Use Lavender As Paint Remover

How to Get Paint Stains Out of Clothes Using Lavender Oil to Dissolve Paint

     In past history Lavender oil was used as dilutant or thinner for Chinese paints and lacquers. Well it works quite well even today to remedy a small paint accident.



     This month I have been working hard spring cleaning and painting around the house. Well when I was working on painting trim I was not overly careful on which shirt I chose to wear. I mean it's only trim right...what really can happen?

     Well, it happened grrrhhh!! To make it worse I didn't notice it right away so instead of quickly washing the paint out with water it was allowed to set and dry on my favorite shirt.

     Remembering that Lavender oil has been used to dilute paint and that often times like gets out like. I decided to put a few drops of pure Lavender oil on the paint and let it soak to see if it could possibly save my beloved shirt. Well it did!!! Let me tell you how I did it using Lavender Oil as a paint remover.

     Here is a picture of the shirt with the paint smears. I must have bumped into the trim around one of the closet doors or something when I was reaching to turn off a light switch. I put about 5-7 drops of Lavender oil on each dried paint smear and I waited about 25 minutes.



     Next I tried to gently scrape the paint away using a spoon. I was very gentle using care not to damage the fabric. The paint was loosened and started to smear. I decided a few more drops of Lavender oil would do the trick and I added about 5 or so more to each spot.



     I let it sit for about 15 minutes more and gently scraped again. Now everything was a little more goopy (the paint that is) so I put it in the wash by itself with detergent and a little Oxyclean and laundered it using hot water.



     Here is the finished result. I was so giddy to have my favorite shirt back! Now I am not gonna say that it will work every time and in every situation. It's best to catch it while it's wet and rinse using cold water but this was a dried latex paint stain on my shirt. It probably won't work if you have a major paint blop but it seems it works like a charm for small ones.

     Yes, I know they make Goo Gone and other paint removal but I tend to like to go the more natural route to things and Lavender sure does smell a lot better than some of those petrochemical removers!

     It's worth a shot don't ya think before you through something away? Try using Lavender oil if you get a drop of nail polish, paint, gum or a small grease spot before you part with your favorite clothing item. Just another way to use Lavender oil!