How to Remove Spray Paint

Spray paint is one of the favorite items in the DIYer arsenal. You can use spray paint for everything, and it’s a fast way to complete any project. From breathing new life into your furniture to sprucing up a room with eye-catching, homemade décor, having a few cans of spray paint at home can prove really useful.

However, there’s one downside to this fantastic paint: sometimes it can be messy and very difficult to remove if you don’t know how to do it right.

Removing spraypaint involves breaking down the paint’s bonds so it can be scrubbed off.

For skin, concrete, metal, and plastic, water alone isn’t enough, so keep reading to learn the proper techniques and cleaning agents necessary to remove spray paint from these surfaces.

How to remove spray paint from skin

It’s very common to get spray paint on your skin, but there’s no need to worry as it’s relatively easy to remove and can be done with household items. The first thing you need to do is figure out whether you’re dealing with oil-based or water-based paint. You can find this information on the can’s label.

Water-based spray paint

Supplies:

• Liquid dish soap
• A toothbrush or household sponge
• Cloth or old towel

The steps you should follow are quite simple:

1. Wash your hands or the stained area of your body under warm water and squeeze some dish soap directly onto the stain.
2. If the paint doesn’t come on, then you need to add a bit of friction. For this, you can use a clean toothbrush or the abrasive side of a common household sponge to gently scrub the paint off using circular motions.
3. Rinse and clean your sink with a cloth or an old towel to avoid staining it.

Oil-based spray paint

Oil-based paint can be a bit trickier, and it might require repeating the steps multiple times for the stain to come off, but it’s not impossible to remove.

Supplies:

• Pure essential oil, olive oil, or baby oil
• Cotton ball
• Cloth or old towel

Steps:

1. Soak a cotton ball in oil and wet the stained areas. Be careful not to drip any oil on your clothes, or it might stain them.
2. Use the cotton ball to wet your skin with the oil. You can also use cooking spray directly on your skin.
3. Rub the area vigorously with a cloth or an old towel, but carefully so you don’t hurt your skin.
4. Wash your hands and your skin with warm water and soap to remove any residual spray paint and oil. It might be necessary to lather your hands and rinse them twice to wash away all the oil.
5. Clean your sink with the same cloth or towel you used to rub your skin.

How to remove spray paint from fabric

Staining your favorite clothes with paint is sometimes unavoidable, that’s why some people have special outfits for any projects that involve painting.

If you’ve accidentally stained your favorite shirt, however, there’s no need to panic—spray paint can be removed from the fabric, or at least most of it can.

Wet paint

Supplies:

• Damp cloth or towel
• Dry cloth or towel
• Liquid dish soap
• For persistent stains: alcohol-based cleaner, hairspray, nail polish remover, or rubbing alcohol

Steps:

1.  If the fabric is soaked in paint, wash away the excess with cold water.
2. Blot the area with a cloth, preferably a light-colored one, and warm water. You mustn’t rub the stain because you’re going to force it deeper into the fabric and make it harder to remove.
3. If that’s not enough, try adding some liquid dish soap to the stain and gently dab it with the cloth. Rinse it with cold water.
4. For more persistent stains, you can try an alcohol-based cleaner. Some household items that contain alcohol are hairspray, nail polish remover, and rubbing alcohol.

Be extremely careful with these items because they can ruin the fabric. You should test if they’re a viable option by applying a small quantity on an inconspicuous area and wait a few minutes to see what happens.

1. If the fabric looks the same, then you can apply some alcohol-based cleaner to the stain. Start with small amounts to preserve the fabric and add more if necessary for thick layers of paint. Rub it down gently with a dry cloth.
2. Once you’ve removed most of the paint, you can run the garment in the washing machine in a cool setting. Never use warm or hot water because that will set the stain.

