Best Tricks On How To Get Nail Polish Out of Clothes?

Cutting nails shorter, smudging newly coated paint, and rough cuticles are temporary and manageable but polish spillage on your favorite dress can be permanent. Learn these smart tips to get nail polish out of clothes or any sort of fabric!

Does nail polish come out of fabric? The answer is ‘yes. We all have been there—you were freshening up your nails with a new color and the whole bottle takes a tumble. Or you found out that a big glob dropped into your favorite top or carpet while doing mother-daughter fun activities. In such cases, the first thing you would want in your life is to get that nail polish out of your clothes or rather buy acetone as it is one of the effective methods to remove polish stains. However, there are some other techniques that can make your compromised fabric like it was before the mishap.

Coming across tiny and big accidents is part of our lives. Most of you might think that removing nail paint from any fabric is one of the hardest jobs but it’s not. On the contrary, being a trouble-free substance nail polish stain removal is the easiest thing you can do with a few simple methods mentioned in this post.

How to Get Nail Polish Out of Clothes, upholstery, leather, & carpet, Follow these best tricks

Planning a glam birthday celebration? Imagine this scenario: you’re getting ready, excited about your glam birthday acrylic nails stealing the show. But, let’s face it, no matter how cautious you remain while painting your nails, once in a while, you might have spilled the paint onto your clothes, carpet, or any other type of fabric. It becomes a nightmare when it quickly dries up and seems impossible to wipe out.

In this post, we have curated some of the effective tips to get rid of that rigid nail polish stain from your favorite piece of cloth, carpet, upholstery, and leather. You can easily bring your much-loved cloth back to normal.

Removing nail polish from a piece of cloth

Method 1:

If the compromised cloth is cotton, linen, or synthetic like polyester or nylon then the below methods can quickly fix it. If you notice that polish is spreading, try using an ice pack to cool the stained area to dry it up and contain it ASAP.

•  Allow the polish stain to dry completely. Avoid touching wet polish because it will allow the nail paint to stain the fabric even deeper.
• Once it gets dry lift it with a tool or your nails. If you think it is under your full control, dip a clean cloth in nail polish remover and start dabbing it quickly. Make sure you use a non-acetone remover because it won’t damage the fabric. Because some fabrics negatively react with acetone.
• If you see that you are successful in removing excess nail polish from the fabric, a cold water machine wash is suggested.
• Hang it dry and if you see that stain traces are still present after a machine wash then reach professional guidance to further help you from there.
• Also, if you think that the fabric is too delicate and you are not sure how the above procedure will react to its material then don’t perform this and reach out to your local dry cleaner.

Method 2:

• Reverse the stained fabric on a paper towel.  With the help of a paper towel or cotton ball, blot the back of the stained area with acetone. This step transfers the mark of polish to the paper towel.
• Once you are done with the above process. Rinse the stained area thoroughly with water. Again place it reversely on a paper towel and repeat the above method of transferring the stain to the paper.
• Rinse and repeat the same until the stain is removed. If you see light traces of polish on the fabric, gently rub and remove it with a cotton ball dipped in acetone.
• Lastly, the machine washes the fabric with a stain remover. Once the fabric is dry, it must be ready to wear.

Removing nail polish from Upholstery

Upholstery is a bit tougher in terms of material than other fabrics. But you need to treat the polish spillage from your chair or couch cloth because the look of your furniture is as important as your own appearance in that favorite piece of dress. The following are the tips that can help you remove the stain from your chair or couch fabric.

Method 1:

• You will make a cleaning solution in this step. Mix 2 tablespoons of liquid soap with 2 cups of water.
• Now blot this solution on the upholstery with a piece of clean cloth until the polish stain is removed. If you see that the stain has dried up completely then push down the other side of the stained area to lift it. Doing this will help you peel off the polish easier.
• If you think that stain is tough—once the stain is all dry. Apply a little baking soda to the stain and leave it for 15-20 minutes.
• Now with the help of a clean toothbrush or cloth, scrub it gently and wash it off.

Method 2:

• Once you notice the wet nail paint on upholstery then act as soon as possible before it gets dry. Try to remove the stain with a clean cloth or paper towel as much as you can.
• Avoid pressing the stain as it will spread more on the other areas. Do short swipes with a paper towel to stop the stain to spread on the upholstery.
• Now use a cotton ball or applicator that helps you put acetone on the polish stain in a few amounts. Ensure that you apply it only to the stain. Doing a patch test on the fabric is recommended because acetone can degrade its quality.
• Use a clean cloth to rub and remove the stain carefully. Keep applying more acetone and blot the mark until it gets removed.
• Now rinse the stained area with warm water. You can use a sponge to remove the stain traces of acetone and let it dry.

