weave. Keep a stack of clean cloths close and switch to a fresh one as soon as the polish starts to transfer. Gel polish, or dried polish that has sat for days, may need more than one round, so don't give up after one pass.
7 items
What you'll need
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- Non-oily, acetone-based nail-polish remover or amyl acetateThe solvent that dissolves the polish, used only on fabric that isn't acetate, triacetate or modacrylic. (opens Amazon)
- Clean white paper towelsThey catch the polish as it transfers so it doesn't spread back into the fabric. (opens Amazon)
- Clean sponge or clothLets you dab solvent on without soaking the fabric. (opens Amazon)
- Liquid laundry detergentUsed in the cool-water step to lift leftover residue after the solvent is rinsed. (opens Amazon)
- Rubbing alcoholFor a final faint trace only, and only after the solvent has been rinsed out. (opens Amazon)
- Household ammonia (opens Amazon)
- Cool water and a basin or sinkFlushes out the solvent and cleans the item. (opens Amazon)
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6 steps
How to get nail polish out of clothes
Step 1 of 6
Check the fiber and test first
Read the care label and confirm the fabric isn't acetate, triacetate or modacrylic. Then put a few drops of remover on a hidden seam, wait a few minutes, blot, and look for color change or distortion.
Careful. Acetone dissolves acetate, triacetate and modacrylic, so if the fiber is any of those, skip the remover and go straight to a dry cleaner.
Step 2 of 6
Lay the stain face down
Place the stained area face down on a stack of clean white paper towels. The polish will transfer into the towels rather than deeper into the fabric.
Tip. Swap the towel out as soon as it picks up color.
Step 3 of 6
Sponge the back with remover
Dab non-oily, acetone-based nail-polish remover or amyl acetate onto the back of the stain with a clean sponge or cloth. Move to a fresh paper towel as the polish transfers, and repeat until the stain disappears.
Tip. Use small amounts, so the solvent doesn't soak through to the front.
Careful. Work in a ventilated room, away from open flames and sparks, and don't smoke while you do it.
Step 4 of 6
Rinse with cool water, then detergent
Sponge or soak the area in cool water to flush out the solvent. Then work a little liquid detergent into the stain with your fingers and rinse again.
Careful. Use liquid detergent rather than bar soap, since soap sets many stains.
Step 5 of 6
Treat any trace with alcohol and ammonia
If a faint trace remains, sponge it with rubbing alcohol mixed with a few drops of ammonia. Then rinse the area thoroughly with water.
Careful. Rinse out all the remover, alcohol and ammonia before you try anything else, and never mix ammonia with chlorine bleach.
Step 6 of 6
Hand-wash in cool water and air-dry
Hand-wash the whole item in cool water with a little liquid detergent. Then air-dry it flat or on a hanger.
Tip. Check the spot in good light before it goes anywhere near heat.
Careful. Keep the item out of the dryer and off the iron until the stain is completely gone, since heat sets it.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for nail polish
Use pure acetone or a non-oily nail-polish remover that lists acetone on the label, and skip oil-type products. Amyl acetate is another solvent that works on this stain, if you can find it.
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
Nail Polish on every material
Carpet & rugs2
Floors4
Leather & suede1
Metal & glass1
Walls1
Furniture & upholstery1
Bedding & linens1
Kitchen & bath1
No match. Try the main search for anything else.
How to tell it's working
The polish is lifting when the paper towel picks up color and the stain looks lighter after each round. Stop when the towel comes up clean, and don't keep going if the fabric starts to thin or change color.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your fabric
Whites and white shirts
White cotton and other bleach-safe whites can take the strongest finishing treatment, which is why they handle a last trace better than colored items. Keep the steps above the same, and save the bleach for the very end once everything is rinsed.
White fabric also shows a faint trace clearly, so check the spot in good light before you dry the item. If there's still a shadow, move on to the bleach finish described under the set-in section.
Denim and colored clothes
Denim and colored cotton follow the same steps, though dye can move with the solvent. Use cool water from start to finish, and check the label before you begin.
Polyester is a synthetic that shrinks and melts at high heat, so skip hot water and the iron on it. The remover steps still apply, but watch the paper towel closely for any color coming off.
Silk, wool and delicates
Silk and wool can't take hot water, heat, rubbing or enzyme detergent, so the steps above change for them. Blot gently with a cloth, use only a little solvent, and don't work the stain with a brush.
Velvet needs its own care: don't iron it, and check its care code before using any water-based cleaner. Heirloom textiles should never go in a washing machine, even on a gentle cycle.
Dry-clean-only items
Once you've blotted off any wet polish, dry-clean-only fabric is the cleaner's job, so skip the home steps. Tell the dry cleaner exactly what the stain is and which remover you've already used.
That way they won't repeat anything that could set the stain, and they can choose a method suited to the fabric.
Red, pink, clear and white polish
Polish color doesn't change the method, so the steps above work for every shade. What changes is how fresh the stain is, because a wet coat lifts far more easily than polish that has dried into the fabric.
