Remove Nail Polish Stains From Fabrics

We’ve all done it, blamed someone else when we’ve left a bottle too close to the edge and our fav colour has spilled all over the carpet/ sofa/ silk blouse/ dog etc (we’re kidding about the dog, you should know by now we’re 100% against animal cruelty). The stain may not come out, (and it’s a highly chemical process) but you can give it a go anyway and we’ll tell you how.

Rather Toxic

Unfortunately, stain removal generally involves harsh chemicals & finding natural options for eliminating pesky polish stains is tricky. For woven fabrics chemicals are almost the only guaranteed way to get the spot out. We don’t endorse chemicals in our cosmetics and don’t like to clean with them either. However, if you simply must have it clean at all cost, we’ve provided cleaning tips below for different fabrics.

If you hate the chemicals as much as us, you’ll probably have to live with the stain. Try water based polishes for the easiest removal.

These are delicate fabrics and the removal process must begin straight away to ensure a complete removal. There is no guarantee even with these tips and sometimes the attention of a professional dry cleaner (try an organic one) is the best course of action.

Removal Process

1. Gently scrape the stain with a butter knife or a spatula to remove any caked-on polish.
2. Apply a dry spotter to the stained area and cover with a cotton pad also dampened with dry spotter.
3. Replace with freshly moistened cotton as many times as it pulls up colour.
4. Use a dry-cleaning solvent to flush away loosened polish and remove dry spotter residue.
5. Allow to dry completely.

Although not as delicate as the fabrics above, all fabrics are difficult to clean when it comes to nail polish. We don’t recommend varnish remover because they tend to be oily, unfortunately acetone is the only thing that removes most conventional polishes.

Removal Process

1. Gently scrape the stain with a butter knife or a spatula to remove any caked-on polish.
2. Test acetone in a tiny inconspicuous place to ensure it won’t change fabric colour.
3. If there is no change place stained area on an absorbent pad and flush with acetone.
4. Continue to flush and replace pads until no more colour can be removed.
5. Flush with dry-cleaning solvent to remove loosened polish and remove acetone residue.
6. Allow to dry completely.

Leather is sturdier than woven fabrics and generally easier to clean. Luckily, it also requires far less caustic methods of cleaning and can be cleaned with organic glycerine soap. Leather is less absorbent than suede so will be easier to clean overall. As with all fabrics, catching the stain as quickly as possible is paramount in removal.

Removal Process

1. Gently scrape the stain with a butter knife or a spatula to remove any caked-on polish.
2. Mix a solution of mild glycerine soap and lukewarm water & swish it around to create foamy suds.
3. Carefully dab at the stain with a sponge dipped in the suds. Don’t scrub or you might spread the stain.
4. If polish is hard, try rubbing it with an artgum eraser.

Other Surfaces

This just covers the fabrics, but nail polish manages to find its way onto all sorts of surfaces. Stay tuned, next time we’ll give you some stain removal advice for hard surfaces.

Disclaimer: Inspirationail will not be held responsible for your actions.