How to Remove Makeup from Clothing

Learn how to remove all types of makeup stains from your favorite garments

Co-authored by Susan Stocker

Last Updated: September 22, 2022

If you wear makeup, you’re probably familiar with the dreaded feeling of accidentally getting some of it on your clothes while you’re applying it. To remove any type of makeup quickly in any environment, you can remove most of it with regular soap and water before you wash the item later. To remove specific stains, there are some household products you can try for getting the makeup out.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using Soap and Cold Water on Any Makeup

1
Don’t rub the makeup with anything dry. When you get makeup on an item of clothing, definitely do not rub it with a dry napkin, paper towel, or cloth. Doing this can spread the makeup around and rub it deeper into the clothing.^{[1]
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- Wait until you have access to a sink and some soap to touch the makeup.
2
Dab the spot with cold water. At a bathroom sink, run the corner of a sturdy paper towel or a clean cloth under some cold water. Dab the cold water onto the spot of makeup without rubbing it. Get just enough water onto the spot so that it’s wet through the other side of fabric.^{[2]
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- Always avoid using hot water to remove stains from clothes. Hot water tends to set stains in deeper, while cold water lifts them.
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3
Apply a tiny amount of soap to the makeup spot. Squeeze a tiny drop of regular hand soap directly onto the stain. The amount of soap you use should be smaller than a dime.^{[3]
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- The color of soap that you use shouldn’t matter; you can use any soap in your bathroom or a public restroom. As long as you don’t use too much, the soap shouldn’t stain your clothes.
4
Rub the fabric against itself to rub the soap in. When the soap is on your clothes, hold the underside of the spot between your fingers and fold it together to rub the soapy spot against itself. Continue rubbing the spot until you see the makeup starting to lift.^{[4]
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- When the makeup is lifted, stop rubbing the fabric. Try to avoid touching the spot directly with your fingers.
5
Use a wet cloth to wipe the soap and makeup away. Take a clean corner of a wet cloth, or a clean paper towel, and run it under cold water again. Use this clean wet cloth or towel to rub the soap and makeup off your clothing.^{[5]
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- You may have to repeat this several times to get all the soap and makeup off, especially if it was a lot of makeup. Be sure to use only the wet cloth, and not your fingers, to touch the spot.
6
Wash your clothing as soon as possible. When you get home, place your stained clothing in the washing machine and wash it on a regular cycle. If the soap and water didn’t remove all of the makeup, try spraying the spot with a stain-lifting solution before putting the item in the washer.^{[6]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Lifting Specific Stains with Household Products

1
Use a makeup wipe to remove any makeup from most materials. Makeup remover wipes do more than wipe makeup off your face; they can also work to get makeup off your clothes. Gently blot or rub the wipe on the spot until the makeup is lifted.^{[7]
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- This technique works best on a fresh makeup spill, before the makeup has had time to settle into the fabric.
- If you’re trying this idea on silk or other delicate fabric, test the wipe on a small hidden area like under a collar or on a spot that gets tucked in before using it on your makeup stain.
2
Try shaving cream to remove foundation from white clothing. If you happen to get a smear of foundation on some white clothing, grab some white shaving cream and spray the foam directly onto the area. The mixture of ingredients in it breaks down foundation pretty easily. Allow the foam to sit for 3-5 minutes, then rub the fabric against itself to rub the cream into the stain.^{[8]
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- Rinse the area with cold running water under a sink to remove the makeup and foam.
- If the shaving cream doesn’t get it all out, do it again, but this time mix a bit of rubbing alcohol with the shaving cream.
- Be sure to use shaving cream and not gel for this technique. Gel doesn’t have the same effect on a clothing stain.
- Be careful not to do this with wool or other fabrics that are dry clean only.
3
Use hairspray containing alcohol to remove lipstick stains. To get a lipstick mark off of a clothing item, squirt enough hairspray onto the spot so that the fabric looks wet around the lipstick. Allow the hairspray to dry for about 20 minutes, then dab the spot with a soapy sponge, cloth, or a wet wipe.^{[9]
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- Don’t use hairspray that doesn’t contain alcohol for this technique; hairspray without alcohol will not work on the stain.
4
Try a blow dryer set to cool on powder makeup. If you’ve ever spilled face powder on your clothes, you know that trying to rub it off just causes it to spread worse. Grab your blow dryer to blast the powder off your clothes using the cold setting, since hot air may cause the powder to set more.^{[10]
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- For any remaining streaks, try dabbing the area with a cloth that you’ve dampened with cold water to remove them.
5
Blot rubbing alcohol on lipstick or eyeliner stains. Rubbing alcohol, a key ingredient in makeup wipes and some hairsprays, also works well on its own. Try it for removing eyeliner or lipstick from an article of clothing by wetting a cotton ball with it and blotting your stain.^{[11]
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- Allow the alcohol to sit on your stain for 5 minutes, then blot the stain with a clean damp cloth.
6
Use ice on any makeup stain. Any time you are trying to remove makeup from clothes, you always want to avoid using hot or warm water. Hot water will set the stain in deeper into your clothes. Try rubbing an ice cube on the makeup spot to lift it out.^{[12]
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7
Try a detergent wipe or pen on any fabric. Detergent wipes and pens are nice stain-removing items to keep with you on-the-go. Remove excess makeup from the area first with a damp cloth before wiping it with the pen or wipe.^{[13]
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- The wipes or pen you use should get the area clean until you can wash it later. Most of these products are safe even for dry-clean only materials.