How to remove gouache: from clothing, furniture and wallpaper

Wiping gouache off your clothes is feasible, but it can be challenging. The paint has a fairly durable structure and often leaves difficult to remove stains.

Is the gouache washed

A paint called gouache is a thick paste-like substance consisting of white, glue, pigments, glycerin, oils, water and phenol. The durability of such a paint is quite high, and if gouache gets on clothes, furniture or hard surfaces, it becomes very difficult to remove stains. This is especially true for dried stains, they do not completely disappear even after intensive washing.

However, it is quite possible to remove gouache from white clothing, carpets and hard surfaces. To do this, you need to use agents that destroy the structure of the paint, not only washing powders and soaps, but also household solvents, alkaline substances, acids and alcoholic liquids.

How to clean gouache from various surfaces

In the process of removing gouache stains, it is necessary to take into account what kind of surface it is. Solid materials can be treated with very aggressive substances, but it is better to wash clothes and furniture covers using gentle means, they will not harm clothes and other textile materials.

How to remove gouache from clothes

Most often, in the process of drawing, gouache gets on the clothes and leaves very noticeable stains that are reluctant to wash off. There are several proven ways to remove gouache stains on fabrics and remove stubborn dirt from clothes:

1. Laundry soap... Immediately after the stain appears, the clothing should be removed and soaked in cold water for a few minutes. After that, the dirty area is generously lathered with natural laundry soap and left for 20 minutes so that the soap penetrates deeper into the fibers of the fabric and dissolves the dye. Then the soap and dirt are washed off with cool water, and if the speck has not completely departed, the procedure is repeated.
   
2. Oxalic acid and ammonia... Fresh contamination is well removed by a mixture of ammonia and oxalic acid. Both ingredients are mixed in equal proportions, the garment is soaked in cold water and then treated with the prepared cleaning agent. The clothes are left for half an hour, after which the acid and ammonia are washed off in cool water. In order to wash gouache from a white shirt or colored items, finally, you will need to load the clothes into an automatic machine with powder.
   
3. Petrol... Old, ingrained gouache is unlikely to succumb to laundry soap or ammonia. You can use refined gasoline to wash the gouache off your clothes. A cotton pad is dipped in a chemical agent, dried contamination is properly blotted with it, and then the cloth of clothing is rubbed for several minutes, directing movements from the edges of the spot to its center.Then the gasoline is washed off, the clothes are washed again in a solution of laundry soap, and at the final stage they are sent to the washing machine. The disadvantage of this method is only that it cannot be used for artificial fabrics, synthetics will deteriorate from such processing.
   
   Attention! Before removing gouache stains on fabric, aggressive household products should be tested on a small area of ​​fabric in an inconspicuous place. Household solvents, acids and alkalis can negatively affect the color of clothing and leave unsightly streaks.

How to wash the gouache off the carpet

Gouache often gets on the carpet pile, and in this case it is more difficult to remove the paint than from clothes, the carpet cannot be washed entirely and subjected to intense mechanical stress. However, there are still ways to restore the cleanliness of the carpet:

1. Try to wash off fresh gouache on carpet with cold water. First, the top layer of paint is removed by hand, blotting the gouache with a sponge or rag. After that, the carpet is raised, a basin or wide bowl is placed exactly under the stain and the dirt is gently spilled with cold water. Wait until the carpet is soaked through. After treating a fresh spot with water, it will become much weaker, or even washed out of the pile completely.
2. If you can't wash off the stain with water, you can use regular laundry soap. A spot soaked in water is rubbed with a bar, left for 10 minutes, and then the pile is treated with a brush, trying to completely clean out the dirt. After that, the carpet is again treated with cold water to remove the remains of gouache and soap.
3. If the laundry soap doesn't work, you can use more aggressive products, just like with clothes. A good effect is given by gasoline in combination with table vinegar - refined gasoline and slightly warmed vinegar are combined, mixed and saturated with this solution for 15 minutes. After that, the carpet is washed very thoroughly with cold water to eliminate the pungent odor. Vinegar and gasoline help to remove even very stubborn and long-dried dirt and remove gouache from the carpet.

A good effect in the fight against gouache on the carpet is brought by specialized chemicals for carpet and special stain removers. Substances are diluted in accordance with the instructions or simply applied to the spot, and after 15-20 minutes they are washed off with water. Carpet cleaners are designed to tackle the toughest stains, and there is usually no problem in cleaning gouache from carpet.

How to wash gouache from plastic

Due to its solid structure, plastic absorbs dirt much worse than clothing or other textiles. It is very easy to wipe off fresh paint from a plastic surface; it is enough to wipe the dirt off with a damp sponge or rag so that not even a trace remains of it.

