The Best Method For Getting Nail Polish Stains Out Of Clothing

You hold your hand out and admire the neatly painted nails before you. You sure are proud of yourself for the great job you did! And then, you look down. While you didn't get any nail polish on your cuticles, you did get some on your shirt. Not to worry! That ballet slipper pink or red hot red stain doesn't mean you have to say goodbye to that garment or take it to the dry cleaners. There are lots of methods you can use to get a nail polish stain out of your clothing. But this one is the best. The acetone nail polish remover you use to remove your old color can remove that nail polish stain from your clothing.

This method is kind of a no-brainer. What's even better is that you have probably already taken it out of the closet and have it nearby while you're painting your nails. Most of us would panic and think that the stain is set for good. But that's not the case. Depending on what fabric the stain is on, you can use nail polish remover with acetone in it, a spoon, and a clean rag to remove the stain. You'll scrape up what you can, soak your rag in the nail polish remover, and apply it to the stain. This should save your clothing from going in the trash can.

For this stain-removing hack, you'll need acetone nail polish, a spoon, an old towel, and a clean rag or cotton ball/pad. First, you'll want to place the towel underneath the stain inside of your clothing. You should also hold your hand under the old towel as you work on your stain so it doesn't spread through to the opposite side of the garment. Use your spoon to scrap off any excess nail polish on your clothing. 

You don't necessarily need to use a spoon, just something that will gather the extra polish from the fabric. A folded piece of paper, cardboard, or credit card will work just as well. Next, soak part of your clean rag in the nail police remover. Use the rag or cotton ball to pat your stain. Work from the outside inward in a circular motion. Don't use excessive pressure or rapid motion. This can damage your fabric.

Your stain should begin to disappear as you dab. Once your rag or cotton starts to soak up the nail polish, you'll want to stop dabbing. You have to replace it with a new rag or piece of cotton so that you don't spread the stain around and make it larger. Continue dabbing until your stain is completely gone. Let your fabric air dry fully before you toss it in the washing machine with stain-removing detergent according to the care label's instructions.

You should first test your acetone nail polish remover on a tiny, inconspicuous part of the fabric to ensure it doesn't damage it. The acetone in your nail polish remover can leave an oily stain behind, bleach, discolor, or even melt some fabrics, like acetate. If the care label on your garment says that it can't be washed in a washing machine or warns about using harsh chemicals, then you shouldn't use this method. In addition to acetate, other fabrics that you don't want to use this method on are modacrylic, triacetate, silk, wool, and rayon. 

This method also works on nail polish stains. It uses the same process, but you might have to dab at it for a little while longer. After you've gotten as much of the stain out as possible by dabbing it with the nail polish remover, you can use soap and water to remove the stain further. Follow this by placing it in the washing machine. After you take the garment out of the washing machine, make sure the stain is completely gone before tossing it in the dryer so that the stain doesn't permanently set. Just repeat the process and launder it again.