How to Get Mascara Out of Clothes? 11 Methods

Mascara works well on the lashes but not on clothing. You don’t need to be concerned if you accidentally stained your favorite top with mascara. We can assist you in that issue in eleven different ways.

What should you do to get mascara out of your clothes if you use it frequently when applying makeup?

The best way to remove mascara from clothing is to brush off the excess and then treat the stain right away with Dawn dish soap or laundry detergent. To remove the stain, other effective techniques include using hairspray, shaving cream, or rubbing alcohol. Additionally, makeup wipes and stain removers sold in stores can effectively remove mascara stains.

You’ll learn why it’s so challenging to get mascara stains out of fabric in this article. Eleven quick and easy ways to remove mascara from clothing are covered.

How to Get Mascara Out of Clothes?

You can complete your look with mascara. When the day is over, it still comes off of your lashes. It may not come off as quickly or easily, but it is still capable of doing so. So before you throw that top away, let us show you how to remove the mascara stain.

Makeup Remover

Makeup removers can help you remove makeup from your face as well as that makeup stain on your clothing.

This option may be most effective if the stain is still recent. Take some cotton balls or q-tips and soak them in your makeup remover. Gently dab the area that is affected. Until no more mascara is coming off, rub gently while applying mascara.

You might also want to turn the affected item of clothing inside out, though it is unlikely that the mascara made it to the other side. Again, gently dab at the front after pouring some makeup remover from the back.

Before pouring the makeup remover on the stain, it might be a good idea to place a rag or some paper towels in front of it. This would prevent the mascara stain from spreading to the fabric and transferring to the paper towels instead.

For this, makeup wipes are an additional option. If there is any mascara stain left after this method, use one of the other methods in addition to it. This method works well as an immediate pretreatment.

Rubbing Alcohol

Use this in the same way that you would a makeup remover. Avoid soaking the area in rubbing alcohol; it might be a good idea. Alternatively, soak the q-tips or cotton balls.

While the stain is still fresh, dousing it in any liquid risked spreading it to adjacent surfaces. After you’ve removed a sizable amount of the mascara stain, only then should you apply any liquid cleaning solution.

If you don’t have either of the two, you might try using hand sanitizer if you have any on hand. Make sure you’re using clear type, though. Many hand sanitizers, especially those made for children, frequently contain dye or glitter. They might leave their own stain if you use those.

Dish Soap

Dish soap like Dawn and Joy could also help. Dish soap would be an excellent cleaning agent for mascara because most mascaras contain wax or oil.

Dish soap can be used in a variety of stain removal methods. To start, liberally apply dish soap to the stain and gently scrub the area with a toothbrush or your fingers.

On the other hand, you could combine some water and dish soap. Gently dab the stain with a sponge or cloth after dipping it in the solution.

Stain Remover

Stain removers are similar to dish soap in how they should be used. Spray some stain remover on the spot, then work it into the fabric with your fingers or a toothbrush. Before washing, allow it to sit for a while, preferably overnight.

If you’re dealing with a tough stain, then it might be better to use stain removers like Spray n Wash than dish soap. This is probably a good time to point out that the names we’ve suggested are merely ideas. Please use the brands that you prefer.

Laundry Detergent

Applying detergent to the stain directly before washing the item is one of the best ways to handle a mascara stain. Most of the time, you might not even notice stains on your clothes until you sort through your dirty laundry just before washing it.

With this technique, you can conveniently treat the stains before washing them with items you already have in your laundry room.

A flat surface, such as the top of your washer or an ironing board, would be a good place to spread out the stained item. To prevent anything from soaking through to the other side of the fabric, place a piece of cardboard behind the top layer of the garment.
If you notice any crumbling leftover mascara on the fabric, gently brush it into a trash can.
Apply the stain with a liberal amount of your typical laundry detergent. You want to use enough soap to completely cover the stain.
Working the soap into the stain until it lathers up requires a soft brush or sponge.
Give the soap 20 minutes to sit.
Under warm running water, rinse the stained area.
As you would normally, wash the item, but before putting it in the dryer, make sure the stain has been removed.

Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a stain remover that works similarly to rubbing alcohol on a variety of stains, including mascara. Hydrogen peroxide does not sanitize your makeup, unlike rubbing alcohol, so it is not the best option for thinning old mascara.

However, you can apply it to stains on your clothing to whiten them. It will act very similarly to oxygenated bleach in this regard. Do a spot test to see if the peroxide will harm your clothes before using this product, though.

