Both children and adults are interested in painting with watercolors. But after such a creative process, stains of watercolor paint may remain on the clothes. You shouldn’t immediately throw away damaged items; you can try to remove traces of watercolor paint from clothes using one of the proven methods.
- What is watercolor paint made of?
- How to remove watercolors from clothes
- We remove marks from light-colored items: shirts, blouses, T-shirts
- Cleaning the interior
- Recommendations and videos
What does watercolor consist of?
To wash watercolor stains, you need to familiarize yourself with its components. Watercolor is an adhesive, water-soluble paint, the main elements are included in the form of a fine grind. The richness and brightness of the palette is achieved thanks to natural dyes.
Transparency and softness of the image is the hallmark of watercolor. To ensure that it lays evenly, additional components are used - fixatives.
- Phenol is an antiseptic element that prevents mold.
- Ox bile prevents drops of paint from quickly curling on paper during the drawing process.
- Sugar, glycerin or honey (honey paints are popular) are used as a structure-softening element.
- Cherry or sloe gum, gum arabic, and dextrin make up a vegetable glue that gives elasticity and uniformity.
Dissolve watercolor with water.
Composition of watercolor paints
Watercolor is a paint that is easily diluted with water and also easily washed off with it. It contains pigment and a binder - glue, gum arabic, as well as glycerin, honey or sugar.
Thanks to the glue in the composition, the paint adheres well to the surface of the paper. Other binders - honey, glycerin, sugar in the composition - also prevent the paint from drying quickly.
Since watercolor contains many natural ingredients, antiseptics are also added to it to protect against mold and other damage.
Knowing the composition of paints, it will be easier for you to remove them from clothes using home remedies or store-bought products.
How to remove a fresh stain
It seems that the transparency of the paint structure is harmless to the item. But even with thorough washing, a pale spot often remains, especially noticeable on white fabric. Therefore, it is advisable to remove watercolors from clothes immediately.
- Turn the item inside out and place the stained area under running cold water.
- Wash the item with washing powder.
- The stain must not be allowed to dry, otherwise it will be very difficult to remove. It is known that the best results in removing fresh watercolor stains are achieved within 3-5 hours after staining.
Important! Water should only be cold: warm or hot, on the contrary, helps to strengthen the dyes in the fibers of the fabric and will not help remove the watercolor stain.
Recommendations from experts
The following tips will help make your work easier and enhance the effect:
If, after wiping off the stain, stains remain on the fabric, you need to wash the item in a hot soda solution.- Before using a new recipe, it is advisable to test its effect on an inconspicuous area.
- Rubber stains should be wiped off with rubber gloves.
- After treating stains, you should definitely wash the item to remove any residual product from the fabric, eliminate the specific odor and eliminate the possibility of irritation and an allergic reaction from wearing clothes with traces of solvent.
- You can try to scrape off an old stain from dense fabrics in separate fragments.
The best way to deal with a stain is to prevent it from happening. For children involved in creative work, a waterproof apron and special sleeves may be useful.
Top 6 funds
There are many methods for removing watercolor paints from clothes. We list 6 of the most popular and effective ones.
Baby washing powder
This product will help remove paint stains more effectively if you first wash them under running cold water until completely dissolved. Then a double dose of baby washing powder should be poured into the machine and the clothes should be washed by turning on the appropriate program (depending on the type of fabric).
If the stain remains, repeat the procedure. This method is good for children's things, when more aggressive methods are unnecessary.
Stain remover or bleach
The method depends on the type of fabric. It will be easy to wash watercolor stains and without harm to clothes if you follow the instructions.
- The stain remover is applied to colored fabrics, directly to the stained area. Then carry out normal washing.
- The product can also be used as a main product: soak the item in a solution of water and stain remover for a certain time, and then rinse thoroughly.
- Bleach should only be used on white items. This is a rather aggressive product, which contains chlorine-containing components. For this reason, colored items can be ruined. Apply a small amount of bleach to the stained area, then rinse well.
Bleach should only be used with protective gloves to avoid an allergic reaction and irritation of the skin of the hands. Natural stain removers are safe: apply the product to the stain for 15 minutes, after which you should wash the item as usual. If necessary, repeat the procedure.
Antipyatin
First, the area of contamination must be soaped with laundry soap, then Antipyatin must be applied. Then leave the item for 1 hour. After this, wash thoroughly. The method is good when the watercolor stain went unnoticed and had time to dry completely.
Vanish, Amway SA8, Stork
The products have proven themselves very positively. These stain removers are oxygen-based and are recommended for delicate fabrics or children's clothing where boiling or bleaching is not desired.
- Apply the required amount of stain remover to the damp cloth with the stain and leave for 20 minutes.
- Mix warm water with powder or product (according to the instructions) in a container and soak the item.
- Then wash and rinse well.
After this procedure, you can usually wash off the watercolor paint without a trace. It is important to carefully read the instructions that are on each package.
