How to Remove Nail Polish from Clothes

Nail polish is a lacquer – not just colour

Nail polish is made of a film-forming plastic (nitrocellulose), coloured pigment and a solvent. Once the solvent evaporates, you are left with a hard, coloured lacquer film bonded into the fibres. Water and an ordinary wash will not break this film up – you have to dissolve it again with a solvent, and what works best is acetone or acetone-based nail polish remover. Non-acetone remover is milder and less effective, but safer on delicate fabrics.

Check the fabric before you use acetone

Acetone is effective, but it dissolves more than the lacquer. Some synthetic fibres melt on contact with acetone, and on dyed garments it can pull out the fabric's own colour and leave a pale patch. That is why the spot-test is not optional: put a little acetone on a hidden spot – an inner seam or hem – wait a couple of minutes, and check for both dissolved fabric and colour loss before you touch the actual stain.

• Never use acetone on acetate, triacetate or modacrylic – these fibres melt and can leave a hole. Linings in dresses and eveningwear are often acetate.
• Take care on dyed and dark garments – acetone can strip the colour and leave a pale mark.
• On silk, wool and other delicate fabrics, skip acetone entirely and let professionals handle it.

Fresh nail polish spill – step by step

The faster you act, the less lacquer sets.

1. Gently scrape off excess polish while it is still wet – do not rub it outwards.
2. Lay the garment stain-side down on a clean, white cloth or paper towel, so the polish is pushed out of the fabric rather than through it.
3. Moisten a cotton ball with acetone or nail polish remover (after the spot-test) and dab the stain from the back.
4. Change the cloth and cotton often as the colour lifts – otherwise you just smear the lacquer around again.
5. Rinse the area, then wash the garment as the care label allows. Do not tumble dry until the stain is fully gone.

Dried polish and colour that won't budge

If the polish has dried, you usually need several rounds: soften the film with remover, dab out what loosens, and repeat. A pale colour shadow after a red or dark spill can be pigment that has soaked into the fibres – that is harder, and on delicate or dyed garments you should stop before you do damage. Aggressive scrubbing or too much acetone quickly creates a pale, dull mark that is worse than the polish itself.

Send the garment to us

If the garment is acetate, silk or wool, is dyed, or you are unsure whether acetone is safe, you can send it to us instead of taking the risk. We clean according to the garment and its care label, with methods matched to the fabric – anywhere in Norway. You describe the stain when you order, and you see the price before you order.

Frequently asked questions