So I recently managed to get not one, but TWO nail polish stains on this shirt, one on the shoulder and one by the collar… please don’t ask how, lol.
I asked for advice on how to remove nail polish from fabric over on the Mashup Mom Facebook page, and got some great suggestions — so here’s how it went, and how to get nail polish out of a shirt!
- By the way, if you haven’t yet joined us on Facebook, come on over to the Facebook Page and Hot Deals Group. We don’t always talk about stain removal, and sometimes I post very limited time deals that don’t ever hit the blog.
How to get nail polish out of clothes
When I got the stains on this shirt, I had NO idea how to remove nail polish from fabric without ruining it. I figured the acetone in nail polish remover wouldn’t be great for the fabric, so asked you guys. Here’s what I tried.
Removing nail polish stains with rubbing alcohol
Lisa suggested tackling the nail polish stain with rubbing alcohol, so I started with the smaller stain.
- Fold up some paper towels and put them under the fabric, so that the stain doesn’t soak through to the back. (Use several layers — mine stained through a bit onto the towel and the rubbing alcohol did soak through to the back, although luckily the stain didn’t make it all the way through.)
- Soak a Q-tip in rubbing alcohol.
- Blot, blot, blot, blot blot blot…
- Keep changing out Q-tips for new ones soaked in rubbing alcohol as they get nasty.
- Lisa says: “Don’t wash it or get it wet with water til its out.”
Ta-da! Since this is rubbing alcohol, it also evaporated really quickly and left the shirt dry. This was kind of like magic — it removed the smaller nail polish stain in just four Q-tips (both ends), though I did have to scrub a little at the end to get the last stubborn bits off.
Removing nail polish stains with bug spray, like OFF
Several people suggested this one. I started with OFF, but hardly any was left in the can, so switched over to Cutter fairly quickly.
I put folded paper towels underneath, sprayed the nail polish stain with Cutter, then did the same Q-tip scrubbing and blotting trick, continuing to spray the fabric in between and switching out for fresh Q-tips as necessary. Unfortunately, bug spray only worked to take out the larger bits of nail polish stain. You can see the nail polish coming off on the Q-tip, but once it got down to the remnants of the stain left on the fabric, it was pretty much useless. Plus, the fumes were disgusting!
So once it got to the point where the stain was better, but not gone, I switched back over to the rubbing alcohol trick and repeated the same nail polish stain removal steps as above with the smaller stain.
The stain removal verdict
It took about half an hour total to remove both stains, so you need a lot of patience to remove nail polish stains with rubbing alcohol. But, it really did work. I checked this morning when everything was completely dry, and the stains appear to be gone. The fabric might be very slightly pilled, but it could also be bits of Q-tip, lol — it’s barely noticeable. Update: After a trip through the washer, it’s all good. Q-tip fuzz, begone!
Thanks to everyone who suggested a way to get nail polish out of fabric — I’m amazed! I honestly thought I was going to have to toss this shirt, and I’d only worn it a couple of times.
By the way, this shirt is jinxed
I just bought this shirt while visiting my parents in Washington over the 4th of July. The first time I wore it there, I spilled olive oil on it, and spent a lovely afternoon at my Mom’s house scrubbing THAT stain with dish liquid and washing repeatedly. Wonder what I’ll get on it next… spaghetti sauce? Pine sap? Hmm. 🙂
deb says
August 11, 2012 at 11:58 amThanks we will have to try that my daughter always get nailpolish on everything.
My husband got a laptop soft case for free and it had a large sticker with residue on it I got it off with peanut butter. Now my son has a perfect laptop case for free.
rachel says
August 11, 2012 at 12:19 pmPeanut butter? Cool. I’ve used goo gone for sticker residue.
