How to quickly and effectively remove watercolor paint from clothes?
Watercolor paint stains on clothes are a fairly common situation, especially in a home with children.
Compared to other types of art supplies, watercolor can be considered quite harmless, since sometimes it can be removed with regular washing.
But in some cases you will have to work hard on the stain, putting the thing in order. Let's figure out how to wash watercolor paint from clothes at home.
Content
Features of watercolor removal
Watercolor paint is intended for creativity of adults and children. It is based on very finely ground natural pigments that give the required shade, water and additional components. The latter serve for better transfer and fixation of color on the surface, as well as preservation of the paint.
These include the following substances:
Name | Purpose | Substance used |
Plasticizer | Softening paint | honey, glycerin, invert sugar |
Mucilage | Paint stabilization | gum arabic, sloe gum (or cherry gum), dextrin |
Antiseptic | Prevent paint deterioration and mold growth | Phenol |
Anti-curling component | Easy distribution of paint on paper | Ox bile |
The water base of the coloring composition, despite the complex set of components, allows dissolve a fresh stain quickly and easily - with plain water. To do this, carefully turn the item inside out and direct a stream of water to the place where the paint hits. This method is only suitable if the paint has not dried.
Using Home Recipes
Having noticed a stain on clothing, you need to begin removing the stains as quickly as possible. If time was lost, then for paint removal you will have to use one of the home recipes or special products.
Artistic paint should not be washed off with hot water.
Laundry soap
To remove watercolor stains on clothes, you can use regular laundry soap.
To do this you need:
- Moisten the stain with water.
- Lather with laundry soap.
- Set the item aside for 2-3 hours.
- Periodically, the affected area of clothing is still moistened to prevent it from drying out.
- The dirty area should be rubbed slightly.
- The item is washed and dried.
Do not even use hot water to moisten the stain.
Soap and soda
Cotton items that can be boiled are washed using the following recipe:
- Pour 1 liter of water into an enamel basin.
- Add baking soda (1 tsp) and grated laundry soap.
- Boil the solution.
- Immerse the item in hot water.
- Hold for 10 seconds.
- Get the thing.
- Repeat until the paint is completely gone.
How to remove with glycerin?
To remove stains from watercolor paint, you can use pure glycerin.The product is convenient to apply using a sponge.
Gently treat the stain with glycerin and leave for a quarter of an hour.. During this time, glycerin will soften the oily base of the dried paint, so it will not be difficult to remove it from clothes.
Paint removal is carried out using a composition of glycerin mixed in half with medical alcohol. Using a napkin or sponge, apply the prepared composition to the stain and leave for another quarter of an hour.
After this, the item is rinsed under water and washed as usual.. Adding oxygen bleach to the washing powder you use will help enhance the effect of washing.
Washing powder
High-quality washing powders, gels and capsule products contain active ingredients that fight various types of contaminants.
For better processing quality, especially for old stains, it is recommended:
- pre-soak the soiled item;
- pre-treat the stain.
Hydrogen peroxide and soda
The following ingredients are used to prepare the cleaning composition:
- hydrogen peroxide (100 ml);
- hot water (1/2 cup);
- baking soda (1/2 cup).
All three components are mixed until smooth and applied to the stain. Leave for a quarter of an hour and wash off with plenty of water.
Vinegar
Table vinegar in its pure form is suitable for removing watercolor stains.
Work order:
- Pour into a small bowl or saucepan? glasses of vinegar and place on the stove.
- Heat until hot.
- A sponge or cotton swab is moistened in hot liquid and carefully treated where the paint gets in contact.
Large blots are treated from the edges to the middle of the stain.
Vinegar should not be used to clean delicate materials or those with unstable coatings.
Stain removers and bleaches
Oxygen-containing stain removers and bleaches can help remove stains. Spray a cleaning agent (for example, Vanish) onto the area of contamination and leave for 15 minutes. After this, the product is washed with washing powder manually or in a machine.
Removing stains from white items
White clothes require even more effort when removing stains from the fabric.
If the fabric has a high density and natural cotton composition, then you can use a recipe designed specifically for white things.
To prepare the solution you will need the following ingredients:
- water (1 liter);
- soda ash (20 grams);
- ammonia (1 tbsp.);
- hydrogen peroxide (1 tbsp.);
- grated laundry soap (1 tbsp).
Since the solution is intended for soaking soiled clothes, if the item is large, it is necessary to proportionally increase the amount of ingredients used.
