Ah, we see that you found a horrid lipstick stain, and your search for- how to remove lipstick from clothes brought you here. As great the lipstick shade looks on your lips, on your clothes, or carpet, not so much!
We do hope you didn’t go Nazi on it. In case you did, we got you covered!
Being oil-based, it’s harder to get lipstick off your clothes. But, with the right treatment, restoring to its former stainless self won’t take much effort.
The deeper the stain and the darker the color, the more difficult it is to remove. Fortunately, there is a home-based removal solution for every kind of lipstick stain.
Is it a dark or blood-red Halloween lipstick smear on a costume? Or a transfer of lipstick stains from napkin to your white shirt?
Or was it a facepalm moment as you smeared lipstick on your expensive face mask in public? As funny or aggravating the story behind the stain may be, luckily it’s not irreversible.
Lipstick Stains can disappear without much effort if you go for the right treatment.
Please get down to treating the stain right away! The more you allow the stain to sit, the more difficult it gets to remove it.
If you can’t treat the stain right away, make sure to keep it soaked in water until you can treat it. Soak it in cold water, not hot. Hot water will melt off the wax component of the lipstick and make it harder to remove.
Some things you should keep in mind before you remove the lipstick stain-
- How delicate is your clothing? Avoid the dub and scrub methods for the delicate ones.
- Wash instructions. If it’s good enough for machine wash, treating the stain and popping it in the washer will be quite easy.
- Is it white? Handle them with extra care. Our recommendation is blotting or bleaching for them.
- The type of material. If it’s cotton, the stain might resemble a murder scene. Aggravating it with liquids like rubbing alcohol will make it worse. Be mindful of the liquid you pour on such material.
- Inspect the stain, is it deep and looks like a stab wound? This will help you pick an appropriate method to treat the stain.
For any remnants of solid lipstick (the waxy part), try a light scraping. Use a butter knife or a letter opener to remove the residue (anything thin, but blunt works).
You may also use durable tape to work off the wax residue from the lipstick. Yes, you need to use it exactly like a wax strip used to remove body hair.
Washable Clothing
If the wash care instructions aren’t printed on your fabric label, compare it with your other clothes. The texture will help you determine the kind of fabric it is. Generally, cotton, linen, nylon, polyester are washable.
By now we hope you have scraped any solid residue of the lipstick. Now moving forward, if you don’t have a pretreatment solution at home go for these-
- Pretreat the stain
Using a waterproof makeup remover is very effective on light stains. Secure the sunnyside of the stain with something absorbent (blotting substance)- A thicker sheet of paper, a paper towel will work.
For some clothing, mostly the lighter colored ones, can tolerate bleaching. For such clothes, just submerge the stained area into a solution of bleach for a few minutes.
The stain is a dye. You can ask your local supermarket to help you find a clothing friendly bleach.
- Blotting
Dab in the product on the backside of the stain. Make sure to put several layers so that it doesn’t transfer to the non-stained side.
For deeper stains, blotting with liquid dishwashing soap will work. Scrubbing is a big no for both. Use absorbent material to dab away the stain.
You can use hairspray, rubbing alcohol as well. Do not by any means use it on delicates. Test it on a corner of your garment to see if it suits your clothing fabric.
- Tamping
Sometimes the stains need additional help. Use a soft brush to lightly stroke the stained area. Alternate with blotting and keep applying the solution as needed.
Pop it in the laundry or wash it by hand. Use warm or hot water to wash the garment.
If that’s not possible make sure to flush well with water, to remove any leftover residue of soap (or makeup remover).
Make sure you’re thorough with the rinsing if you don’t launder your clothing.
Non-Washable Clothing
Some of the non-washable clothing will sport the “dry clean only” tag. Rayon, satin, silk, and woolens are usually non-washable.
For washable clothes, you can pretreat the stains to some extent. It’s not the same for washable fabrics, as non-washable fabrics tend to be more delicate.
Lightly scrape away the wax part of the lipstick, if any. If you find the stain to be wet, blot it gently in the manner mentioned before.
You may also use a DIY home dry cleaning kit. Make sure to follow the instructions carefully. It’s not advisable to use any other easily available ingredient to remove the stain from non-washable clothes.
But, it’s always good to go to the dry cleaners. Let them know about the lipstick stain, and they will take care of the rest.
If your lipstick melted on clothes in the dryer, you can fix it at home.
Before we go on, did you wash it with warm/hot water? If you did, it will be harder to take off the lipstick stain.
The wax might have already melted off which makes the stain burrow deeper.
Make sure to make a note of your clothing fabric, as some of these might be very harsh for your garments.
Use a cotton ball or light-colored clothing dipped in rubbing alcohol to dab at the stain. Acetone (nail polish remover) can be a good alternative to rubbing alcohol.
Hairspray will be very handy for dried stains. What makes hairspray work, is the alcohol content in them. The older it is, the more alcohol content it will have.
If none of these are at hand go for lemon juice coupled with baking soda. The acid content in lemons works as a good stain remover.
Shaving foam or Cream by itself is a good one too. Apply it on the stain and let it sit for a while.
These are leave-in treatments, it’s unnecessary to scrub or blot the stain. A good 15-minute standing is suggested before you pop it in the laundry again.
You might have to rinse and repeat, as the stain tends to set in after drying.
Do not even think of treating it at home if it’s a delicate fabric. Send it to dry cleaning right away. Most of these treatments tend to be harsh for your cloth fabric and might make it worse for wear.
It’s On My Carpet!
If it’s not your clothes, was it your carpet that was the victim? As to how to get lipstick out of the carpet, there are many effective home treatments.
The lipstick might have disappeared into the carpet if you have a child at home. You can’t bring the lipstick back, but you sure can remove the stain and salvage your carpet.
What differentiates the ground mat from your clothes is the material used and the delicacy.
Before we go on, can your carpet handle the torture? Some products we mention might end up ruining your beautiful carpet. Look at the wash care instructions tag to determine if it’s washable or non-washable.
- Scraping
Pick up any lipstick bits lying around. Get scraping with thin, blunt objects- Something like a butter knife. Scrape away the wax as much as you can.
- Blotting
In case you don’t have a readymade stain removal liquid, you can make them. Mix equal parts ammonia, and detergent with hot water.
You may also try dish wash soap and rubbing alcohol but there’s something more effective- Vinegar.
Not just any vinegar. Go for white vinegar mixed with dish wash soap and water. You can even try shaving foam on both sides (if the stain managed to seep through).
Pour the solvent on the carpet stain, make sure to secure the back to avoid leakage. Use an old cloth or light-colored rag to dab at the stain. Keep dabbing until the cloth comes off clean.
Once you are done removing the stain, use another clean cloth to rinse the area with water.
The fabric and the wash care can limit most of what’s suggested in this article. For such cases, do visit your dry cleaners to get lipstick off your carpet.
Do not forget to check the wash care label! This can save you a lot of time and help you avert any costly mistakes.
More related topics –