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, but you’ll find all sorts of other useful ways to save! 🙂
Step-by-step, here’s what I tried to remove that stubborn nail polish stain.
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 nail polish 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
Thanks 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
Peanut butter? Cool. I’ve used goo gone for sticker residue.
Jane says
Avons SSS (skin so soft) will take any kind of labels or stickers or residues off. Its a miracle cure all!
cindy says
Baby 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
Magic Eraser gets sticker residue off every time! Works like “magic”!!
Kristy says
I 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
As 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
I 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
I 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
the 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
While 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
Soaking in cold water with salt also great for blood.
Stacey says
I 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
Here 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
Tried 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
That’s what happened to me
D says
For 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.