The Popular Paint Removal Hack That Might Not Be Right For Every Job

One thing that can get in the way of your excitement about a new paint job is finding out that you've got paint spills or overspray on odd spots in your home. It's even worse if you find this out days after the job so you can't use the kitty litter trick for cleaning spilled paint and now you have dried-up spots to deal with. Denatured alcohol seems to be making rounds as the go-to solution for problems like this, so here's all you need to know about it.

The hack itself is simple enough. Just pour some denatured alcohol on a rag or paper towel and use it to wipe off paint overspray. For thick paint blots, you should first scrape off some of the dried paint gently with a razor, taking care to avoid chipping the finished surface underneath. After scraping, pour some denatured alcohol on the spot and rub off the dry spill. This hack works because denatured alcohol is a potent solvent that dissolves paint, grease, ink stains, red wine, and so on. It also evaporates quickly, which helps prevent damage to the finished surface underneath. However, there are downsides you should know before using this solvent.

Denatured alcohol is basically ethanol mixed with toxic chemicals called denaturants to deter people from drinking it. These chemicals are what you should be concerned about, as they can cause skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. Denatured alcohol may contain acetone or methyl ethyl ketone (MEK), which are used as paint thinners, making them very dangerous to clean spills on painted surfaces.

There are a variety of formulas available, and you could easily buy one with a high acetone or MEK content, which would ruin any lacquered surfaces. Acetone is also known to damage plastic surfaces and synthetic fibers. Additionally, these additives make it unsafe to use denatured alcohol on electronics because after cleaning, the ethanol can evaporate and leave harmful residue on sensitive parts of the equipment.

You could consider the alternative method of using rubbing alcohol for removing dried paint stains while being cautious of all the things you should never clean with rubbing alcohol. But if you really want to try the denatured alcohol hack, be sure to review its composition first to make sure damaging chemicals aren't included in the mix. Avoid touching or inhaling the solvent and conduct a spot test on a hidden part of the surface where the paint spilled.