Remove a Silk Screen from Cotton Shirt

Have you always wanted to know how to salvage your shirt after your print came out poorly? If so, please continue reading for some tips and suggestions on this topic.

Steps

  1. Wash the garment as soon as you possibly can in cold water. Do not wash any other clothing with it because the ink will bleed. Also, don't use hot water, as this may set the fabric ink.
  2. Wash it in warmer water if the image is still stained into the shirt after washing it with cold water. You might as well try everything possible.
  3. Place a paper bag (not the glossy kind) over the design, and iron it once the design has been set. Most of the ink will transfer to the bag, but probably not 100%. Repeat process with a new bag, but do not reuse your previous bag. Also, keep in mind that flipping it will transfer to your iron and make the rest of your clothing have strange patterns.

Tips

  • Once you have heat-set the printed image on the shirt(usually by ironing), the image is permanent. Repeated washings will fade it, but there is little else you can do to completely remove the image.
  • Using acetone will remove screened on ink even after it has been heat set.
  • Try to spread the ink out as much as possible on the shirt-cover in stain remover. Then wash it in a washing machine.
  • Use spotting fluid in a high pressure gun to remove ink.

Warnings

  • Consider the health hazards of working with such toxic materials to salvage a misprinted shirt. Is the cost of a new shirt equal to the potential risks of using these chemicals?
  • Spotting fluid is extremely toxic.
  • If you decide to use chemicals to salvage your shirt, make sure you're in a well-ventilated area. If you don't have ventilation in your shop, then go outside.
  • Unless you have a dedicated spray booth and good ventilation, you shouldn't be messing around with spotting fluid in a high-pressure gun! Leave this last-ditch effort to the pros!
  • Acetone is fairly safe--see Wikipedia's article.
  • Always wear gloves when you work with acetone and spotting fluid. These chemicals are absorbed through the skin.
  • Do not iron or heat the screen print. This sets the ink.

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