How To Remove Fake Blood and Face Paint Stains

Woman with face paint and red nails

Going all out with your costume at Halloween and becoming something magical, hilarious or truly terrifying is what it’s all about. But waking up on November the 1st to find your pillowcase stained with a green tinge is a real fright-fest, never mind the inevitable fake blood stains on your clothes … Oh the horror!

Don’t worry, follow these tips and avoid the nightmare.

 

Removing face paint stains from fabric

 

Water-based face paints usually wash out of fabric easily, however paints with a really strong colour that have a high pigment content might leave a stain. So for oil-based paints or when the stain doesn’t come out in a regular wash it’s recommended that you use a pre-treatment solution beforehand. This will help to break down the oils in the stain and make it easier for your normal detergent to do its job.

 

Removing fake blood stains

 

Fake blood is often made with oils and so stains can be really tricky to get out of fabric. Luckily you can effectively remove them using products that you can find around the house.

The best treatment is to gently rub talc into the fabric to absorb the oils from the stain and then liberally apply some white vinegar to the area and leave overnight. You can then throw the garment into the washer and set it onto a cold wash. At this stage you want to avoid applying heat as it can set the stain (so definitely no tumble-drying until you’re sure the stain is gone!).

Hopefully this has completely removed any stain, but if it’s really bad you can gently work some shaving foam into the fabric, rinsing in cold water and again adding to a cold wash.

With these tricks there’s no need to worry about being haunted by the remnants of your Halloween costume.

 

Happy Halloween!