If you’re crazy for sexy nail colors, you know how easily nail polish can inconspicuously creep onto your favorite dress. An accidental spill or an overexcited toddler, it doesn’t really matter how the stain got there. Removing nail polish from clothes can be quite a nightmare!

Worried, are you? Well, the damage might not be as grave as you think.

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Follow the ASAP rule for dealing with stains, and you may very well be able to remove it. As a nail polish stain hardens, removing it can get a bit more complicated but still possible.

We tried seven easy methods to remove nail polish from clothes. Out of the seven techniques that have gained immense popularity on the Internet, we found that five produced good results for both freshly spilled as well as dried nail polish stains.

remove nail polish from clothes

Acetone, nail polish remover (both acetone-based and non-acetone-based), bug spray and rubbing alcohol proved to be quite effective at removing the stains. Hair spray also produced satisfactory results for wet nail polish stains. Hydrogen peroxide, on the other hand, fell flat for both dry and wet stains.

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Here are seven tried-and-true methods to remove nail polish from clothes.

Method 1: Use Acetone

before and after removing nail polish stains on cloth with acetone

Using acetone is one of the best ways to tackle nail polish stains on your clothing. Acetone liquefies the polish, making it easier for you to lift it off onto a paper towel or other absorbent material.

Step 1. Put paper towels under the stained fabric and pour acetone on the stain

pour acetone on nail polish stain on clothes

  • Place the stained fabric on a few paper towels. This is important as some of the stain may pass through the fabric onto the paper towels underneath it.
  • Pour some acetone on the stained area.

Step 2. Blot up as much of the nail polish as you can

blot up the stain as much as you can

  • Grab another paper towel and use it to blot the stain and lift it out of the fabric.
  • Keeping blotting until the paper towels come up clean, no longer showing the color of the stain.
  • Finish with a final wash using your usual laundry detergent and water.

use acetone to remove nail polish from clothes

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Method 2: Use Nail Polish Remover (Acetone-Based)

before and after removing nail polish stain from cloth using nail polish remover

Acetone liquefies the nail polish, making it easier to lift off the stain.

Step 1. Soak a cotton ball with acetone-based nail polish remover

soak a cotton ball with acetone based nail polish remover

  • Soak a cotton ball with acetone-based nail polish remover.

Step 2. Absorb the stain with the soaked cotton ball

absorb the nail polish stain

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  • Dab the stain with the soaked cotton ball to absorb the nail paint from the fabric. Do not rub or scrub too hard, lest you may damage the fabric.
  • Keep dabbing until the stain fades. As needed, replace the dirty cotton ball with a clean one soaked with polish remover.
  • Finish by machine washing the clothing item as usual with detergent and water.

use nail polish remover to remove nail polish stain from fabric

Method 3: Use Nail Polish Remover (Non-Acetone-Based)

before and after removing nail polish from clothes using nail polish remover

Acetone-based nail polish removers tend to damage soft fabrics like silk. When dealing with delicate fabrics, it is best to use non-acetone-based removers for getting rid of the stain.

Step 1. Dab the stain with non-acetone nail polish remover

dab the nail polish stain with non-acetone nail polish remover

  • Grab some non-acetone-based nail polish remover cotton pad.

Step 2. Rub the stain with the cotton pad

to wipe away stain rub it with non acetone based nail polish rmover

  • Gently rub the stain with the nail polish remover cotton pad.
  • Continue until all the nail polish transfers to the ­cotton pad.
  • Finish with a final wash with detergent and water.

Note: Non-acetone removers contain ethyl acetate, a highly flammable solvent, so be careful when using it.

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removing nail polish from clothes

Method 4: Use Bug Spray

before and after removing nail polish stains from fabric using bug spray

Bug spray is another effective method for getting rid of nail polish stains from fabric. The same steps work for wet or dry nail polish stains.

Things you’ll need:

bug spray to remove nail polish stain from clothes

  • Bug spray (liquefies nail polish stain)
  • An old toothbrush (helps scrub off the stain)
  • Towel

Step 1. Saturate the stain with bug spray and blot

saturate the nail polish stain with bug spray

  • Spray bug spray on the nail polish stain, enough to saturate it.
  • Allow the bug spray to soak into the stain for 1 to 2 minutes.
  • Blot the stain to remove as much of the polish as you can.