However, if a stain of gouache is not immediately noticed, it can even be absorbed into a plastic window frame, a tabletop or a bath cover. Then it will be more difficult to wash it off, you will have to use rather aggressive means:

1. The universal solvent White spirit helps to wash gouache off plastic. A small cotton swab should be soaked in the chemical and rubbed vigorously until the stain is completely gone. After that, the plastic will need to be washed with a clean, damp sponge to remove the odor.
2. Another reliable remedy for gouache is brake fluid, which can be found in stocks from motorists. The product is moistened with a rag or cotton pad, thoroughly wipe the contaminated area, and then washed off, the speck disappears without a trace. Given the high toxicity of brake fluid, the surface after it must be very thoroughly washed with clean warm water, among other things, this will prevent yellowing of the plastic.
3. Caustic soda, which is diluted in equal proportions with water, helps to remove the dried and strongly absorbed paint into the plastic surface. The solution is applied to the contaminated area and left for several hours - after a while, the dried paint will begin to bubble and come off. You can wash it off faster by gently rubbing the treated area with an old toothbrush.

How to wash gouache from wallpaper

If the gouache hits the walls covered with wallpaper, then the success will largely depend on the material:

1. It is quite easy to remove traces of gouache from vinyl and non-woven coverings. First, wipe the stained section of the wall with cool water, and then apply a small amount of baking soda. The wallpaper should be rubbed with a sponge or soft brush and leave the cleaning agent for 10-15 minutes, and then remove its remnants with a damp cloth. Since the vinyl and non-woven material weakly absorbs dirt and, moreover, has grease-repellent properties, usually even a faint traces of gouache do not remain.
2. It is much more difficult to wash paper wallpaper from gouache, more precisely, it is simply impossible. The paper covering should not be wetted with water or rubbed with a brush, it will deteriorate and lose its attractive appearance. The best way to remove gouache on paper wallpaper is to simply replace the stained area with a fresh piece of the same wallpaper. A small "patch" is cut out of the rest of the roll, applied to the dirt, and then both old and new wallpaper are cut with a sharp knife. The soiled piece is removed and thrown away, and new wallpaper is glued onto the exposed section of the wall, trying to match the "patch" exactly along the edges with the main part of the wallpaper.

If the textile wallpaper has been stained, then you can remove stains from gouache using the same means as clothes. However, before processing, it is necessary to test the cleaning solutions on a small piece of wallpaper to ensure that the wall itself will not be damaged during the stain removal process.

How to wash gouache from linoleum

Gouache can be removed from dense linoleum in much the same way as from plastic:

1. If the paint is completely fresh, it is enough to wipe the flooring with a wet sponge and soap or detergent, then there will be no dirt on the floor.
2. Vegetable oil can be used against dried stains, which dissolves the structure of even stubborn dirt well. Oil is treated with gouache, left for about half an hour, and then the area is wiped with a soft brush or a rough sponge with detergent and the floor is washed with clean water.
3. If the dirt is very stubborn and the above methods do not help to remove it, you can use any solvent or acetone. A cotton pad is moistened in a chemical composition, the stain is wiped off and the solvent is left for several minutes, after which the contamination is washed off with water.

How to wash gouache off the couch

If the gouache was accidentally spilled on a soft sofa with fabric upholstery, then you need to clean furniture in much the same way as clothes or carpets. Most often, laundry soap is used - the foam is applied directly to the dirt, lightly rubbed the problem area with a brush, and then thoroughly wash out the remaining soap from the fibers of the fabric.

If soap doesn't work on the sofa, you can use gasoline mixed with vinegar or ammonia to treat the old stain. They will help to restore a clean and fresh look to the upholstery.

Tips & Tricks

It will be faster to wipe gouache off clothes and other surfaces if you remember a few important rules:

1. Paint marks are not washed off with hot water, even if the gouache is fresh. The high-temperature treatment only makes the stain stronger.
2. It is customary to wash any dirt from the edges to the center, if you do the opposite, the stain can only be smeared.
3. Against gouache stains on clothes, they always use sparing agents first and only then, if there is no effect, they switch to aggressive solvents, alkalis and acids.

When trying to remove gouache from clothing at home, it is recommended to use rubber gloves and a face mask. Some products have a strong odor and emit corrosive vapors that are hazardous to health.

Conclusion

There are many simple ways to remove gouache from clothing and other surfaces. But removing dried stains can be tricky, so the easiest way to remove paint is while it's fresh.