How to Remove Lipstick Stains from Clothing

I had a complete freak-out moment last weekend when I went to get my clothes out of the dryer and found this:

That would be an empty tube of lipstick… that made it through an entire cycle in the dryer with some of my favorite clothing!  Noooooo!  Once I regained my composure, I decided that trying to get this lipstick out of my clothes would be a cheaper alternative to replacing them all.  Happily, I was able to get most of the lipstick out so I’m here to share the details with you in case you’re ever in my shoes.

Note: there are not before/after photos for this post.  See aforementioned reference to freaking out.

Here’s what I did:

1. Apply liquid detergent to each (yes, each) lipstick stain.  There will be a lot so prepare yourself for this to take a while.  Rub in detergent to stain with a toothbrush or old towel.

2.  Soak your clothing in the warmest water it can tolerate, either with a pre-soak option in your washer or in a sink/tub.

3.  Follow this soak with a full wash cycle in the warmest water your clothing can tolerate.

4.  Once your wash cycle is complete, inspect clothing for remaining stains.  If stains persist, repeat soak and wash cycle.  (I ran mine through three of these cycles and about 90% of the lipstick stains were gone.)

5.  Before your dry your clothing, make sure you’ve cleaned your dryer of any remaining lipstick residue.  If you don’t do this, you’re likely to end up right where you began.

 

I was quite ecstatic that I was able to get most of the lipstick out – it was everywhere, y’all.  There were a few items of clothing that didn’t have a lot of success: a few camis and unmentionables made out of a stretch knit material.  Since they go under my clothing, it was no big deal.  My jeans survived, as did some of my favorite tops – whew.  Mr. home.made. would not have been happy about me replacing all of that in one fell swoop.

I hope you’re better than me about checking pockets and you’re never in this situation, but just in case… try this out and see if it works for you before you throw everything out.  Your husbands will thank me.

Happy Monday y’all!