Lipsticks are widely used by women all over the world to accentuate their beauty. This wonderful product can have alarming problems at times when we stain our favourite clothes or fabrics by coming into their contact. Lipstick stains can be very rigid and refuse to go away easily spoiling our beloved shirts permanently. But, do you know how to remove lipstick stain? Excessive rubbing or brushing off these lipstick stains from costly shirts or dresses results in wear and tear of the garment. These stains can come by accidently brushing against a lady wearing a bright coloured lipstick. A small slip or fall may also get makeup all over your clothes. The sleeves of a shirt are more prone to lipstick stains due to brushing of hands or trying to itch or while adjusting your hair properly.
Lipsticks are made from colours and chemicals and are made to last longer. Hence, they don’t go away easily and these stains look very ugly on light coloured garments. Basically, lipsticks are made of three kinds of ingredients like oil, wax and pigments. So, on getting a lipstick stain, one gets 3 kinds of stains like an oil stain, a coloured pigment stain and a wax stain. However, there are some clever hacks and tricks to get these stains out of your clothes without damaging the garments. The following pointers give a basic guideline on how to remove lipstick stain from your clothes.
How to Remove Lipstick Stain from Clothes?
1. Know Your Fabric
Different type of fabrics respond to a different type of stains and their removal procedure is also very different. Some clothes are tough and can be bleached to remove the stains. Some do not absorb the stains much and these can be easily washed by simple detergents. Materials like fur, suede and silk are very soft and delicate garments and these cannot be easily washed at home. When stained on such fabrics, it’s better to go to a dry cleaner.
2. Be Quick
You need to act swiftly if you have stained your clothes. If such lipstick stains are tackled quickly, then the fabric does not get enough time to absorb the stains and these can be easily washed with soap and water.
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3. Blot Using a Clean, Dry Fabric First
Lipsticks are generally coated with wax and oil. On softly dabbing the stain with a clean material first prevents the stain from being further absorbed by the fabric. Small, circular motions will help you erase most of the residue of the stain before washing it. Washing it directly with a brush might lead to spreading of the stain on a larger area.
4. Try The Commercial Stain Removers
After checking the tolerance of your fabric, you can even try the commercial stain removers available in the market. These have been specially made to act on tough stains without damaging the clothes.
5. Dry Cleaning
If the stain does not budge even after repeated trials, then you must rush to the dry cleaners as these people have professional equipment and tools for removing stains. The pigments used in the lipsticks generally remain even after repeated washing and these have to be oxidised to remove them. If a commercial stain remover is not able to remove the stains after the oxidization process then one must rush to the dry cleaners. Make sure not to dry the garment with the stain still visible.
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6. Alcohol
Another effective home remedy for removing lipstick stains is by rubbing alcohol on the stains. One has to take special care about not rubbing the stain for fear of spreading it over but one must wet it with some alcohol and then blot the stain spot with a clean cloth. This remedy is quite effective most of the times when applied swiftly.
7. Ammonia
Another effective remedy for removing such stains, ammonia should be stored in every house. It acts swiftly on tough stains and can be easily sourced from grocery stores. After removing the stains, it is advisable to launder and wash the garments as usual.
8. Hairspray
A hairspray is found in all homes and is usually used by women to remove such lipstick stains from clothes. One is required to spray the liquid on the stain and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Later, just blot and dab with a clean cloth and wash as usual.
These clever tricks will guide you on how to remove lipstick stain from your favourite clothes. Next time, if you stain your favourite garment, do not lose heart but act swiftly and follow either one of the above-mentioned tricks. It is advisable to store some ammonia, alcohol or hair spray at home for you never know when you might need them! And remember that makeup looks good on the face and not on your clothes, so act swiftly!