Removing nail polish from carpet

Method 1:

In carpets, if you let the stain sit for a longer time then there is a high odd that it will become permanent. To avoid such a thing happening to your much-loved carpet, you will have to act quickly to remove the stain. To get rid of the dried nail polish from the carpet, follow these steps:

• Alcohol plays a big role in this step. Take some rubbing alcohol and gently blot the polish spill with the help of cotton balls or a clean cloth. You can also use detergent with lukewarm water to remove the stain even further.
• Avoid rubbing the affected area as it breaks down the fiber of the carpet.

Method 2:

• Apply cold water to the stained area. Now spray a decent quantity of hair spray on the area and apply a few splashes of rubbing alcohol.
• Scrub the stain with a toothbrush for a minute. Now directly pour cold water on the spot.
• Pour nail paint remover on the stain and continue brushing it with a scrubber or toothbrush.
• Avoid rubbing the stain, blot it gently with a clean cloth (switch to cleaner sides to prevent spreading the stain) until the stain is completely gone.  
• Use a dry vacuum on the polish spot to remove the extra liquid.
• Keep repeating this process until you get rid of the stain.

Removing nail polish from leather

Nothing can be more stressful than spilling nail paint on a costly leather jacket or boots. These are close to everyone’s heart but you need to take care of them in a special way to make them look new and maintain them in the best shape. In case you have tumbled polish on your precious leather jacket then don’t panic, just follow these methods to get rid of the stain.

Method 1:

• You can use rubbing alcohol or vinegar to get rid of the polish stain from your favorite leather jacket. Try not to use acetone because it can damage the leather or cloth with acetate.
• Take the vinegar or rubbing alcohol in a cotton ball and start rubbing the stain. Let it dry.
• Once the stain is all dried up if you see nail polish remains then peel it off.
• Now use the best leather conditioner to restore its appearance.

Method 2:

• If the polish spill is fresh then immediately scrape it off with a dull knife or small spatula in an upward motion. Continue removing it as much as possible. Be cautious using the knife as you don’t want to pierce your favorite leather.
• If the stain is fresh and wet, take a cotton ball to gently blot it until it is removed. This step prevents the stain from smearing. However, with a larger polish stain, using a paper towel for dabbing the spot is recommended. Avoid dripping water on the stain as it will run the stain.
• You can peel off the nail polish stain with your nails if it is dried. Make sure you don’t damage the leather.
• If you want to use a product to remove the mark, do a patch test on the hidden area of the fabric to avoid damaging the leather.
• You can also use rubbing alcohol to remove the mark as it causes less harm to the leather than acetone.  Soak a few amounts of rubbing alcohol in a cotton ball and remove the stain gently.
• You can also blend one tablespoon of vinegar with two tablespoons of olive oil and scrub this mixture on the stain with a clean toothbrush. Now clean it with a paper towel and let it dry. This method is the safest one when it comes to removing the polish stain from the leather.

Does nail polish leave a mark on clothes after removing the stain?

Nail paints come in a range of colors and are made up of several chemicals.  When it accidentally gets spilled on a piece of cloth or carpet it becomes hard to get rid of the mark. This is because it is more than a dye tint and removing it sometimes feels impossible. If all the above methods don’t bring the desired results (which is rare) then follow these additional tricks:

• If you don’t have to rub alcohol in your hand, use products containing it like hairspray, sanitizer, spray deodorant, or perfume.
• Once you get rid of the polish stain, add white vinegar along with the detergent to the washing cycle to remove its residue.
• Immediately wash off the stained area to prevent smearing.
• If you think that the polish mark is very deep, take the fabric to dry cleaning. Professionals use dry cleaning solvent to remove such rigid marks and it is among the most powerful tool to get rid of polish stains.

Take Away

Nail paints are designed to dry quickly and provide a long-lasting finish of color. Therefore, it is expected to panic when it drops in your favorite piece of clothing. But you can say goodbye to such stains forever till the time you don’t make the same mistake. With the above-mentioned techniques, you can get nail polish out of clothes, carpets, cushion covers, and linen.

But, avoid applying these methods to triacetate or acetate clothing to remove polish stains. This is because polish remover deteriorates the fabric containing these chemicals and no home remedies can work on such fabrics. So proceed with caution or take the stained piece of cloth to the professional dry cleaner to get rid of the stubborn mark.

Before beginning with the polish stain removal mission, read the type of fabric content of the cloth. Since wool, natural fibers, silk, triacetate, acetate, and wool are not colorfast so getting rid of nail paint marks at home is tough. You will need professional help to fix it.