How to Get Mascara Out of Clothes

We love the look of mascara for darkening and elongating eyelashes, but a swipe of the stuff on your clothes can ruin your entire look. When mascara stains an item of clothing, panic can set in. After all, no one wants a spiky black smudge spoiling their outfit.

Fortunately, these ugly makeup stains can be easily removed from clothing using several different methods and products. Ahead, you'll find instructions for how to use commercial stain pre-treatment products, dish soap, liquid laundry detergent, and other easy-to-find products to remove mascara stains—even deeply set-in ones—from clothing.

Before Getting Started

Mascara is composed of oils, waxes, and dyes, making it a combination stain. Before treating a mascara stain on clothing, check the garment's care tag for laundering instructions. If the care tag indicates that the garment is dry clean only, take it for professional cleaning, or use an at-home dry cleaning kit, dry cleaning solvents, or a stain remover like K2r Spot Lifter that is designed for use on dry clean only fabrics.

If the care tag indicates the item can be machine-washed, take note of any information provided regarding water temperature. Because of mascara's oily, waxy composition, launderable items are best washed in the hottest water temperature they can tolerate.

Before applying any kind of stain treatment, if there is a blob of mascara on the item of clothing, scrape it off with the side of a spoon or butter knife. Take care not to blot or rub the stain to avoid smearing it or spreading it over more of the material.

After washing a mascara-stained item of clothing, check it to be sure the stain is completely gone before putting the garment in the dryer. The high heat of a dryer can set stains, making them extremely difficult, if not impossible, to remove. Therefore, it is critical that no trace of the mascara stain remains when the item goes into the dryer. If there is still a stain after washing, repeat the process of applying a stain remover and wash again, or soak the item in an oxygen bleach solution.

How to Remove Mascara from Clothes Using a Stain Pre-Treatment

Commercial stain pre-treatment products like Shout, Spray 'n Wash, or OxiClean MaxForce can be used to remove mascara stains from clothes. These products are formulated to address compound stains that include oils, waxes, and dyes.

Apply the stain treatment product to the garment and, using a spotter's brush, old toothbrush, or the pads of your fingers, massage it into the stained area. Allow at least 10 to 15 minutes for the stain treatment to penetrate and break down the mascara stain prior to laundering the garment. Follow the care instructions provided, and use the hottest water setting permitted. Hot water will help to further break down the oils and waxes found in mascara.

After laundering, check the garment to be sure the stain is completely gone. Do not put a stained item in the dryer, as the high heat can set any residual staining left behind even after washing. If there is a lingering stain, repeat the process of applying stain treatment and launder the garment again.

How to Remove Mascara from Clothes Using Dish Soap or Liquid Laundry Detergent

Absent a stain pre-treatment product, there are common household items like dish soap and liquid laundry detergent that can be used to successfully remove mascara stains from clothes.

Apply a pea-sized drop of dish soap or liquid laundry detergent to the stain. Use a spotter's brush, old toothbrush, or the pads of your fingers to massage it into the stained area. Allow the detergent to penetrate the mascara stain prior to laundering the garment, allowing at least 10 to 15 minutes for it to break down the stain. Then, launder as usual, following the care instructions provided, and using the hottest water temperature the garment can tolerate.

How to Remove Mascara from Clothes Using a Makeup Removing Wipe

Makeup removing wipes can be used to treat mascara stains on clothing; for the best results, use a makeup removing wipe formulated to dissolve waterproof mascara.

Start by placing the garment face down on a paper towel or clean rag. Then, working from the inside of the garment, use the makeup wipe to push the stain out of the fabric. The mascara will be absorbed by the paper towel. When the paper towel no longer picks up mascara residue, either rinse the area clean by flushing it with cool running water or launder the garment as usual. Dispose of the paper towel and makeup wipe.

How to Remove Set-in Mascara Stains from Clothes

Deeply set-in mascara stains on clothes are best treated by soaking the garment in an oxygen bleach solution for an hour up to overnight, then washing as usual.

Oxygen bleach is a safer, gentler alternative to chlorine bleach that can be used to remove stains and brighten clothing and household goods that have taken on a dingy cast. While oxygen bleach is gentler than chlorine bleach, and does not cause color loss in the way that chlorine bleach does, it is not safe to use on all fabrics. Oxygen bleach should not be used on wool, silk, or leather, and can cause damage to certain embellishments, like beading or buttons.

To use oxygen bleach as a soaking agent, start by identifying a clean space, such as the kitchen sink, a utility sink, or a washing bucket that is large enough to fully submerge the garment in water and where it can sit, undisturbed, for an hour up to overnight. Then, make a solution by dissolving oxygen bleach in hot water according to package directions. Submerge the garment and allow it to soak for at least an hour up to overnight in the oxygen bleach solution before laundering according to the instructions found on the item's care tag.