Simply dab some peroxide onto a garment’s inner seam that isn’t visible. Ten minutes later, check to see if the product bleached or harmed the fabric.

To use hydrogen peroxide:

Put some peroxide on a cotton ball or sponge.
Until it is completely damp, dab at the stain.
10 minutes should pass before using.
Dab once more after rinsing a clean sponge in water. Hopefully, the mascara will now come off the sponge.
When you are certain there are no stains on the item, rinse it under running water before throwing it in the washer right away.

Shaving Cream

Another typical household item that you might not think to try as a mascara stain remover is shaving cream. Because shaving cream has excellent foaming properties, which can lift stain particles out of clothing or carpets, it frequently works as a stain remover.

Shaving cream should be sprayed directly onto the stain. Ensure that it completely encloses the stain.
Ten minutes are needed for this to sit.
With your fingers, remove the cream from the stain, and then rinse it under running water.
If that didn’t completely get rid of the stain, try adding one more tiny squirt of shaving cream and rubbing it into the stain with a soft brush or sponge.
Check to see if any mascara is still on after another rinse.

Bleach

There are two ways to use bleach to get rid of mascara stains.

First, you can use regular laundry detergent and oxygenated bleach, like OxiClean, in your washing machine. Even colored clothing should be protected from damage by OxiClean, which should remove the majority of stains. To be safe, read the care label on your clothing before washing it with any kind of bleach.

Second, you can use chlorine bleach to turn mascara white and make it completely unnoticeable if you find a stain on a white item of clothing. However, you should only use chlorine bleach on durable fabrics like cotton.

The makeup stain can be effectively removed using either of these techniques. However, bleach contains potent chemicals, so you might want to save it for last-resort use of rubbing alcohol or makeup remover or if another spot treatment that does not work.

Hairspray

Actually, when it comes to various stains, hairspray is frequently recommended. But fewer people now make use of them. That’s because not all hairsprays work. Only a few types are capable. Specifically, those that contain a lot of alcohol.

So, you can use hairspray the same way you would use rubbing alcohol. But many recommend using hairsprays for a different approach. Spraying a lot of hairspray on the affected area is what you should do. Next, allow it to air dry. You can either use a wet wipe or dampen a cloth to remove it after it dries.

Baking Soda & Vinegar

There are a few things you can try if you’re more interested in using a natural remedy than a bleach solution. Although these materials lack the strength or power of bleach or dishwashing detergent, they should still function just fine when used properly.

Use a baking soda and vinegar solution first. The area stained by mascara should first have some baking soda sprinkled on it before being covered in vinegar.

Use a small scrub brush to begin cleaning the area once the fizzing has stopped. In the event that this is unsuccessful, you can also try the baking soda and a tiny bit of lemon juice. The same as above, but use baking soda instead of vinegar.

You can start scrubbing the spot right away because it won’t foam or bubble. Once you’ve worked on it for a while, wash the item with your usual liquid detergent.

Both of these techniques will take a lot of time and probably need to be performed several times to completely remove the mascara stain, just like the majority of the methods already mentioned. Before giving up the fight, as it were, you should at least try scrubbing it twice or three times.

If you were unsuccessful in getting the stain out, keep in mind that you shouldn’t dry your clothes. The majority of the time, doing so will make it irreversible.

Ammonia

To get rid of stubborn mascara stains from clothes and carpets, use an ammonia-based solution. This solution requires a little bit more effort than most of the other approaches, but it functions very similarly to an expensive dry cleaning solvent.

A clean spray bottle should contain one tablespoon of ammonia. Add two cups of warm water and one tablespoon of dish soap. To combine this, tighten the cap and shake the bottle.
This mixture should be sprayed onto the stain.
Spend five minutes letting it sit.
Dab the stain with a clean rag after adding a little more spirit. Ideally, the mascara will start to come off onto the rag right away.
To get rid of any leftover mascara and cleaning solution wet a new rag with clean water and blot the stain.

Does Mascara Come Out of Clothes in Wash?

In most cases, unless the stain is pretreated, mascara stains won’t come out of clothing in the wash. Applying laundry detergent or even just commercial stain remover to the stain and letting it sit for 20 minutes before putting the item in the washer will likely result in the stain being completely removed during the washing cycle.

Make sure you don’t dry a piece of clothing that has recently been stained. Any stains that are still present may become nearly impossible to remove because of the heat.

