How to remove lipstick and perfume stains

Although February is the shortest month of the year, passions can run the highest. You’ll probably be wearing your cutest clothes and nicest perfume, and sometimes they can get smeared on your clothes when you take them on or off. Or if your kids are extra playful, they could easily get into your makeup bag and start drawing on your clothes or furniture. Talk about a stain nightmare! Luckily, we’ve got tips and tricks on how to remove pesky lipstick and perfume stains from your clothes and fabrics.

Lipstick
Lay the cloth flat and using a dull butter knife, carefully scrape off any lipstick that may be sitting on the surface. Then apply your favorite stain remover, such as Zout liquid spray, to the stain and allow it to sit for five minutes. Do not rub the pretreater into the stain as this might cause the stain to be worked further into the fabric and become harder to remove. Then launder the clothing item in the hottest water that the fabric can withstand.

After washing, check the stained area again.  If the stain persists, you can try a solvent such as rubbing alcohol to blot the stain. However, first do a check with rubbing alcohol on the inside hem to make sure it doesn’t damage the fabric. Then place the stained area face down on a paper towel. Carefully dab the back of the stain with another paper towel soaked in rubbing alcohol. Check the paper towel for any transfer of the stain and replace as needed. This process should help remove any residual stain.

Once you have removed as much as possible, apply liquid detergent to the front of the stain and let sit for five minutes. Then launder as usual. Repeat until the stain is removed to your liking. Always check the stained area before placing in the dryer as the heat from the dryer will set the stain. 

Perfume
In most cases, rinsing the stain should be enough to remove it, especially if the stain is fresh. If you can, immediately prepare a cloth with cold water, then gently dab at the stain to lift as much the perfume off as possible (Helpful Tip: hot water can cause the stain to set). With an older, dried stain, make a mixture of vinegar and water and gently sponge the stain so the entire area is covered.

When laundering, we suggest using Purex Detergent with Crystals Fragrance If you still see the stain after washing, apply a little more detergent to the stained area, and let sit for five minutes. Then, launder as before. As always, make sure the stain is removed before you place the item in the dryer; otherwise, the stain may set.

Sometimes perfume stains don’t appear until later, after aging for a while. One way to avoid these stains is to spray perfume before getting dressed and let the perfume completely dry before dressing.

Get flowers for Valentines? Learn how to remove flower pollen stains!