How To Get Rid Of Nail Polish Stains?

Get rid of nail polish with nail-polish remover. This is fine advice when the nail polish is on your fingernails and toenails. When this type personal decoration is on a hard surface like your nails it is generally easy enough to take it off with a remover made specifically for the purpose.

But what about nail polish that gets on surfaces where it doesn’t belong? What if nail polish stains your clothes or some other fabric? This is a different story altogether. It is very important that you start removing the stain as soon as possible. All the advice about getting rid of nail polish stains urges starting the removal process while the polish is still wet.

Blot and Dab
Use a paper towel or soft cloth that can be thrown away after use. Blot the stain to get as much of the nail polish off as possible. Don’t rub the stain because that can spread the color even more. It will almost certainly push the color deep into the fabric. The next step should probably be dabbing the stained area with another paper towel, only this time you should dip the towel in nail-polish remover (non-acetone). Repeat the blotting process with remover using clean sections of the paper towel.

You could use an acetone polish remover but this might cause discoloration of the fabric. Blotting with a dry paper towel and then with a paper towel dipped in non-acetone remover should take away most of the stain, if not all. One of the keys to successfully removing nail-polish stains is to keep the clothing item or fabric out of the dryer until all of the stain is removed. Drying will set the stain!

Dry Stain
If you have an article of clothing that is stained by nail-polish that has already dried, you will have to try a few other steps. Before you attempt removal on your own, give some serious thought to a professional cleaning business that might be able to remove the stain. If you can scrape away some of the dried polish with the edge of a spoon or with a knife that is not too sharp (such as a butter knife) do this first.

Next, spray the area thoroughly with hairspray then let it stand for several minutes. Get a clean toothbrush, preferably with soft bristles, and work on the stained area gently. Most of the color should be removed. You can dab the remaining stain before applying a stain stick or spray-on pretreatment product. After this step you should wash the item of clothing or fabric according to label instructions.

This same process can be used with OxyClean substituted for hairspray. If the fabric or clothing won’t be discolored or damaged by acetone-based polish remover you can also try this. But be careful with clothing and other items that might be ruined by strong chemicals. If the stain is on a stronger material, such as leather, you might be able to use non-acetone polish remover and a fine emery board to remove the color.

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