You are already late for the event, your hair is messy, and you are all over the place! When you think how worse this can get, your foundation brush slips from your hand and manages to stain your favorite shirt or your favorite jeans, or your favorite dress. The question arises of how to get foundation out of clothes.
Or, were things getting hot between you and your significant other? One thing led to another, and before you realize you and your favorite shirt are both smothered with her bold red lipstick. You still want those nasty lipstick stains from your favorite shirt as much as you love her.
Or did he break your heart? Crying over him ruined not only your mascara but also caused stains on your clothes. You know how difficult it is to get that mascara stain out of your clothes, right?
Even if nothing of the above happened and you still wish to get those stubborn stains out of your clothes, we are happy to tell you that you are in the right place. Your search on “how to get the foundation out of clothes” ends here!
1) How To Get Foundation Out Of Clothes?
Removing any makeup stain from your clothes is a unique challenge in itself. Makeup stains are difficult to remove compared to other stains. If you act fast and follow the steps given in our article, then the removal will not be that difficult. The technique you used to remove powder foundation stains from your clothes might not work for removing those oil-based foundation stains. Therefore, we are providing you with different stain removal methods for different stain-causing makeup.
1.1) Makeup Wipes:
Makeup wipes are useful for removing foundation from your skin and foundation stains or makeup stains from your clothes. The composition of ingredients in makeup wipes breakdown makeup easily. If you act fast, you can get makeup stains out of your clothes before the stain settles into the fabric fibers.
The question is How to get foundation out of clothes? And the answer is Makeup wipes!
i) Things You’ll Need:
- A Makeup Wipe
ii) Steps to Follow for How to Get Foundation out Of Clothes:
a) Gently rub or gently pat the makeup wipe on the stained area.
b) The composition of the ingredients within the makeup wipe will help to break down the makeup stain.
c) Do not harshly rub the stained area, as that might lead to the spreading of the stain.
1.2) Liquid Foundation Stains:
What makes a liquid foundation, a liquid foundation is its base. The base used for a liquid foundation is water-in-silicone, which gives the foundation a light, smooth and hydrating feel. In addition to the base, skincare benefits are also infused in the foundation, like SPF, emollients, etc. In short, getting liquid foundation stains out of your clothes means getting silicone + SPF + moisturizer. The question is How to get foundation out of clothes? And the answer is Liquid Laundry Detergent!
i) Things You’ll Need:
- Warm Water
- Paper Towel
- Liquid Laundry Detergent/ Shaving Cream
- Patience
ii) Steps to Follow for How to Get Foundation out Of Clothes:
a) Gently blot all the liquid foundation stains with a paper towel. Use blotting motion only.
b) After the excess foundation is soaked by the towel, rinse that stain under warm water.
c) Pre-treat the stain with a few drops of liquid laundry detergent. Cover the entire stained area with the liquid laundry detergent and gently brush on the stain with a soft-bristled toothbrush. You can also use shaving cream in place of liquid laundry detergent.
d) Let it sit for 30 minutes.
e) Wash the cloth in your regular manner.
f) Repeat (c) step if the stain remains.
1.3) Powder Foundation Stains:
Powder Foundation comes in pressed or finely milled loose powder forms. It is great for oily skin and gives you an ‘a-skin-like-but-better’ look. Powder Foundation has strong pigments, loose particles, and minerals that help the powder foundation stay put throughout the day. Since it is powdered, it is completely dry and fine. So, it is relatively easy to remove if you get powder stains on your clothes.
The question is, How to get foundation out of clothes? And the answer is Blow Dryer and Laundry Detergent!
i) Things You’ll Need:
- Warm Water
- Blow Dryer
- Laundry Detergent
- Patience
ii) Steps to Follow for How to Get Foundation out Of Clothes:
a) Using a blow dryer, blow away the excess powder of the powder stain off your clothes.
b) In a tub of warm water, add 1 scoop of laundry detergent and shake the water until surfactant bubbles are formed.
c) Next, soak the stained garment in this detergent water overnight.
d) The next day, strain the excess water off the cloth, place it into the washing machine, and wash it like you regularly do.
e) If the powder foundation stain remains, soak the cloth and repeat the steps.
1.4) Oil-Based Liquid Foundation Stain:
If you have dry skin, then oil-based foundations are your best friend. The base of an oil-based foundation is some oil which explains the thick and moisturizing feel of this foundation. Oil-based liquid foundation has a liquid plus oil base, which gives it a moisturizing feeling by also being lightweight on your skin. That said, oil-based foundation stains are not that lightweight and tough to remove. Therefore, we are giving you 2 different ways to remove the oil-based liquid foundation stains.
