Blog Layout
How to Remove Paint Stains: Part 1
Sam Lutz • Sep 23, 2019
During your latest DIY project, the paint spilled on your clothing and carpeting. Your first instinct could be to panic, but keep a cool head with some of these tips on how to remove paint stains.
Remove Paint from Clothing
It’s a headache when your favorite clothes accidentally get stained, and paint stains are tricky. But all is not lost. A few trusted methods can fix the problem, depending on the type of paint involved as well as the condition of the paint.
Water-Based Paint
Wet
You’ve spied a glob of paint on your favorite jeans, but this doesn’t mean they have to be tossed. When you catch a stain that’s still wet, there’s actually more hope to remedy the situation.
Carefully use a spoon or dull butter knife to lift away any wet paint residue from your garment. From here, turn your clothing inside out. Attacking the stain from the back to avoid grinding the paint in further, rinse only the stained area (do not soak the clothing) under warm, forceful running water. This will release thick paint from the fibers. More work may be required, however. If the stain remains, spot treat the garment with dish soap or laundry detergent, scrubbing and rinsing as necessary. Then toss in the wash!
Dry
Once water-based paint has dried, your removal approach must shift and the results are unlikely to be as pristine. Still, there are a few things to try.
Again, try to scrape away any paint residue that’ll loosen with a dull tool like a spoon. Instead of flushing a dry stain, follow up by applying a chemical compound like acetone or rubbing alcohol, carefully working the solution into the fabric with a cotton swab from the outermost part of the stain inward. Finish up by attempting to clean the clothing in the washing machine. If the stain persists, avoid machine drying to prevent heat from setting the stain further.
Oil-Based Paint
Wet
The important thing to remember with oil-based paints is to NEVER try to remove stains with water, as it will make matters worse. Instead, rely on simple paint thinner. Before diving headlong into the process, lightly scrape away any clumped up paint.
Once the excess paint in cleared away, grab your trusty paint thinner and start working. Turn the garment inside out, then lightly apply the paint thinner with an old rag. Take care to put rags or paper underneath the fabric to avoid transferring the stain to your work surface and work the solution into the fibers. A few light taps here and there should loosen the paint, which should be primed for an in-depth wash. After, apply detergent to the stain and soak the garment overnight in the warmest water permitted (based on washing instructions on the tag), then run through the washing machine.
Dry
We won’t lie, dry oil-based paint is beyond hard to remove. You can still try, however. The key to removing oil-based paint is to keep it wet. So, consider wetting the stained area with paint thinner or turpentine and following the same cleaning process as above. The odds of total stain remove are considerably less, however, professional dry cleaning may be another option.
Remove Paint from Carpeting
Staining your clothes during a paint project is one thing, but home carpeting is a substantial expense that you want to protect. To avoid having to recarpet the entire room, try a few of these strategies to remove paint stains.
Water-Based Paint
Wet
Removing water-based paint from your carpeting is all about damage control. It is essential to lift as much of the stain as possible before taking more aggressive action, otherwise you’ll grind the wet paint into the floor.
Start by lightly scraping the excess paint away, just as you would with clothing. Next, use a clean cloth to gently blot the affected area with water and begin to lift the stain away. Be sure to rotate to a clean portion of the rag before each contact with the floor to avoid spreading the stain, and rinse as you go. It’s possible that this strategy will not remove the stain completely, so consider getting in touch with a professional carpet cleaner before the stain sets.
Dry
Once paint has dried, it must be softened so you can remove it. Soap and water will be helpful in this process. To get started, fill a bucket with some hot water and dish or laundry detergent. Grab a toothbrush brush to help with the effort and get to work by dipping the brush into the solution and gently applying it to the stain (Don’t scrub!).
Once the paint is sufficiently moistened, begin to scrape it away with a blunt tool. As it might not be 100% clean after scraping, keep blotting the area with the water/soap solution to remove the paint from the carpeting. After, let the floor dry and return later to vacuum any remaining debris from the carpet fibers.
Oil-Based Paint
Wet
As we well-know by now, wet oil-based paint is easiest to clean. When it lands on your carpeting, lift the paint as soon as possible.
As a first defense, trust the gentle scraping method to wick away thicker droplets of paint. From here, blot the area with a clean dry cloth to lift additional paint and finish up the pre-treating process. To remove the stain, turn to your trusty paint thinner and apply by blotting the area gently. If the carpet appears to be drying too quickly for you to finish cleaning the area, consider using a handheld clothing steamer to keep the surface wet.
Dry
Once oil-based paint dries on carpeting, the odds of removing it are slim, but you might try the same steps as outlined above, in conjunction with trusting a professional carpet cleaner. If the stain is in a small, inconspicuous area, it might be passable to carefully trim the top-most stained fibers (Just don’t trim away too much!) to minimize the damage.
Trust Ace for Quality Paint Products
Mistakes happen, but don’t let them keep you from tackling rewarding home projects. Get in touch with our team to discuss painting best practices, and stop by one of our South Hills locations
for the finest paint products.
There are all kinds of wooden furniture: modern, antique and everything in between. We’ve talked about style differences, but what about how it’s made and what it’s made of? Is there a large difference between the wood furniture of today and yesterday?
Colors are so fascinating. They make us feel, they help us express how we feel. The right colors can really set the mood in a room, or on an outfit. There’s a lot to color theory and what each of the colors mean. This St. Patrick’s Day we thought it’d be fun to explore a little about green.
One of the wonderful things about good wood furniture is that it doesn’t have to be merely functional. It can be beautiful as well. We’ve seen some amazing pieces made with wood stains that are more than just furniture, they’re works of art. So if you’ve got an old table, desk or other piece of wood furniture that needs jazzed up, why don’t you consider using some of our great stains to try one of these ideas.
What's your furniture style? Here’s a few of the more popular styles and the kind of look they give your home.
Wood is our most basic raw material used for creating furniture. Wood furniture is timeless, and the aesthetic options are endless. Let’s talk about a few today, shall we?
The 2010s saw an uptick in modern interiors, bringing in clean lines to decor and furniture, so what does the new decade have in store? Restyle your home for the new year with the latest trends.
Are they bright and bold? Wild and wacky? It’s a thrill for our industry to learn what the latest “in” colors will be each year, and they never disappoint. The color trends for 2020 include shades of green, blue and pink, and each have an inherent welcoming quality.
Holiday parties are part of the magic of the season, but the cleanup is a pain—especially when furniture is involved. Prevent disasters with a few tips on how to protect your furniture during holiday parties.
The holiday season has arrived, and soon every corner will be decked out in red and green. But have you ever stopped to think about what holiday colors mean?
Restaining an old piece of furniture with a new varnish color can go a long way, but first you need to remove the old stain color.