Women, in particular, are familiar with the problem: a small slip and the nail polish are already on the clothes. And as if that wasn’t bad enough, you’re wearing the new and, above all, expensive top. It is well known that nail polish is very aggressive and therefore cannot be removed easily. But with the right products, which can mostly be found in your own household, nail polish stains can be easily removed from clothing. Above all, it is important to act quickly if you want to save yourself the trip to the expensive cleaning service.
Dab quickly – do not rub
Beautiful nails are often painted with nail polish. If you paint your fingernails with nail polish, you should always have a cotton ball or a cloth ready. These are used when something goes wrong and the nail polish ends up where it doesn’t belong – on the clothes. In addition, note other tips for painting nails.
It is important to act quickly. The stain should be dabbed off with a cotton swab or a towel as soon as possible – never rub! Rubbing would destroy the textures of the clothing, causing the nail polish to get even deeper into the clothing. As a result, it will be even harder to completely remove the stain later.
Remove the stain with nail polish remover
After most of the stain has been blotted, nail polish remover can be used.
However, before treating the stain with it, the application should be tested on an inconspicuous area of the garment. The clothing may react poorly to the nail polish remover, which would increase the damage. If this is not the case, a piece of paper or a towel should first be placed under the affected area. This catches any nail polish remover that may drip out in the next step.
A towel or cotton ball is now lightly dipped in the nail polish remover. The nail polish stain is now dabbed with this until the stain has completely disappeared. Any residue of the nail polish remover can be removed with a warm, damp cloth.
Remove nail polish with white spirit
A good alternative to nail polish remover is petroleum ether, even if it may not be found in every household. The use of this is particularly recommended if a piece of clothing shows bad reactions to nail polish remover.
The same applies here: Dip a cotton swab or a towel in some white spirit and dab the stain until it has been completely removed. If there are residues here too: simply remove them with a warm, damp cloth.
Remove nail polish with acetone as a stain remover
Anyone who has neither nail polish remover nor benzine to hand can consider whether there is acetone somewhere in the household. This is also great for removing nail polish stains from clothing. The same application applies here as for nail polish remover and benzine.
Then in the washing machine
Nail polish remover, acetone, and mineral spirits may be good stain removers, but their smell is certainly not pleasant. It is therefore advisable to put the respective garment in the washing machine after treating the textile. The usual washing program should be used here – the odors have now disappeared and the garment can be worn again.
Remove nail polish from clothing
- If possible, dab the nail polish off immediately with a cotton ball or towel
- Never rub!
- Put nail polish remover, mineral spirits, or acetone on a cotton ball/towel
- Blot the stain until it is gone
- Then wash the garment in the washing machine
