by Melissa R. Bickel

Created on: December 10, 2009   Last Updated: December 11, 2009

Nothing is more frustrating than getting a stain on a piece of clothing, especially if the stain happens to be a non-water based paint. Before you give it a toss in the trash, you might try a few of these tips.

One important step not to be overlooked is NEVER dry a stained garment. Sometimes stained garments slip through unnoticed, but if you wash an article of clothing and find a stain before drying, set it aside for stain treatment. Once a garment is dried without treating the stain, it usually sets the stain permanently in that piece of clothing.

Try soaking the paint-stained garment in a sink of hot water and a cap full of Oxi-clean. Oxi-clean seems to be one of those multi-purpose cleaners. It attacks deep into the material of the garment, often times loosening up the stain for easy removal. This isn't always a 100% all the time, but it's been found to be effective for many different types of stains. Be sure the water is hot though; this will help to loosen up the paint a bit too. If you didn't have any success with this step, then move on to the next.

Be careful when trying this step. Apply a small amount of turpentine to the paint-stained area.  Allow the stain to soak in this for about an hour or so. Do not add this piece of clothing to a wash cycle at this point. Rinse the treated area under a slow stream of hot water. If you find the paint stain has been removed, add a bit of dish washing liquid to the same area. Rub it in to help rid the area of turpentine, then rinse again and add the garment to a load of wash for a better cleaning. If the stain wasn't lifted but lightened up a bit, repeat the treatment with the turpentine and then the rinsing stage mentioned again.

Could be you might be able to remove the stain, if it's dry and sort of crusty, by scraping it with a fingernail. If you don't want to use your fingernail, try using an old toothbrush with a bit of salt or some sort of abrasive scouring cleaner. Give it a vigorous scrub in a circular motion. Be careful not to scrub too hard; you don't want to rub a hole through the garment.

Some have tried using a hand-cleaning product found in the automotive area of a store. Since this hand cleaner has additives in it for removing the grease and grime attributed to working with automobiles, it might just work on paint stains. Rub this cleaner into the paint stain and let sit overnight. Try to only treat the stained area so that if or when it starts to loosen up the paint, there is no bleed-through to another part of the garment.

Nail polish remover is another consumer solution to solving stain problems. Since nail polish is made to remove fingernail paint, it's a good possibility it might work on certain types of paints on clothing. Again, apply the nail polish to the stained area only. Use an old toothbrush or cotton swab to treat the area with the nail polish remover.  Give it a few attempts before giving up on it.

Just a reminder: Whenever you try a stain removal treatment, try it alone and preferably in the kitchen sink. After you thoroughly rinse the garment, then add it to a wash cycle with other clothes.

If you've exhausted all the ideas you know, as well as the tips mentioned here, could be the garment isn't salvageable. Cut the stained area out and resign the rest to the rag pile. This way you'll still be getting some use out of the garment, even if it's for cleaning.

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