The Baking Soda Hack That'll Banish Paint Stains From Clothing

Painting can be a messy task, and while you can wipe splotches off the floor or table easily enough, it's a little harder to remove splatters from clothes. The paint soaks into the fibers of the fabric, making it difficult to wipe away without leaving behind a stain. However, baking soda can help banish paint stains from your shirts and pants. There are a ton of baking soda laundry hacks, and for good reason. From deodorizing stinky gym clothes to tackling yellow sweat stains, it's a staple in most laundry rooms due to its alkaline nature. "When used in your laundry, baking soda helps to regulate the pH level in the washing water by keeping it from being too acidic. Stains and odors are often acidic, so baking soda makes an effective stain remover and deodorizer," Penny Nicholas, a laundry and cleaning expert at Sparkling Penny, told Homes & Gardens. And while it can lift easy stains like dirt or food blotches, it can also banish paint stains from clothes.

Since most people have baking soda already in their pantry, it's a convenient way to tackle such stains. You don't have to run out and buy a stain stick or specialty item. It's much easier to lift a stain that is still wet, rather than waiting for it to dry. So,  if you have a paint splatter on your favorite sweater, grab your box or baking soda and jump into immediate action to lift the stain.

The good news is that baking soda will lift all kinds of paint stains, from acrylic to oil-based to latex to water-based. The only thing that is going to change is the water temperature. To remove the splotch, first dab away as much of the paint as possible, leaving behind only the stained fibers. Then create your baking soda stain remover by mixing the baking soda and a little bit of water together. If you were painting the walls with oil-based paint, you would need boiling water to lift the mark. Mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with 1 cup of water straight from the kettle, and soak the stain in the mixture. This should help lift the stain and allow you to wash it in the washing machine with detergent.

For water-based and latex paint, you can remove the stain by creating a baking soda paste with cold water. Mix 2 tablespoons of the powder with a splash of cold water. Let it sit on the stain for around 10 minutes, giving the ingredients time to penetrate the paint and separate it from the fabric. Afterward, rinse off the paint, and it should be gone.