How To Get Emulsion Paint Out Of Clothes

Contents:

• How to remove emulsion paint from clothes
• How to get dried emulsion paint out of clothes
• Which products work best for paint stain removal
• How to prevent emulsion paint from getting on clothes
• Key takeaways
• FAQs

It’s easy to flick or spill paint on your clothes while you’re painting with emulsion paint. Otherwise, you might do something like lean on a freshly painted wall. Whatever the situation, there are ways to remove emulsion paint from your clothes.

The best thing is if you’ve only just got the paint on your clothes, and it’s still wet. In this case, you can normally get it out with water and some soap or stain remover if you act fast. It’s more difficult if the paint’s had time to dry, although there are methods that normally work.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to get emulsion paint out of clothes when it’s still wet and how to get dried emulsion paint out of clothes. We’ll also explain what the best cleaning products are, including both household and specialist cleaning products.

If you’ve got emulsion paint on your clothes and it’s still wet, make sure you act fast. Don’t give it any time to soak in or start to dry.

If you catch it while it’s still wet, you can normally get it out by rinsing with cold water, cleaning with soap or stain remover and washing your piece of clothing on a cold or lukewarm cycle.

Before you start, check the instructions on your paint tin and the care label on your garment for any special cleaning instructions.

Here’s how to remove emulsion paint from clothes when it’s still wet:

Step 1. Remove excess paint with a blunt edged tool – Gently, scrape off as much wet paint as you can with a blunt knife, a spoon or another blunt edged scraping tool. Be careful with delicate clothes.  

Step 2. Rinse with cold water – Turn the garment inside out and rinse the stained area under a cold water tap. Rinse out as much paint as you can without rubbing it.  

Step 3. Clean the stain with washing up liquid or stain remover – Apply washing up liquid or stain remover to the stained area and gently scrub it with a wet sponge or cloth.  

Step 4. Rinse in cold water and check progress – After you’ve given it a good clean, rinse it in cold water and check to see if you’ve removed all the paint. You need to try and get all of the paint out before you move onto the next step.

Keep repeating the cleaning stage until you get all the paint out.

Sometimes, washing up liquid or stain remover won’t be enough. If they aren’t working, you can try using tougher cleaning products. 

Step 5. Wash according to garment instructions – Once you’ve cleaned out all the paint, put your garment through a cold or lukewarm washing cycle. Check it after you take it out. If you still notice a stain, repeat the cleaning stage again and rewash it before you let it dry. Don’t dry a garment that still has a stain on it because the paint will set hard. 

 

How to get a big spillage of wet emulsion out of clothes

If you completely cover an item of clothing in paint, it might not be practical to clean it by hand with washing up liquid or stain remover. 

In this case, you might be able to scrape, rinse and wash the stain out if you’re very quick. Here’s what to do: 

Step 1. Scrape off the excess paint with a blunt edged tool. 

Step 2. Turn the garment inside out and forcefully rinse out as much paint as possible with a jet washer or hose. Take care not to damage the garment. 

Step 3. Wash immediately on a cold or lukewarm cycle with plenty of detergent. Using specialist stain removers may also help. 

The key thing here is acting straight away. You need to wash the paint out before it has any time to dry or soak in. 

This method will not always work. The best way to remove paint stains is always by manually cleaning with washing up liquid or stain remover.

Dried emulsion paint is much more difficult to remove than wet emulsion paint. It is, however, normally still possible to get it out with isopropyl alcohol or acetone-free nail polish remover.

Success depends on the type of fabric, the type of emulsion paint and the amount of time it’s had to dry.

Check the instructions on your paint tin and the care label on your garment for cleaning instructions before you start.

Here’s how to get dried emulsion paint out of clothes:

Step 1. Scrape off as much paint as you can - Use a blunt edged tool, like a knife, spoon or plastic scraper, to remove paint from the surface of the garment. Be gentle when you’re scraping, but try to get all the excess paint off the surface of the fabric.

Step 2. Soften the stain - Apply warm water with washing up liquid or stain remover onto the dried paint. Let it sit for 15 - 30 minutes to loosen it up.

Step 3. Clean the stain with one of the following cleaning fluids: Isopropyl alcohol or acetone-free nail polish remover.

Test your chosen cleaning fluid on a hidden area of the garment to see if it damages it first. Make sure your test involves the same process as cleaning.  

To clean out the paint stain, dab the entire stain with a cloth soaked in isopropyl alcohol or acetone-free nail polish remover. Let it soak in and then gently scrub it to remove the paint. Use a cleaning tool that doesn’t damage your garment. Sponges, cloths, soft-bristled brushes and old toothbrushes work fine.

Give the stain a thorough clean.  

Step 4. Rinse and inspect - Rinse the stain under cold running water to clean out the paint and cleaning solution. Inspect it to see if you’ve removed it. 

Repeat the cleaning process until you’ve completely removed the stain.  

If you find that isopropyl alcohol or acetone-free nail polish remover doesn’t work, you can try some of the tougher cleaning products in the next section.

Step 5. Wash according to garment instructions – Once you’ve successfully cleaned out the stain, put your garment through a standard washing cycle. Check it after you take it out. If you still notice a stain, repeat the cleaning stage again and rewash it before you let it dry.  

Here are some alternative cleaning products. This list includes alternative household products for ordinary stains and tough cleaning fluids for difficult stains:

• White vinegar – Soaking the stain in equal parts white vinegar and water may work to remove ordinary stains. Adding baking soda may also help.

• Biological laundry detergent – Scrubbing the stain in bio detergent may work with some moderately tough stains.

• White spirit – White spirit is a strong cleaning fluid that might get tough emulsion paint stains out of your clothes.

• Chlorine bleach (white clothes) – You can use bleach to clean tough stains from white clothes.

• Commercial paint removers – Fabric safe commercial paint removers can be used on tough stains.   

• Acetone – Acetone can help with tough stains, although it may damage some fabrics.

If you use white spirit, chlorine bleach, commercial paint removers or acetone, you should approach with caution and test first.  

You won’t need to know how to remove emulsion paint from clothes if you don’t get any on there in the first place.

Here are some ways to stop paint from getting on your clothes:

• Wear old clothes or a coverall.

• Be careful with roller work – Rollers flick more paint than people often realise.

• Secure the sleeves on your coveralls - So paint doesn’t get onto your clothes underneath. Masking tape might help with wide sleeves.

• Wear a neck covering – So paint doesn’t get down the neck of a coverall. 

If you get emulsion paint on your clothes, the best thing is if you act fast and clean it out before it has time to dry. If you see wet emulsion paint on your clothes, stop painting straight away and wash your clothes before it has time to dry or soak in. 

If you’re unlucky and the paint’s dried on your clothes, you can still get it out normally. It just takes a bit more time and at least one of the cleaning products we’ve mentioned in this guide.

Here are some helpful things to remember:

• Check the paint tin and your garment label for cleaning instructions

• Test cleaning products on a small, hidden area of the garment first

• Use cold water with wet emulsion stains

If you have a very delicate or valuable garment, it might also be a good idea to seek help from a dry cleaning specialist.

The methods for how to get emulsion paint out of clothes are different to how you get it out of a carpet. Find out how to get emulsion paint out of your carpet.