Procedure for preparing the mixture:
- Dissolve laundry soap shavings in water.
- Add soda first, and then other ingredients.
- Immerse the soiled item in the solution and place it on the stove to boil.
- Set the fire to the lowest setting.
- Boil for 30-40 minutes.
- Leave to cool.
- Get clothes.
- Rinse using fabric softener.
This method is applicable only for those things that can be boiled.
For thin fabrics, the boiling method is not suitable.. In this case, it is recommended to use commercial oxygen-containing stain removers, for example, Vanish. To enhance the effect of household chemicals, it is better to apply them to moistened material.
Type of fabric and methods of removing stains: selection of the optimal option
Depending on the type of fabric, the method for removing stains is selected. After using any of the products, wash the clothes as usual.
Fabric type | Approach to removing stains |
Cotton (including jeans) and Len | Cotton fabric allows you to use a variety of methods to remove watercolor stains. One of the most effective is based on laundry soap and soda, the other is using hydrogen peroxide. |
Carpet or upholstery | Special shampoos intended for cleaning carpets; if they are not available, liquid soap whipped with water into foam |
Synthetics | Wiping the surface of the stain with ammonia and rinsing clothes in salted water |
Natural silk, wool | Treat with a solution of laundry soap where the paint gets in contact, leave to dry and rinse in water. |
Top 3 household chemicals
Since watercolor paint is water-soluble, there are no special solvents that are designed specifically for removing it from clothing. If the stains are dry and cannot be completely removed by simple washing, It is recommended to use oxygen-containing stain removers.
Vanish
To treat clothes, it is convenient to use a stain remover in gel or spray form.Available in two forms, intended for colored clothing and white items.
Advantages of use:
- effectiveness against old stains;
- Can be used to pre-treat stains and as a means of enhancing the action of laundry detergent during the main wash phase.
Application procedure:
- Apply the product.
- Rub.
- Leave for 15 minutes.
- Rub.
- Wash the item by hand or in the washing machine, adding a Vanish measuring cap.
The price of a spray is from 500 rubles, a stain remover in gel form with a volume of 0.45 liters is from 200 rubles.
Amway SA8
The stain remover comes in a spray bottle. The product can be used on fabrics with permanent coloring. The cost of a 0.4 liter bottle is from 700 rubles.
Application procedure:
- From a distance of about 15 cm, the product is sprayed onto the paint blot.
- Leave for a quarter of an hour.
- Wash as usual.
- Rinse.
Advantages of the product:
- Can be used on any type of fabric;
- ease of use;
- efficiency;
- has a slight odor;
- does not contain chlorine;
- There are no streaks or marks left after use.
Amway stain remover can be used on delicate fabrics.
Stork Stop Spot
To remove stains from the clothes of children and adults, a product from the domestic manufacturer Aistenok is suitable. Bottle volume 0.9 l - from 110 rubles.
Advantages of Stork:
- suitable for all types of fabric;
- can be used for washing clothes of children of the first year of life;
- suitable for people with sensitive skin;
- contains soap nut extract;
- convenient gel form;
- hypoallergenic;
- Can be used on white and colored items.
Old and withered: how to cope with a difficult task?
Old stains are those that were placed more than 3 hours ago and have already dried out. The exact curing time depends on the following factors:
- watercolor quality;
- room temperature.
For old stains, the following options are suitable:
- using hot vinegar (the acid contained in it corrodes the frozen mass);
- using a recipe based on baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and warm water;
- store-bought stain removers and bleaches.
The stain remover must be selected based on the shade of the clothing. Powder forms of such products require preliminary dilution with water to a paste.
When using a store-bought clothes cleaning product, it is important to follow the instructions for the product.
Recommendations from experts
The following tips will help make your work easier and enhance the effect:
- If, after wiping off the stain, stains remain on the fabric, you need to wash the item in a hot soda solution.
- Before using a new recipe, it is advisable to test its effect on an inconspicuous area.
- Use rubber gloves to wipe off stains.
- After treating stains, you should definitely wash the item to remove any residual product from the fabric, eliminate the specific odor and eliminate the possibility of irritation and an allergic reaction from wearing clothes with traces of solvent.
- You can try to scrape off an old stain from dense fabrics in separate fragments.
Conclusion
Watercolor paints can be easily removed from fabrics if the stains are noticed immediately. At removing dried stains you may encounter the fact that contaminants are not removed immediately. In this case, you may need to use several stain removal methods and repeat washing.