Things to Remember Before You Get Mascara Out of Clothes

Here is something you need to know before you get mascara out of clothes:

Test It

Always test your preferred cleaning solution in a hidden area before working on the stain, especially if you’re working with delicate materials. They might remove the stain, but they also might remove the color!

Know Your Fabric

It would be a good idea to learn more about the fabric you’re working with in addition to testing the product on a hidden area. By doing this, you’ll be able to gauge how much effort you can put forth. Cotton, for instance, might be able to withstand a little more pressure than silk.

Additionally, being aware of the fabric you are using may help you determine which cleaning solutions will work best to remove the stain.

How to Get Mascara Out of Clothes 11 Methods

Scrape

Don’t forget to scrape as much of the stain off before applying any treatments to it, especially if it is from mascara. Since mascara stains are typically small, you can remove them with your fingernail or a toothpick. You might want to use a blunt knife for bigger stains.

Although removing the stain with a scraper may seem like an extra task, it is helpful. By doing this, you not only avoid spreading the mascara to other areas but also remove some of the stains.

How to Get Mascara Out of Other Fabrics?

Discover how to remove mascara from carpets, jeans, and more with the help of these quick tips!

Carpet

Using rubbing alcohol or ammonia to remove mascara from the carpet is the best option.

Using the ammonia solution works very effectively, but make sure you “rinse” the area repeatedly by blotting with a damp rag soaked in clean water afterward. Otherwise, your carpet will smell awful and the ammonia may even cause long-term damage to the fibers.

Pillowcase

Any of the techniques in this article can be used to remove mascara from a pillowcase, but if you discover the stain while doing your laundry, the dish soap or laundry detergent techniques might be the most practical.

If you find mascara on a pillow, try blotting the stain with a solution of dish soap and water until it disappears. After that, rinse the pillow by rinsing it with water and blotting it once more to get rid of any remaining soap.

Upholstery

The dish soap and water method is typically the most secure way to remove mascara from upholstery.

Two cups of warm water should be added to one teaspoon of soap.
His should be used to blot the stain with a clean cloth.
Use a second rag dipped in plain water once the mascara has disappeared.
To get the soap off, blot once more.

You can try this on most car upholstery as well as any upholstery that won’t get stained when exposed to water.

Jeans

Utilizing laundry detergent prior to washing your jeans in the washing machine is the best way to remove mascara from your jeans. If you notice the mascara as you apply your makeup, you can also try using some makeup remover as a quick fix for a small mascara spot.

Towels

Using a commercial stain remover made to work on grease stains is the best way to get mascara out of towels. It might be challenging to use a spot-removal technique on a towel because the fluffy fibers will hide any remaining mascara flecks and make it difficult to reach them all.

Don’t forget to give yourself enough time to wash the towels after using the commercial stain remover as directed on the bottle.

Conclusion: Get Mascara Out of Clothes

Mascara can be removed from clothing by applying dish soap or laundry soap to the stain and then washing the item in your washing machine. As additional practical household items that work well to remove makeup stains, you can also use shaving cream, hydrogen peroxide, or rubbing alcohol.

Use commercial products like bleach or stain removers made to work on grease for a more powerful solution.

This accident can be extremely stressful, especially if you wear waterproof mascara. But you should be able to get mascara stains out of your favorite clothes with some stain remover, dish soap, and warm water. You may need to use rubbing alcohol or fabric-safe bleach for tougher stains.

FAQs

Does Mascara Stain Permanently?

However, they may have the opposite effect if they get on your clothing. Your preferred items frequently end up stained by lipstick, blusher, mascara, and even sunscreen. Cosmetics are meant to be temporary, not permanent.

Does Mascara Ruin Clothes?

Mascara gives our eyelashes a gorgeous appearance, but it stains carpet, clothes, towels, and other soft items. Learn how to effectively remove the challenging stains caused by the combination of dye and oily/waxy substances. Do not omit any steps or you risk getting those pesky mascara smudges!

Does Shampoo Remove Mascara?

Surfactants, which are substances in shampoo that remove dirt, are also effective at removing eye makeup, including waterproof mascara.

Will Mascara Stain My Clothes?

You can complete your look by using mascara. At the end of the day, it still comes off of your eyelashes. It may not come off as quickly or easily, but it is still capable of doing so. Don’t discard that top just yet; instead, let us show you how to remove the mascara stain.