Jane says
August 11, 2012 at 2:07 pmAvons SSS (skin so soft) will take any kind of labels or stickers or residues off. Its a miracle cure all!
cindy says
October 7, 2013 at 10:39 amBaby wipes will get anything sticky off. Stickers, gum, etc. will dissolve with the baby oil in them. Make sure to use real wipes though, the flushable ones will disintegrate before stain removal. My 2 yr old wiped chewed gum on our bedspread,bed frame, carpet, antique dresser, his toys, clothes, tv, etc. all in one fell swoop. Used baby wipes b/c I was not willing to smear my house with peanut butter. It worked like a charm.
Geaux Tigers says
June 22, 2014 at 5:47 pmMagic Eraser gets sticker residue off every time! Works like “magic”!!
Kristy says
August 11, 2012 at 12:24 pmI hope it was at least FREE nail polish that you got all over your shirt!
For the oil stains, do not waste your time and energy scrubbing out the stains. Apply full strength Dawn (or similar dish detergent) directly to the stains if they are large, then put in a bucket (or large bowl) of cool water and let it sit overnight (or longer) and launder as usual. Sometimes it can take multiple attempts, but you really don’t need to actually scrub it. That’s the job of the soap/detergent.
I dropped a brand new bottle of canola oil, and it completely splattered my cotton skirt. I put the Dawn only on the biggest spots (because really the whole skirt was covered in tiny speckles of oil) and let it soak in warm water in my large mixing bowl for a couple of days (I forgot about it, oops!) then laundered it normally. It all came out.
For fresh berry stains, pour hot water (straight from a tea kettle is best) through the stain. (Please don’t do this while wearing the garment. I wish I didn’t have to actually state that.)
For really, really stubborn stains, I use the stain removal recipe recommended by Amy Dacyczyn from the Tightwad Gazette:
1 cup Clorox II (or generic equivalent)
1 cup Cascade powdered automatic dish washing detergent (or generic equivalent)
Pour into a 5 gallon bucket (Homer buckets are perfect for this). Add the hot water (from the tap is fine) until the powders dissolve (about 2-3 gallons). Soak the clothes directly in the bucket, overnight or for up to 24 hours. Drain, wring out the clothes, and launder normally.
I would recommend this as a last ditch effort, not for regular use – it can damage elastics. I have only had one thing “ruined” – a white shirt with red embroidery bled back onto itself (but nothing else in the load), and it faded out to a very faint pink spot after washing. This has worked on everything but road tar (but at least my husband’s safety shirts were extremely bright!)
Betty says
June 22, 2014 at 7:40 pmAs for the stain recipe from the Tightwad Gazette (which I love!); that recipe was created when sodium triphosphate was still an ingrediant in powdered Cascade. I am not sure it would work as well as it did before they changed the Cascade formula. I would try to add some TSP.
I also agree, dawn gets out all my oily stains.
Jen says
August 11, 2012 at 4:46 pmI have a trick for olive oil too. We had food in a take home back bag that got a little to close to me. Big olive oil stain on my pants. I washed them and nothing came out. I left them out to air dry and then covered the stain with baby powder for a few days. Brushed off the baby powder, washed as normal, air dryed and no stain.
Yvette says
August 11, 2012 at 4:49 pmI have always used my grandmother’s trick for getting out oil stains. Dust the stain with a heavy dose of flour (or corn starch or baby powder) and let it soak up the oil. Sometimes requires a second application depending on the amount of oil, but really helps in emergency situations to prevent the stain from setting in if you can’t remove the item right away. (Funny how certain restaurants and such frown on topless dining, eh?)
scott says
August 11, 2012 at 5:34 pmthe best trick I have tried on oil stains is to spray them with WD40, let it set a minute or two and then use dish soap. Works everytime.
Ashley says
August 11, 2012 at 7:08 pmWhile we’re on the topic of stains – I use a peroxide-soaked cotton ball to get blood stains out of my scrubs. I’ve also used that trick on denim when my nephew scrapes his knees and whatever else 🙂
Amanda says
July 23, 2015 at 4:17 pmSoaking in cold water with salt also great for blood.