The question is How to get foundation out of clothes? And the answer is Shaving Cream!
i) Things You’ll Need:
- Cold Water
- Oil-Free Makeup Remover
- Liquid dish soap
- Paper towel
- Clean Cloth
- Foam Shaving cream
- Laundry Detergent
- Patience
ii) Steps to Follow for How to Get Foundation out Of Clothes:
a) Pour a lot of oil-free makeup remover on a cloth. Dampen the cloth with the oil-free remover, and then use the damp cloth to dampen the stained area. This will help to break down the foundation stain.
b) Pre-treat the stain by pouring a few drops of liquid dish soap over it. The liquid dish soap will act as a stain remover here.
c) gently work on the stain in circular motions using your fingers or a soft-bristled toothbrush. This will help in breaking up the oil base of the foundation.
d) Using a paper towel, wipe off the stain.
e) Rinse off the remaining liquid dish soap under cold water.
f) Soak the stained garment overnight in cold water and a laundry detergent tub.
g) Next day, hand wash the cloth as usual.
h) Repeat all these steps several times until the stain is removed completely.
OR
a) Cover the entire stain with shaving cream.
b) Let the shaving cream sit on the stain for about 10-15 minutes.
c) Next, gently work the shaving cream into the stain. Use your fingers or a clean cloth to do so.
d) Gently work the shaving cream into the stained fibers so that the stain loosens up.
e) Rinse off the stain under cool water.
f) Repeat the steps all over again if there are still stains of foundation left on your clothes.
1.5) Lipstick Stain:
Matte, glossy, moisturizing, satin, crayon, cream, sheer, bullet, frosted, and many more. Lipsticks come in several different shades, formulas, and types. The stubborn stains that lipsticks leave also come in several different shades, formulas, and types.
The question is How to get lipstick stains out of clothes? And the answer is Rubbing Alcohol!
i) Things You’ll Need:
- Butter knife
- Rubbing alcohol
- Cotton Ball/ Clean Cloth
- Liquid soap
- Hot Water
- Patience
ii) Steps to Follow for How to Get Lipstick Stains out Of Clothes:
a) Gently scrape off any excess lipstick from the clothes using a butter knife.
b) Pre-treat the stain with liquid soap. Apply the liquid onto the stain and gently rub it in.
c) Now, let it stay for 30 minutes. This pre-treatment will help in lifting the stain off the garment.
d) Rinse the stained area under hot water and wash the cloth as usual.
e) Let the garment dry completely and if you still notice lipstick stain on the cloth, then repeat the treatment.
OR
a) Dampen the cotton ball/ the clean cloth with rubbing alcohol.
b) Gently blot the cotton ball/ clean cloth on the lipstick stain. Do not rub on the stain, as that will only lead to spreading.
c) Rinse out the rubbing alcohol using hot water and then wash the garment as you usually do.
1.6) Mascara Stain:
Mascaras give that dark, bold, and long lash effect to your eyes. It is made up of dark pigment, polymer, and thickening agents. With these types of strong ingredients, a mascara’s stain is also strong.
Check out: What is mascara made of?
The question is How to get mascara stains out of clothes? And the answer is Baking Soda!
i) Things You’ll Need:
- A Spray Bottle
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Baking Soda
- Dish Soap/ Dish Detergent
- Dry towel/ Dry cloth
ii) Steps to Follow for How to Get Mascara Stains out Of Clothes:
a) Pour equal parts of rubbing alcohol and baking soda into a spray bottle.
b) Shake the bottle well and spray the solution on the stained area.
c) Dampen the stain with the solution and use a dry towel to pat the stain gently.
d) Rub some dish soap/detergent into the stain and let it sit for about an hour or two.
e) Rinse off the stain and wash the cloth as usual.
f) Again, if the stain remains, repeat the steps mentioned above.
The removal of makeup stains depends on the type of makeup products and the type of fabric. Different fabrics require different treatments and care. For example, silk, cotton, wool, poly blend fabrics, etc., require special care. For delicate fabrics or stubborn stains, we recommend you not to take matters into your hands but to go to a dry cleaner instead. This will save you some time, as well as your favorite dress!
Dish soap, shaving cream, and liquid detergent are all easily available at your home. Hence, we included these things in the list to make things faster and easier. However, detergents and soaps specially designed for removing stubborn makeup stains from white and colored clothes are also available in the market. You can use these specially designed detergents or soaps to make the removal process hassle-free.
Word of Caution: Read the laundry instructions label given on your clothes carefully before using the stain mentioned above removal treatments on them. Also, do a patch test on a small area of the cloth before using those mentioned above ‘how to get the foundation out of clothes’ stain removal treatments on them.
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Last Updated on by Himani Rawat