Dry paint

Supplies:

• Butter knife or spoon
• Paint remover or nail polish remover

Steps:

1. Take the butter knife or the spoon and try to scrape up as much hardened paint as you can without tearing the fabric.
2. Dab a small quantity of paint remover or nail polish remover onto the stain. You can add more if necessary, but it’s best to start small to avoid damaging the fabric.
3. Run the clothing item in the washing machine in a cool setting.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 if necessary.

How to remove spray paint from concrete

Concrete is one of the hardest materials to remove spray paint (or any other kind of paint for that matter) because it’s porous and readily absorbs paint. There are two techniques to remove stains on concrete—power washing and cleaning with TSP—, but as you can probably guess, you’re going to need some heavy-duty supplies.

Power washing

Using a pressure washer is the easier way to remove spray paint from outdoor concrete. Before you begin, you need to make sure to move any patio furniture, pots, etc. away from your working area to avoid damaging them.

Supplies:

• Pressure washer
• Pressure washer spray wand
• Garden hose
• Safety gear: goggles, work gloves, respiratory mask

Steps:

1. Connect the high-pressure hose to the high-pressure inlet and the garden hose to the water inlet. Attach the 15-degree spray nozzle to the spray wand, then the wand to the spray gun, and lastly fix the gun to the high-pressure hose.
2. Put your safety gear on and turn on the water supply. Stand at least two feet from the stained area and blast it using back-and-forth motions.
3. Rinse the area thoroughly when you’re done. If the stain persists, try the TSP technique.

TSP (trisodium phosphate)

For indoor stains and small or persistent outdoor stains, using TSP is the recommended option.

Supplies:

• Powdered TSP
• 5-gallon bucket
• Stiff-bristle scrubbing brush
• Mop or garden hose
• Safety gear: goggles, work gloves, respiratory mask

Steps:

1. Open the windows and doors to ventilate the area if you’re working indoors, and put on your safety gear.
2. Grab your 5-gallon (20 l) bucket and pour two gallons (7,5 l) of warm water. Then, dilute a half-teaspoon (5 ml) of TSP into the bucket.
3. Dip the stiff-bristle brush into the TSP solution and vigorously scrub the paint off the concrete. If the stain doesn’t come off, let the TSP rest on the surface for about 20 minutes before scrubbing again.
4. Mop away any leftover debris indoors or use the hose to rinse the concrete if it’s outdoors.

How to remove spray paint from metal

Non-porous materials like metal don’t absorb any paint, so it’s easier to remove stains from them. However, you have to be mindful of how you remove the spray paint stain, so you don’t scratch or damage the surface.

Supplies:

• Liquid dish soap
• Microfiber cloth
• Baking soda
• Paint scraper
• Old cooking pot
• Metal tongs

Steps:

1. If the stain is recent, try squeezing a few drops of dish soap on the area and rub it gently with warm water and the microfiber cloth.
2. For larger stains, pour baking soda into the pot until you form a layer of about ⅛-inch (3 mm) at the bottom. Then fill half the pot with cold water.
3. Place the metal object inside the pot. The water should simmer on the stove over low heat for approximately30 minutes.
4. Use the metal tongs to remove the object from the water. Once it has cooled enough to touch it, you can use a paint scraper to peel off the loosened paint.

You’ll need to wear your safety gear for larger surfaces and apply a chemical paint stripper with a chip brush. Then, you should follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

How to remove spray paint from plastic

Plastic is another tricky material because it can dissolve with certain products. If the paint is still wet, the best course of action is taking a household sponge and scrubbing the spray paint off with warm water and liquid dish soap. You can try nail polish remover as well, but be aware that it can leave some undesired finish on certain plastics.

Conclusion

Spray painting can be a fun activity, but it can also lead to accidental stains on your skin, the object you’re painting, or other elements around your working area. Luckily, after reading this complete guide, you’ll be ready to remove stains from the most common types of materials.

There are different techniques for each material, so make sure you’re using the appropriate one to avoid damaging the surface the stain is on.