Stacey says
August 11, 2012 at 10:55 pmI have no tips for stains, but enjoyed chuckling at the clearance sticker on the Cutter bottle. What else would I have expected as that’s how I buy my bug spray, too 🙂
Outlander says
August 11, 2012 at 11:18 pmHere is a tip for spaghetti sauce or other tomato based sauce- put SHAVING CREAM on it, let sit a bit, rub it in if necessary and rinse out as much as you can.
It happened to me- I spilled it on very light colored carpet (sand colored), rubbed it in and it really worked. I blotted it really good with paper towels.
lshellydrake says
January 20, 2014 at 5:28 pmTried for over two hours to get the nail polish my daughter spilled on my brand new sweatshirt using this method. All it did was ruin the fabric and the stain was still there
Natalie says
December 23, 2015 at 6:18 amThat’s what happened to me
D says
January 20, 2014 at 6:07 pmFor things that are “pinked” from the mysterious red sock in the white laundry (or anything red that runs) try this: Do not dry after taking out of the wash. Heat will set the dye Immediately put it in a bucket of cold water with vinegar and peroxide. soak overnight. Then wash only in cold. You may have to repeat. Ive only done this with whites or light colors so Im not sure about darks, but its worked like a charm.
Jenn says
October 10, 2014 at 10:27 pmWahoo! Used OFF on my carpet that my grand baby spilt (yes probably my fault) nail polish on. IT WORKS!!!
ShannonMachinn✌️ says
November 25, 2014 at 11:11 amI’ve tryed nail polish remover and it still hasn’t work?what else can help it get off…I’ve also tryed wet baby wipes but still hasn’t come out?please help fav top here and it won’t come out
Ellen says
June 1, 2015 at 7:53 amThanks for the tip for removing nail polish with rubbing alcohol, tried on a new pair of white pants and bam it’s gone.
maryann says
July 22, 2015 at 1:57 pmI see you mentioned oil on the shirt one day I got a pretty large olive oil stain on a blouse I wore for the first time I thought what do I have in the house that I could use to remove it besides detergent , I thought I’ll try baking soda . So I made a paste of baking soda and water, I applied it to the stain, I left it on over night. The next day I added more water and rubbed the stain , then threw it in tthe wash stain was gone . it always worked for me.
Moriya says
December 19, 2017 at 12:15 amA girl at the salon dropped a bottle of bright red polish. Got on my nicest Grey pants. The people at the salon used acetone remover to blot the area. Now I have a stain in the area from the polish remover, plus the original polish. Thoughts? Suggestions?
rachel says
December 19, 2017 at 9:46 amDepending on the fabric it may have damaged the pants, but maybe try the steps here: https://www.hunker.com/13423954/how-to-get-fingernail-polish-remover-out-of-clothes
Dee says
December 26, 2017 at 12:10 amFound your post about fingernail polish removal. Great to know.
As a side note for future reference… here’s a way to get out excess oil residue from cloth.
Murphy’ oil soap gets out extreme excess oil stains. Reasoning behind it is….. ‘takes oil to get out oil’.. without having to us the necessary train load of elbow grease that most other cleaners seem to require. Just apply straight to the spot(s)… and let soak for a bit.. then wash. Suggest NOT drying in dryer. Just let air dry. And if not all out can repeat one more time. Ease of removal depends on amount of oil you have to remove from garmet. This has worked surprisingly well for me on occasion. May have to put through one extra wash cycle to get Murphy’s oil soap smell out.. but is not so bad.
Also if not a HUGE amount of oil.. SHOUT will get it out rather well. I try to use less invasive cleaning methonds first on most household things… but I must admit that for fast release of most food stains.. SHOUT works amazingly well on one application.
Nicole says
March 31, 2018 at 11:52 amThe rubbing alcohol worked great for the fingernail polish removed on fabric! Just need a little patience to keep rubbing it lightly with q-tips. Thank you