First few minutes
Just happened? Do this first
- Rinse the stain from the fabric with hot water until no more color comes out.
- Keep the garment out of the dryer, and don't iron it.
- Treat the stain as soon as possible.
- Test a hidden spot before you use any product.
Kids' washable paint on a shirt or pair of pants usually lifts best when you act before it dries. Tempera is water-based and isn't waterproof even after it dries, and dried fingerpaint or watercolor isn't necessarily permanent. Once it has set, expect more effort and usually more than one round.
Pulling dried fabric paint from clothes at home takes patience, so let the pretreater sit on the spot first. Work a prewash stain remover into the paint with your fingers rather than scrubbing hard. Keep the item out of the dryer until the mark is completely gone, because heat can lock in what's left.
4 items
What you'll need
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- Liquid laundry detergentFor the hot wash on a heavy-soil cycle. (opens Amazon)
- Oxygen bleach stain removerFor the one-hour soak; choose one labeled safe for colored fabric if the item is colored. (opens Amazon)
- Clean white clothFor blotting from the back and checking the test spot for any color change. (opens Amazon)
- Basin or bucketTo hold the soak solution for the full hour. (opens Amazon)
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6 steps
How to get washable paint out of clothes
Step 1 of 6
Test a hidden spot first
Always test first on a hidden seam or inside hem, since results vary. Then check the care label for the hottest water the fabric can take, and use that as the limit for every wash below.
Tip. Look for any color change on the test spot before you go on.
Careful. Results vary, so never skip the hidden spot test.
Step 2 of 6
Rinse the stain out in hot water
Before any washing, rinse the stain from the fabric in hot water, working from the back so the paint pushes out rather than deeper. Keep rinsing until no more color comes out of the fabric.
Step 3 of 6About 12 minutes
Wash in hot water with detergent
Wash the garment in hot water with laundry detergent on a heavy-soil cycle for about 12 minutes. Stay within the temperature limit on the care label.
Step 4 of 61 hour
Soak in oxygen bleach for one hour
Mix the oxygen bleach stain remover with water as the container directs, and soak the stained area for one hour. Then air dry the garment, since no heat should touch it yet.
Tip. Keep the stained area fully submerged for the full hour.
Careful. Over-soaking or using more product than the container directs can cause yellow stains that cannot be removed.
Step 5 of 6
Repeat the wash if color remains
If you can still see paint after drying, wash the garment again the same way. Repeat until nothing more comes out, and let it air dry between washes.
Step 6 of 6
Check for color before any heat
Once no color remains, the garment can go through a normal dry. If any color shows, repeat the wash instead of drying it.
Careful. Heat sets the stain, so never put a stained garment in the dryer or iron it.
If you'd rather buy than mix
Best products for washable paint
Pick a liquid laundry detergent for the wash and an oxygen bleach stain remover for the soak, and check that the label says it's safe for colored fabric if your item is colored.
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.
If the stain was already dried or set, the method changes.
Old, dried or set-in stains →When to call a professional →How to tell it's working
You'll know it's working when the rinse water runs clearer and the color lifts out of the weave. If the color barely changes after one wash, the stain is set, so repeat the wash and keep the dryer off.
What changes for yours
Adjust for your fabric
Whites and white shirts
White fabric can take the hottest water the care label allows, and it can handle the full oxygen soak. The steps stay the same, so start with the rinse and wash in the hottest water the label lists. Chlorine bleach isn't called for on paint, so leave it out.
Make sure the paint is fully gone before you dry the shirt, because heat sets whatever is left. If any tint shows after the last wash, send it back through the soak instead of the dryer.
Colors and denim
Colored fabric and denim can take the oxygen soak only if the color is colorfast, so test a hidden seam before soaking. If the test spot shows any color change, stop and don't use the soak. Use the warmest water the label allows for the wash.
The clothing steps don't apply to skin, walls or paper, so for those, start with a gentle test spot and use the mildest product you have.
Silk, wool and delicates
Silk and wool need the gentlest route, since rubbing and agitation can damage them. Don't put them in the washing machine or the dryer, and don't rub or brush the stain.
Rinse gently with plain water, blotting from the back, then take the item to a professional cleaner. Don't iron velvet, since heat and pressure flatten the nap.
Dry-clean-only items
Dry-clean-only garments shouldn't go through water or the oxygen spray, so skip the wash and soak steps entirely. Take the item to a dry cleaner who can use a solvent-based cleaner.
Tell the cleaner the stain is paint and whether it has been dried or heat-set. Velvet with an S-code care tag falls in the same group, since water-based cleaners can damage it.
Old, dried or set-in stains
A stain you found days later, or one that has been through several washes, is the hardest kind to lift. Start by scraping off any loose, dried paint with a dull knife, then test a hidden spot before going further.
Dried washable paint, such as fingerpaint or watercolor, isn't necessarily permanent. Spray an oxygen-based stain remover on the dried paint until it's saturated, and wait 5 minutes, or less on fabric prone to color change.
If the stain went through the dryer, it's heat-set and much harder to remove, so treat this as a last attempt. After the wait, wash in the warmest water the fabric accepts, and let it air dry. If paint still shows, repeat the wash rather than applying heat, because some stains won't come out completely.
Vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and more
Do home remedies work on washable paint?
Most household remedies for paint on clothes are risky on fabric, so a hot rinse and a laundry wash come first. Skip the riskier fixes and let the hot rinse and wash do the work.
Works1Helps1Skip4
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.
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: 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 let the paint dry
Dried paint is much harder to lift, so rinse as soon as you can, even if you're not ready to wash. Dried fingerpaint and watercolor aren't necessarily permanent, but they take more work.
Don't rub the stain in
Rubbing pushes paint deeper into the weave and can spread it across the fabric. Blot or rinse from the back instead, so the paint is pushed out rather than deeper.
Don't use oxygen spray on delicate fabric
Oxygen spray and soaks aren't for silk, wool, leather or dry-clean-only items. Use the gentler route for those fabrics instead.
When to call a professional
Take silk, wool, velvet and dry-clean-only items to a professional cleaner rather than trying the wash steps at home. Mention that the stain is paint and whether it has been dried or heat-set, so they can choose a suitable solvent.
Questions
How do you remove fabric paint?
Rinse the paint out in hot water the care label allows, then wash it in hot water with laundry detergent on a heavy-soil cycle and soak it for one hour in an oxygen bleach solution. Air dry it, repeat if color remains, and keep the garment out of the dryer until the paint is fully gone.
Can paint come out of carpet?
Carpet needs a cautious start, not the same soak used on clothing. Test a hidden corner with 1 teaspoon mild liquid detergent in 1 cup warm water. Avoid strong household cleaners, which can damage carpet.
Does paint come out after it has dried?
Sometimes, but it's harder and less predictable than treating it while wet. Dried fingerpaint and watercolor aren't necessarily permanent, so the set-in treatment is worth one try if the fabric can handle it.
Can I dry the shirt to see if the paint is gone?
No. Heat sets whatever paint is left, and a set stain can become impossible to remove. Check the garment in good light after air drying, and wash it again if you see any color.
Do I need bleach for white clothes?
No. Chlorine bleach isn't called for on paint, so the oxygen soak is the method to use on white fabric. Use the hottest water the care label allows.
Is fabric paint the same as washable paint?
Not quite. Fabric paint is essentially acrylic, while washable kids' paints are water-based, so acrylic-based fabric paint needs a different approach. The steps above are for the washable kind.
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.