Clear and white polish are harder to see on the fabric, so check the spot in daylight before you call it done. Red and pink are easy to see, which makes it simpler to tell when the stain is gone.
Black and dark clothes
On black and dark clothes, the hidden-seam test matters most, because remover can lift dye as well as polish. If you see color coming off on the paper towel, switch to a clean cloth and stop the remover as soon as the polish is gone.
For any colored clothes, a pale patch in the test spot means you should stop and take the item to a cleaner rather than continue.
Old, dried or set-in stains
An old or wet stain that has had time to spread needs the basic steps repeated until the paper towels come up clean, and it usually takes more than one round. Once polish has dried, the odds drop sharply, and a dried stain is often permanent, so set honest expectations before you start.
If the stain went through a dryer or was pressed with an iron, the heat has set it, and it's much less likely to lift. On fabric that can take it, sponge on a dry-cleaning solvent, work in mineral oil, then flush with water as the next option for stubborn spots.
If a faint trace still shows on white or bleach-safe cotton, finish with a diluted chlorine bleach: 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach in 1 tablespoon water, applied with a medicine dropper and left no more than 2 minutes, then flushed with water. Only do this after the remover and ammonia are fully rinsed out, and never on wool, silk or spandex.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on nail polish?
Most home remedies don't dissolve nail polish, so reach for a nail-polish remover instead. Some of these only partly help on nail polish, and a few should be skipped entirely.
Works1Skip5
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.
Ammonia + Rubbing alcohol
The ammonia maker's safety sheet says not to mix ammonia with other household chemicals.
If they mix by accident: Don't use the mixture; ventilate the room and avoid breathing fumes or touching it; call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 for disposal advice or if anyone feels unwell.
What makes it worse
Mistakes to avoid
Don't pour remover straight onto the stain
Pouring soaks the solvent through the fabric and spreads the polish outward. Sponge it on from a clean cloth over paper towels instead, one small area at a time.
Don't use oil-type nail-polish remover
Check the label for a non-oily remover that contains acetone before you use one. An oil-type remover is the wrong product for this stain.
Don't wash solvent-soaked fabric in the washer
Appliance makers advise against putting solvent-wet fabric into a machine, and the agitation can spread the polish. Hand-wash it once the solvent is fully rinsed out, as in the cool-water wash.
Troubleshooting
If the stain is still there
Pick what you're seeing:
The paper towels keep coming up saturated and the stain isn't shrinking.
Rotate in fresh towels more often and keep the stain face down so the polish has somewhere to go. Sponge the back in small passes rather than flooding it, and repeat until the transfer slows.
A faint trace is left after the remover stage.
Sponge with rubbing alcohol mixed with a few drops of ammonia, then rinse. On white or bleach-safe fabric only, follow with the 1 teaspoon chlorine bleach in 1 tablespoon water dip for no more than 2 minutes, after flushing with water.
The hidden test patch changed color or the fabric puckered.
Stop. That reaction is exactly what the test is for, and it means the remover is attacking the fiber. Don't continue on the stain; take the garment to a professional cleaner and tell them what you tested.
When to call a professional
If the stain is on silk, wool, velvet or any dry-clean-only item, or it's still there after the set-in steps, take it to a dry cleaner. Tell them what the stain is and which remover you've already used, so they can choose the right method.
Questions
Does nail polish stain clothes?
Yes, nail polish can stain clothes, and dried polish is very hard to remove. Fresh polish is much easier to lift if you act right away and follow the steps above. Work from the back of the stain so the polish moves onto paper towels instead of deeper into the fabric.
Will nail polish come out of clothes?
It often does if the stain is fresh and the fabric can take a remover. Dried polish is often permanent, and some stains won't lift completely even after several rounds. Test a hidden spot first, and take the item to a dry cleaner if the stain doesn't move.
Can you use nail polish remover on clothes?
Yes, but only the non-oily, acetone-based kind, and only on fabric that isn't acetate, triacetate or modacrylic. Apply it from paper towels rather than pouring it on, and check the label to confirm it's the non-oily type.
How do you get gel or shellac polish out of clothes?
There's no tested home method for gel, shellac, UV or water-based polish on fabric, so don't guess. Start with the fiber check and the hidden-spot test, blot rather than rub, and take the item to a dry cleaner if the stain doesn't lift.
Can you remove nail polish without acetone?
Not really, because the home remedies here don't dissolve polish. Amyl acetate is the other solvent in these steps, but without any remover you're left with water and detergent, which won't lift dried polish on their own. If you don't have a non-oily remover, a dry cleaner is safer than trying a substitute.
How soon do you need to act on a nail polish stain?
As soon as you can, because fresh polish lifts far more easily than polish that has dried into the fabric. Even a short wait can make the difference between a stain that comes out and one that stays. If it's already dry, start with the hidden-spot test and expect a harder job.
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.