Micellar Water Is About To Change Your Stain Removal Game

There are plenty of hacks out there telling you how to use kitchen staples to keep your home clean, but probably not quite so many telling you to look in the makeup aisle. But we are here to tell you that micellar water can be used for more than just removing mascara at the end of the day, and can actually make for a pretty great stain remover for your laundry. 

Micellar water took off in popularity over the last few years because it allows you to cleanse your face without actually sudsing up with a facial cleanser and water. Essentially, the formula is nothing more than regular water with oodles of tiny orbs called micelles. Micelles are polar oil molecules, meaning one end of the micelle is oil-attracting and the other is water-attracting. This works a bit like the surfactants in true soaps, which, when emulsified with water, can cleanse skin, clothes, surfaces, and more. The only difference is that micellar water is pre-mixed, so there's no lathering required. Well, that, and it was designed to work on skin, not clothes. 

However, the things that make this bathroom staple good at removing makeup also make it well-suited to removing stains on clothes. Micelles can pick up dirt, oil, and makeup, which happen to make up a lot of laundry stains. That's why the next time you have a stubborn stain, you ought to give micellar water a shot. 

Clothes can easily become stained from daily wear, but makeup wearers will know the particular struggles of getting a bit of foundation on the corner of their collar, or a lipstick stain emergency on their sleeve. These are the perfect opportunities to use micellar water. Simply apply a few good splashes of your favorite micellar water onto a reusable cotton pad or the end of a cleaning cloth, then gently dab away at the stain. You should see the stain instantly starting to lift, but you may need to repeat the process a few times. After you've gotten the stain out, you can run the clothing through the washing machine with regular detergent. 

Although micellar water is a simple solution, be sure you aren't using one that's enhanced with other ingredients, as these are best left to your skincare routine. Micellar water may be one bathroom staple that makes removing makeup stains a breeze, but varieties containing oils or other astringents might impact the fabric.