Step 2. Gently scrub the stain with an old toothbrush

scrub the nail polish stain with an old toothbrush

  • Scrub the stain gently with an old toothbrush.
  • Keep scrubbing until the stain either lifts off completely or only traces of the polish remain.

Step 3. Rub the stain with a towel

rub the stain with a towel

  • For any residue, use a towel to gently wipe away the stain completely.
  • Finish by washing the fabric normally in detergent and water.

use bug spray to remove nail polish stain on clothes

Method 5: Use Rubbing Alcohol

before and after removing nail polish stains from clothes using rubbing alcohol

Rubbing alcohol is another effective ingredient that works amazingly for cleaning nail polish stains off your favorite clothing. It works by reactivating the pigments in the polish, thus liquefying it and making it easier to remove.

Step 1. Position the stained fabric over a few paper towels

put the stained fabric over a few paper towel

  • Place the stained fabric over a few paper towels.

This is important to ensure that any polish that may soak through the fabric ends up on the paper towel, instead of creating a new stain on your piece of clothing.

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Step 2. Pour rubbing alcohol on the stain

pour rubbing alcohol over the nail polish stain

  • Pour some rubbing alcohol directly on the stain.

Step 3. Rub a cotton swab over the stain

rub a cotton swab over the nail polish stain

  • Rub a cotton swab over the stain to help dislodge it. Slowly, the nail polish will come off onto the cotton swab or get absorbed into the paper towels underneath.
  • Keep repeating the process until the stain is completely gone.
  • Finish with a regular machine wash before wearing the garment.

use rubbing alcohol to remove nail polish stain on fabric

Method 6: Use Hair Spray

before and after removing nail polish stain from fabric using hair spray

Hair spray is another common household item that works as a stain remover for many types of stains, including removing nail polish from fabric. The chemicals in this aerosol product act as solvents to liquefy the nail paint and eventually lift off the stain.

Step 1. Place the stained fabric over paper towels

place the stained fabric over a paper towel

  • Place the stained area of the fabric over a few paper towels.

This is important to ensure that any polish that may soak through the fabric ends up on the paper towel, instead of creating a new stain on your piece of clothing.

Step 2. Saturate the stain with hair spray

saturate the stain with hair spray

  • Squirt some hair spray directly onto the stain.

Step 3. Scrub the stain with a toothbrush

scrub the stain

  • Allow the hair spray to set for a minute.
  • Grab an old toothbrush and gently scrub the stain. This will help dislodge the stain from the fabric fibers.
  • Brush off as much of the stain as possible.

Step 4. Blot with paper towel until the stain disappears

blot with paper towel

  • Place a paper towel over the wet stain and blot up as much as you can.
  • Once the stain is removed, wash the clothing item as usual.

use hair spray to remove nail polish stain on clothes

Method 7: Use Hydrogen Peroxide

before and after removing nail polish stain with hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide works as a natural bleaching agent to liquefy and lighten the color of nail polish stain on the fabric.

As per the online forums and their claims about the success levels of hydrogen peroxide in getting rid of nail polish stains from the fabric, we tried the method on one such fabric.

However, after the test, we observed that the hydrogen peroxide test fell flat to the online claims with almost negligible or no result in cleaning the fabric.

Step 1. Saturate the stain with hydrogen peroxide

saturate the stain with hydrogen peroxide

  • Place the stained side of the cloth in a bowl.
  • Pour enough hydrogen peroxide onto the cloth to saturate the stain.
  • Allow the chemical to set in for a few minutes.

Step 2. Rub the stain with your hands

rub the stain with your hands

  • Rub the cloth with your hands until the stain is gone.
  • Machine wash the clothing item as usual before wearing it again.

In the case of stubborn stains, use an old toothbrush or cleaning brush to scrub at the stain.

Note: Hydrogen peroxide is a bleaching agent. It is advised to perform a patch test before proceeding with the method.

use hydrogen peroxide to remove nail polish stain on clothes

Tips

  • Always blot the nail polish stains to remove as much as you can. In this initial step, it’s important to blot and not rub the stain, which may push the nail paint further into the fibers of the cloth.
  • Treat the stain as soon as possible so it doesn’t dry and set into the fabric, making it extremely difficult to remove.
  • Be careful while you use acetone. It is a strong chemical that may even damage the fabric. Go gently while you use acetone.
  • For delicate garments, it is best to perform a patch test on a small area. If the cleaning agent damages the fabric, switch to another method.

Summary of How to Remove Nail Polish from Clothes

remove nail polish stains from clothes

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