Painting is a great way to keep kids occupied, they said. But they forgot to mention the stubborn paint stains that are left behind. Most kids end up with more paint on their clothes than on paper. To be honest, after a while you just learn to deal with it. You sort of get used to throwing away bright coloured clothes with stains all over them. But that's not how it has to be! There is a way to remove paint stains from clothes.
The next time your toddler creates a colourful masterpiece on his or her clothes, try these cleaning hacks:
Don’t use a dryer: When you wash clothes with paint stains, make sure not to use the dryer as it will set the stains on the fabric permanently. Instead, keep rinsing the cloth as long as the stain doesn’t disappear. Once the stain is gone, you can go ahead and dry it.
Warm water: Water colours and other water-based paints are fairly easy to remove even if they have dried. However, acrylics and other oil paints seem to have a mind of their own. Instead of reaching out for fancy stain removers, try to wash the stain with warm water. The water will loosen the grip of the paint and gently remove it. Once the stain has lightened, use a gentle laundry liquid detergent like The Better Home’s plant-based washing liquid to wash the cloth.
Hot vinegar: What would we do without vinegar? This wonder ingredient is extremely useful when it comes to stain removal. Just heat some vinegar and apply to the paint stain. leave it on for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse it off with a gently laundry liquid. However, this hack is not meant for delicate fabrics as it might damage the fibres.
Baking soda: Baking soda's gentle abrasive action is best suited for dried acrylic paints and other oil-based paints. Make a paste of baking soda and water and apply it to the stain. Make sure to scrape the excess paint off before doing so. Gently scrub the paste onto the stain. Chuck the cloth in the washing machine and poof! the stain will vanish.
