How to Get Paint Out of Clothes and Salvage Your Garments

Removing paint stains from clothes can seem daunting, but with the right tools and techniques, you can salvage your garments. To get the best tips and tricks, we asked laundry and cleaning experts for their advice on handling this tricky situation. The number one step? Act fast! “Start the stain removal process as soon as possible before the paint has a chance to dry and set,” says Kim Romine, fabric care scientist at P&G. Knowing the paint type can also help, as different types of paint require different removal methods.

Materials You’ll Need

• Spoon, knife, or paint scraper
• High-quality laundry detergent
• Paint thinner or turpentine for oil-based paints
• Sponge or rag
• Nylon brush or toothbrush
• Small bucket, bin, or fillable sink for soaking
• Washing machine

How to Get Latex Paint Out of Clothes

Latex paint is water-based and commonly used for painting homes and can be used on interior walls, exterior siding and trim, wood, cabinets, concrete, and more. To remove it from clothing, try these steps:

1. Immediately remove the excess paint. Use a spoon, butter knife, or even a credit card to gently scrape off as much of the paint as possible.
2. Rinse the stained area with cold running water to flush out more of the paint before treating with a solution. “This is a very important step in the stain removal process,” says Sarah Armstrong, integrated brand manager for Maytag Laundry. “Due to the fact that latex and acrylic are water-based paints, the running water will keep the paint active and easier to remove.”
3. Treat the stain by applying a high-quality laundry detergent directly to the stain and gently scrub to work the product in.
4. Optional: Soak the garment in a solution of warm water and half a cap of laundry detergent for at least 30 minutes.
5. Machine-wash the item in the warmest water recommended on the clothing tag. Be sure to check the stain to make sure it’s out. Our experts also recommend air drying, as “using heat from a dryer will set the stain left behind that you can’t see while the fabric is wet,” says Armstrong.

How to Get Oil Paint Out of Clothes

Oil-based paint is less common than water-based paint like latex but is still used for furniture or high-traffic areas as it dries very hard. The steps to remove oil-based paint are essentially the same as those of latex paint “but the chance of success goes way down with oil-based paints,” says Mary Gagliardi, Clorox's in-house scientist and cleaning expert.

1. Scrape or blot up as much of the paint as possible. Oil-based paint takes longer to dry than water-based paint, but you still want to remove as much as you can as quickly as you can, and you don't want oil-based paint to go down your drain.
2. Rinse the garment under running water.
3. If necessary, use a sponge or rag to gently blot the stain with paint thinner or turpentine. Blot the fabric so as not to spread the stain, and be sure to work outside or in a well-ventilated area. Be careful with these materials as they can damage fabrics and they should not go in a machine dryer.
4. Spot-treat the stain with detergent then soak the garment overnight to remove both the paint and the solvent.
5. Rinse the item thoroughly the next day and wash as usual. Check the stain before air drying to make sure it’s fully removed. It’s especially important to avoid a machine dryer if you’ve used paint thinner or turpentine to treat the stain. 

How to Get Acrylic Paint Out of Clothes

Acrylic paint is water-based, like latex paint. Some house paints are acrylic, but you’ll also find most craft paints are as well.

1. Act fast and scrape off as much of the paint as you can while it’s still wet.
2. Flush the stain with cold running water to remove more of the paint. 
3. Treat the stain with laundry detergent and gently scrub with a soft brush like a toothbrush.
4. Rinse the stain thoroughly and treat again as needed.
5. Wash the item as you normally would and air dry.

Tips for Getting Paint Out of Clothes

It can be difficult to get paint out of our clothes, but you'll have more success using these tips.

Cover Up

The simplest way to solve the problem of paint-stained clothing is to avoid it in the first place. When you know you'll be painting, wear clothes you don’t mind ruining. You can also buy disposable coveralls at your local hardware store. Cover other surfaces too, like floors, carpets, and furniture. Remove curtains, rugs, towels, and any other fabric you don’t want stained.

Act Fast

The tip all our experts recommended is to attack the stain while it’s still wet. “If the paint is dry, you may not be able to scrape off the excess,” says Romine. “A dry paint stain will also be tougher to remove and may require you to repeat the cleaning steps.” As Gagliardi points out, “That’s why dealing with a paint stain is such a pain—you really have to drop everything and deal with it immediately.” She recommends putting your paint brushes in gallon-sized freezer bags so they don’t dry out as you work to remove the stain from your clothing.

Don’t Rub

You want to avoid moving the paint around and making the stain bigger or pressing the paint further into the fabric. When you apply a cleaning solution to the stain, remember to dab and blot. As with many stains, you want to saturate the stain with water or a cleaning solution and blot up both the solution and the stain together.

Check the Labels

“It’s crucial to always look at the paint can or container to ensure you know exactly what type of paint you are working with,” says Armstrong. Also, check the tags on your stained clothing and only follow the steps above on washable fabrics.