Old and withered: how to cope with a difficult task?
Old stains are those that were placed more than 3 hours ago and have already dried out. The exact curing time depends on the following factors:
- watercolor quality;
- room temperature.
After the dye has dried on the surface of the clothing, removing the stain can damage the structure of the fabric itself and discolor the prints.
For old stains, the following options are suitable:
- using hot vinegar (the acid contained in it corrodes the frozen mass);
- using a recipe based on baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and warm water;
- store-bought stain removers and bleaches.
The stain remover must be selected based on the shade of the clothing. Powder forms of such products require preliminary dilution with water to a paste.
When using a store-bought clothes cleaning product, it is important to follow the instructions for the product.
How to properly wash children's clothes
A child's skin is sensitive to aggressive household chemicals. If you use special products to remove stains, then even old stains can be washed off perfectly without harm to the children’s body.
- It is recommended to use washing powders intended for washing only children's clothes. These are the brands “Aistenok”, “Karapuz”, “Ushasty Nyan” and others.
- Laundry soap will truly help out when you urgently need to wash a watercolor stain. You can't wash your face with it, but it removes dirt perfectly. You should first rub the stain and let the soap soak into the fabric. Then wash the item and rinse well.
- Baby soap will also help. It is anti-allergenic, safe, but is powerless against old dried watercolor stains.
Before purchasing products, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with the composition. Household chemicals for children should not contain phosphates, chlorine or optical brighteners.
Boiling
An old and proven method will help you remove watercolor paint from a white shirt. You need to start preparing the composition.
- Mix soda (1 tbsp), 1 cap each of ammonia and hydrogen peroxide, and laundry soap shavings.
- Add 1 liter of water.
- Immerse the item in the solution and boil.
- Wash in washing machine.
- Dry.
Other methods that have been actively used by housewives for many years can also come to the rescue. They are based on components that are always at hand.
Elimination of watercolor stains depending on the type of fabric
Each type of material uses its own stain removal method, after which the clothes are washed in the usual way.
- Cotton
On light cotton fabrics, the following technique will help remove dye. Pour 1 liter of water into an enamel bowl, add 1 teaspoon of baking soda and shavings from one piece of laundry soap. Boil the contents and immerse contaminated clothing in the hot solution for 10 seconds. Apply this technique several times until the stain disappears.
- Wool
Treatment with laundry soap will help clean woolen items. The soaped area is immersed in boiling water for a few seconds. Repeat until the paint dissolves.
- Natural silk
The fabric must be treated with laundry soap in the contaminated area. Leave until dry. Or withdraw it in another way. Heat denatured alcohol in a water bath without bringing to a boil. Moisten the sponge with it and wipe the dirt until it disappears completely. Dry the wet area with a napkin and sprinkle with talcum powder.
- Synthetic fabrics
Rubbing with ammonia and rinsing in salt water will help remove traces of watercolor.
Traditional methods
It is recommended to first test the product on an inconspicuous area of the fabric of the product. Only then use it to remove watercolor stains.
Oil + powder
You can wash watercolors this way if the stain is fresh. You need to mix washing powder (1 tsp) with half a teaspoon of butter until smooth.
Then rub the mixture into the stain using a brush in an even layer. Machine wash and dry.
Alcohol
Use when heated for all types of fabrics, even silk. Apply the product with a moistened swab to the stain and sprinkle with talcum powder. Then rinse. This way the gouache is also washed off.
Ammonia + vinegar
Take the ingredients in equal quantities and apply delicately with a cotton swab to the watercolor stain for 30 minutes. Next wash. The method helps to wash away even old stains that are ingrained into the fabric.
Hot vinegar
Not suitable for delicate fabrics. The product should be poured into a container and heated. Apply to the stain from the edges to the center. Wash.
When nothing helps
If the chosen methods do not give the desired result, do not rush to throw away your favorite item. There are several other recipes that help in such cases. They work effectively on dried traces of paint.
Vinegar and ammonia
The components are mixed in equal proportions. The stains are soaked with the resulting solution. If necessary, the solution is added so that the paint can completely soften. Residues are washed off with water.
Hot salt solution for stains
For the method to work, the liquid must be hot. It doesn’t hurt if you pre-soak the item in the solution before washing.
White Spirit
Removes traces of any paint, not just watercolor.
The steps are as follows:
- Clothes are laid out on a flat surface.
- A clean cloth is soaked in solvent.
- Rub the composition into the fabric using circular movements.
- As soon as the stains begin to come off the material, the clothes go into the washing machine.
Used on blots with a large layer of paint, as well as on white fabric. When working with white spirit, be sure to protect the skin of your hands with rubber gloves.
Dry cleaning
It’s not for nothing that the cleaning method is last on the list. Used if none of the proposed methods helped. Our specialists have professional tools at their disposal that can cope with any kind of pollution.
