Remove Acrylic Paint

If you splattered acrylic paint on your clothes or floor after your last project, you might be worried it's not going to come out. Actually, acrylic is surprisingly easy to remove! Using a bit of rubbing alcohol will usually do the trick. Read on for more information about how to remove acrylic paint from fabric, carpets and wood.

Steps

Removing Acrylic Paint from Fabric

1. Soak a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol. Get it completely saturated - there's no need to worry about using too much. You can also soak a paper towel if you don't have cotton balls on hand.
   • In place of rubbing alcohol, acetone nail polish remover or alcohol-based hand sanitizer may be used.
2. Dab the paint spots on the fabric. Make sure the fabric gets soaked through with the rubbing alcohol, so that it'll work deep into the fibers of the fabric and loosen the pain there.
3. Wipe the paint away. Use the cotton ball to keep dabbing and wiping at the paint until it begins to come off.
   • Try not to spread the paint to new areas of the fabric as you wipe.
   • Be gentle when handling delicate fabrics like silk. Blot, rather than scrubbing the stain away.
4. Soak a new cotton ball and keep wiping. Continue soaking the area and wiping the paint away until you've removed most or all of the acrylic paint. You should no longer be able to see traces of the color.
5. Launder the garment. Wash the clothing item with regular laundry detergent, then dry it according to the tag instructions.
6. Examine the spot that was stained. The paint should not longer be visible at all. If it is, repeat the process of using rubbing alcohol to remove as much paint as possible before laundering the item again.

Removing Acrylic Paint from a Carpet

1. Soak the stained area with rubbing alcohol. Be sure it's completely saturated.
2. Let the rubbing alcohol sit for 5 minutes. This will give it time to start loosening the paint.
3. Blot the area with a paper towel. Don't spread the paint around as you blot; try to keep it in one manageable location.
4. Continue soaking and blotting until the paint is gone. It may take two or three soakings before you've removed all of the paint.
5. Clean the area with carpet cleaner. Remove the last traces of the stain by using a regular carpet cleaner on the area that was stained. When the carpet is dry, the stain should be gone.

Removing Acrylic Paint from Wood

1. Try to pry the paint up with a sharp instrument. Since wood often has a shiny finish, it's best to try the prying method before resorting to chemicals. Use a sharp knife to gently loosen the edge of the paint splatter and attempt to pry it up.
   • Don't angle the knife downward, or you'll scratch the wood.
   • If the paint doesn't pop up easily, try another method.
2. Cleanse the area with soapy water. This is the next best thing to prying it up. Make a solution of dish soap and warm water, and pour it over the area. Try to gently scrub it away, taking care not to scratch the wood.
3. Use rubbing alcohol. Soak one corner of a folded paper towel with rubbing alcohol. Gently rub the surface of the paint splatter, taking care not to rub the wood itself. The paint should begin to loosen and transfer to the paper towel. Continue dabbing it with the paper towel until the paint is gone.
   • This method may damage the finish of the wood, so be very careful where the alcohol splatters.
4. Clean the area. Use a cleaner for wood flooring to clean the area that was stained. Let the floor completely dry. The area should now be paint-free.

Tips

• For old or dry acrylic paint stains on fabric or carpet, allow the cleaning mixtures to soak on the stain for 1 to 2 hours prior to scrubbing.
• If a sponge is not working to remove the paint from fabric, scratch the paint with your fingernail. Scratching opposite of the fabric grain is the most effective way to perform this method.

Warnings

• Don't use nail polish remover on a wood finish that is not made from polyurethane.

Things You'll Need

• Rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover or hand sanitizer
• Cotton balls

Related Articles

• Get Acrylic Paint off Carpet
• Remove Paint from Fabrics
• Blend Acrylic Paint
• Clean Acrylic Paint Brushes
• Paint Perfectly With Acrylic
• Thin Acrylic Paint

See also

• Clean Liquid Laundry Detergent from Painted Walls
• Get Dried Masking Tape off a Painted Surface
• Prep a Car for Paint
• Use a Paint Brush
• Safely Dispose of Paint
• Clean a Paintbrush
• Estimate Painting Jobs
• Strip Paint
• Safely Remove Lead Based Paint from Walls
• Soften a Paintbrush

Read more ...

What links here

• Remove Paint from an Acrylic Tub or Bath
• Thin Acrylic Paint