How To Get Nail Polish Out Of Clothes
Photo of neon microfiber cloths by anncapictures from Pixabay
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Wondering how to get nail polish out of jeans, leggings or other fabrics, like bedsheets? In this post we go over a 5 tips to clean up nail polish drips.
Nail polish drips on clothing or carpets is one of the most irritating parts of giving yourself a manicure, if there was one single part in the process that was not fun.
Any time you get a stain in your clothes, it can feel like a monkey threw a wrench into your plan, but only if you see it that way.
Learning to treat nail polish stains is a valuable skill that can save you money by preventing you from buying new clothes, allowing you to save even your most treasured pieces.
Treating nail polish stains yourself also saves time because you are solving the problem in house, rather than taking the clothing to the cleaner.
The good news is that nail polish stains are usually both easily treatable and avoidable, and the top keys to getting rid of stains without damaging your clothes is to use finesse, have patience and be open to trying more than one technique at a time to get the job done.
Below are five steps to clean up a nail polish stain in any piece of clothing.
Different fabrics may respond differently to each step below, so you may need to try more than one approach.
Photo of lemons with yellow fluid in spray bottle by Crema Joe on Unsplash
Step 1. Blot up as much polish possible
Ideally doing this while the polish is still wet on your clothes, and using a white cotton pad, paper towel, or clean cloth, blot up, don’t wipe, as much of the excess polish as possible. Use as many cotton pads as you need to get the spot clean.
If your polish spot has dried before you notice the stain, chip off the excess polish with a plastic label scraper or similar tool.
Step 2. Dab nail polish remover on the remaining spot
If your clothing is light, and it can afford dye lifting, this is the easiest way to get polish out of your clothes. If you have a nail polish stain on dark clothes, go to Step 3.
You want to limit getting nail polish remover on any area around the stain, because nail polish remover can lift color.
So for best results, use a cotton swab to dot the spot, if the drip is very small, to avoid lifting color from the rest of your clothing.
Step 3. Use cool water and laundry detergent
If you have dark colored clothing, this is a great option.
Once you have blotted up the extra polish as in Step 1., take off the article of clothing in question, and use laundry detergent as a stain remover.
Drop a dab of laundry detergent on the spot, let it sit for 3-5 minutes, gently, with your finger, rub the fabric where the soap has been sitting to wiggle out the stain, and then hand rinse the fabric with cool water.
If the stain still remains, repeat this technique up to 2 more times. Be very gentle when rubbing the fabric, you want to gently agitate the detergent with the stain, not ruffle up the fiber hairs, which can create visible damage in the clothes.
Is your stain on light colored clothing?
Continue to use this step after Step 2. to remove any stain residue, and rinse out the nail polish remover from your clothing.
Step 4. Try an organic stains remover spray
Follow the instructions on your pet remover spray bottle for best results. Since nail polish is often made of organic elements, pet stain remover can work on nail polish stains as well as food and drink stains, like wine stains.
Step 5. Flood with water and repeat
Once you’re finished with the first round of steps above, rinse the area with cool water and repeat the steps above until the spot is clear.
How To Get Nail Polish Out Of Clothes text overlay photo of neon microfiber cloths by anncapictures from Pixabay
Instead of getting on your clothes, the polish gets on your work rags, which are meant for getting dirty.
While nail polish stains are no fun, they are a standard, everyday hazard in the manicure hobby and trade, and a pretty low-stress problem to have in the grand scheme of all the things that could happen in your life today on Earth.
Thankfully, most are very treatable using a mix of the steps above.
To end, try to keep smiling through the drips.
If all that happens today is a nail polish drip on your favorite piece of clothing, you’ve now learned a new skill, and you are still likely going to have a good day, because that is true of every day with freshly manicured nails!
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