How to Remove Self Tanning Lotion Stains from Clothes

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: December 13, 2022

Self-tanning lotion can be great for your summer look, but it's not so great for your clothes. If you put your clothes on before it’s fully dry, it can quickly become a mess. Make sure to take action as soon as the stain happens. If you wait it might be difficult to get out, but if you act immediately then if can be quite easy to remove. Luckily, many of the ingredients you will need to get out this stain should already be in your home!

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Using Water and Club Soda

1
Position the garment. Take the garment off and bring it to the sink. Hold it so that the entire stain is visible. Turn over the garment so that the back side of the stain is under the faucet.
2
Run cold water over your shirt. It's essential to wet the stain right after it happens. Flush cold water over the shirt making sure that the stain gets completely wet. The pressure of the water should loosen the particles of the tanner so that they get washed away.
- Do not rub at the stain as you are washing it. This will only make the stain stick more to the shirt.
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3
Wet a cloth or towel with club soda. If the pressure of the water has not fully removed the stain, try using club soda. Pour club soda or seltzer over a cloth or towel. You don’t want to drench the cloth, but it should be more than a few drops. If you have a very big stain, use more club soda.
- If you don’t have club soda or seltzer in your home, you can also use water.
4
Place a towel or cloth underneath the stain. Your garment is likely wet at this point from the water, but you will want to put something under the stain. You will be pressing on the stain, so putting a towel underneath it will stop it from spreading.
- If it is a garment like a scarf that you can lay flat, you do not need to put anything under the stain as long as you are sure that the stain isn’t touching any other portion of the fabric.
5
Dab at the stain. Taking the cloth you poured club soda on, dab gently at the self-tanner stain. Do not rub or scrub at the stain; this will only make the stain more ingrained in the fabric. Instead, try to dab at the fabric, focusing on the heaviest area of the stain.
6
Dry your garment. If you see that the stain is removed, launder your garment as you usually do. If the stain is still visible, do not put the clothing item in the dryer. The heat from the dryer will make the stain set. Instead, wring out any excess water and hang the shirt up to dry.
- Make sure not to hang the piece of clothing out in the sun. The sun's heat can also make the stain set into the garment.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Using a Detergent Solution

1
Mix up a detergent solution. If your stain is still visible, you will want to use a more potent cleaner than just water. Use a small bowl and pour equal amounts of dishwashing liquid and water. You only will need a small amount, though the amount also depends on the size of the stain.
- You can also use a commercial stain remover. Make sure that you can use this remover with whatever fabric you are treating.
2
Place a towel or cloth underneath the stain. This will help to prevent the stain from spreading to the back of the garment. Make sure to do this if your stain is fresh. If you have already eliminated most of the stain by this point, it may not be necessary.
3
Massage the solution into the stain. Take your fingertip and dip it into the detergent solution. Gently massage the solution into the stain. Make sure to use the pad of your finger, and to not press too hard. Work the solution into the garment using circular motions.
- Don’t use your fingernail to scratch at the garment. This could make the stain set and also damage the fibers of the material.
4
Rinse the shirt. Take cool water and rinse the detergent solution off the stain. You should notice that the stain is gone or is lighter than before you began treating it. Stop rinsing once the detergent has come off the shirt.
5
Repeat the process. Keep going through the process of dabbing the solution on the shirt until the stain is gone or until you’ve reached a point where the stain is not improving.
6
Launder the garment. After you have removed the stain, put your garment in the washing machine and launder as usual. If the stain hasn’t been fully removed, don’t put the garment in the dryer: let it air dry instead.

Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Using Glycerin

1
Spot test an area. Use glycerin if you have not had success with other methods. You will want to spot test on the garment before using glycerin. Pick a small inconspicuous area and dab on a drop of glycerin. If after a few minutes the spot looks discolored, don’t continue using the glycerin.
- You can find glycerin at pharmacies like CVS or Walgreens.
2
Place a towel or cloth underneath the stain to prevent the stain from spreading to other parts of the garment. Do this especially if the stain is fresh; if it is an old stain or if you have already removed most of it, you may not have to put anything under it.
3
Dab at the stain. Pour some glycerin onto a cotton ball or clean cloth. Dab at the garment with the glycerin. Do not rub too roughly, instead use circular motions to work the glycerin into the stain. Glycerin is a natural stain remover that works by breaking down the dye of the tanner.
4
Wash the garment. If the stain has been removed, launder the garment in the washer and dryer. If it has not been fully removed, washing in the washing machine should be an effective way of removing the stain. If the stain is not removed at this point, either use bleach or hydrogen for white garments, or take the garment to a professional dry cleaners.

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Using Bleach on White Garments

1
Make bleach solution. You can get a stain out of white clothes by bleaching them. Use an Oxygen-based bleach and make a solution based on the instructions on the bottle. Be sure to use a large bowl and fill it with solution so that your garment will be able to soak in it.
- Make sure that your garment can withstand bleach. Some delicate fabrics can be damaged by bleach.
- Only use bleach if your garment is white. If not, it could alter the color of the garment.
- Only use bleach if you have already tried out other methods of removing the stain. Bleach should be last resort because it can change the appearance of clothing.
2
Let the garment soak. Place the garment into the bowl of solution so that it is completely submerged. At the minimum, soak the garment for a few hours. Do not leave the shirt in the bleach for over eight hours: this could damage the garment. ^{[1]
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3
Rinse the garment. Run cool water over the piece of clothing and try to get off the bleach solution. See if the stain is gone. If the stain is still there, repeat the process of soaking in bleach.
4
Launder the garment. Once the stain has come out, launder the garment as usual. You may want to wash the garment alone since there will be remnants of bleach that could affect other items being washed. ^{[2]
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Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Using Hydrogen Peroxide on White Garments

1
Spot test an area. Hydrogen Peroxide is a very strong cleaning agent, so make sure to do a spot check before you use it on your garment. Take a hidden or inconspicuous area of your garment and put a drop of hydrogen peroxide on it. If after a few minutes the spot has changed colors significantly, do not use hydrogen peroxide on your stain.
- Hydrogen peroxide is a lifting agent, so it can lighten clothing. You may want to use it only on clothes that are already light-colored or white.
- Like bleach, use hydrogen peroxide only if you have tried other methods of removing the stain.
2
Place a towel or cloth underneath the stain if it is fresh. If you have already eliminated most of the stain by this point, it may not be necessary. However, hydrogen peroxide is such a powerful agent that it may be a good idea so that the peroxide doesn’t soak into the back of the shirt.
3
Dab hydrogen peroxide onto the stain. Put a few drops of 3% hydrogen peroxide on a cloth or cotton ball. Gently dab the stain with the peroxide.
- Make sure to use a white cloth. Hydrogen peroxide will lighten material that isn’t white. ^{[3]
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4
Wash the garment. Once the stain is fully removed, launder the garment as usual. You will want to wash the garment alone or with other white pieces of clothing, because the hydrogen peroxide may lighten garments that aren’t white.

Warnings

If the stain has not been fully removed, do not put your garment in the dryer.

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Only use bleach to remove stains from white garments.

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If you are using a fabric cleaner, make sure that it can safely be used on whatever material your garment is made of.

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