How to Remove Concealer Stains From Clothes

Concealer is a great beauty accessory on most women’s makeup tables but awful when they stain clothes.

Therefore, when you accidentally drop a concealer wand on your dress, you know it is ruined for good.

Luckily, this shouldn’t happen if you follow the crucial tips we share in this article. Read on to learn how to remove concealer stains in clothes, upholstery, carpets, and more.

To remove concealer stains, make a solution of one tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent in half a liter of cool water. And using a clean white cloth, sponge, or cotton, wet the stain spot and wait for 5 five minutes before dabbing the stain continuously until it is removed.

The Procedure for Removing Concealer From Clothes

Concealers cause pesky stains, whether on clothes, upholstery, or carpets. Nonetheless, these stains are removable by diligently following simple processes. We will take a look at a few below.

Removing Concealer stains using hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen is a liquid that is widely used in cleaning, and it is powerful in removing concealer stains from garments.

However, when it comes to hydrogen peroxide, caution is advised since it has bleaching properties. So before using it on concealer stains, be sure it is not removing more than the stain. 

Fortunately, knowing if it is suitable for use is easy since you can use several methods. One is to read the wash instruction label and check if your garment is colorfast or bleachable.

In addition, you can go a step further and test on a conspicuous part of the garment to avoid ruining the garment. 

To use hydrogen peroxide, first, scrape off the excess concealer matter on the stain with a butter knife or a spoon.

The next step is to put some drops of hydrogen peroxide to pretreat oil-based concealer stains. For powder-based, you can easily remove it with the normal heavy-duty detergent without pretreating.

Having soaked, you can wait for ten minutes, then scratch it with a toothbrush and launder it normally.

Using Ammonia Solution

Also known as Ammonium Hydroxide, ammonia uses at home are numerous. But did you know ammonia can get rid of pesky concealer stains? Not only that, it can remove both fresh and set stains.

Plus, you can use it safely on colored clothes too. However, mixing ammonia with chlorine bleach should be avoided due to the vigorous reaction producing noxious gasses.

To remove concealer stains, make a solution of 1 tablespoon of ammonia in 1 liter of hot water and 1 teaspoonful of liquid detergent. Then soak the stain for 30 minutes before scrubbing with a toothbrush. 

When you’re done, you can throw it into a washing machine and wash it with heavy-duty detergent, rinse and dry. As usual, do not forget to ascertain if the stain has been removed; else, repeat to avoid setting.

Shaving Cream

If you have shaving cream within the house, then you have a perfect concealer stain remover. Shaving cream is basically a soap with other strong cleaning and skin-soothing additives.

To lift concealer stains with shaving cream, apply and spread it on the spot with your finger and wait for 10 minutes. 

After this period, you can blot the stain with a piece of cloth soaked in cold water before throwing it into the washing machine and washing it with hot water.

Dishwashing Detergent

Although some concealers are oil-free, most concealers contain coconut oil, shea butter, and macadamia oils, among others. And that is why dishwashing detergent can easily break them down since they are formulated for cleaning greasy kitchen items. 

To start off, mix a solution of one tablespoon of dishwashing soap in one liter of cool water. And with a piece of cloth dipped in this solution, dab on the stain repeatedly until the stain is gone. If satisfied with the result, you can launder normally and air dry.

Using Make-up Wipes

Makeup wipes are not new to removing makeup stains. Therefore using them on concealer stains is a sure way to clean them effectively. However, note that makeup wipes are most effective on fresh concealer stains. 

For old concealer stains, you might have to opt for other methods for stain removal. Plus, makeup wipes work best with cotton since it is relatively hardy compared to other delicate fabrics such as silk. 

For the delicate fabric, you might want to test first on an inconspicuous spot to avoid ruining your garment. Removing concealer stains with a makeup wipe is as simple as blotting out the stain spot until you clear the stain.

Removing Concealer Stains From Dry Clean Only Clothes

When it comes to dry-clean-only clothes, most methods we have discussed above may not work since they involve water at one point. However, if you have home dry cleaning kits, this will be easy for you. (Amazon paid link)

All you have to do is to use the stain-removing solving solvent found in these kits before putting it into the dryer bags. If you do not have the kit, take note of the stain spot so that you can identify it to dry cleaning drop-off staff.

I wrote an article on whether dry cleaning is worth it or not that may interest you.

Removing Concealer Stains From Carpets and Upholstery

If the concealer stain is a result of a spill, avoid impulsive rubbing and wiping to avoid messing the stain up further. Whether this happens on a carpet or upholstery, follow these steps for good results. 

First, gently scrape off the excess material with a butter knife or a spoon. Next, use a store-bought stain remover and a clean white cloth. In the absence of commercial removers, you can use a homemade stain remover using dishwashing soap. 

To make dishwashing stain remover, make a solution of one tablespoon of dish soap with two cups of water in a bowl.

For either the homemade or the commercial stain removers, dip a white piece of cloth and gently squeeze it. This is to remove the excess to avoid oversaturating the carpet and attracting molding. 

Using this cloth piece, dab the stain continuously while dipping it in the bowl and squeezing. For best results, you can squeeze off the subsequent dips in a separate bowl to avoid soiling the detergent solution bowl fast. 

Continue dabbing until the stain disappears, and then use a separate water-soaked piece of cloth and wipe off the residues of detergent on the stain spot. This is to avoid the detergent from sucking in more dirt on the spot. 

The next step is to air dry thoroughly to avoid mildew. Also, if you noticed, we only recommend white cloth for this purpose. The problem with using colored clothes is the risk of transferring their color into the carpet surface. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Concealer Stains Permanent?

Concealer stains can be removed using either the homemade solution or the store-bought stain removers. However, the longer they stay on the garment, the tougher they become.

To prevent them from getting permanent, pretreat with a solution of 1 tablespoon of dish soap in two cups of cool water, and dab with a piece of cloth until it is removed.

Can White Vinegar Remove Concealer Stains?

White vinegar does a wonderful job in removing concealer stains. To use vinegar, make a solution of ½ a cup of white vinegar in ½ liter of cool water.

Then using a piece of cloth or paper towel, dab on the stain until it is removed.

How Can I Remove Concealer Stains From White Clothes?

Rubbing alcohol is one of the most effective cleaning agents to remove concealer stains from white clothes. Alcohol is especially effective on stains from oil-based substances, as found in concealer ingredients.

All you have to do is to soak up a cloth piece and use it to dab the stain until the stain is removed.

Next, you can check out my complete guide to removing all makeup stains.