Nearly every woman who paints her nails has had a nail polish mishap that resulted in the polish spilling on fabric or carpeting. While there seem to be endless suggestions of products and techniques to use, there are some general tips that can help to remove nail polish from fabric. When devising a plan of attack, consider what type of fabric the polish is on and whether it is colorfast. Not only will you need to remove nail polish, but you must also deal with the stain the polish leaves behind if it is any color other than clear.

Searching the Internet reveals products such as Goof Off, Motsenbocker’s Lift Off #3, Simple Green, rubbing alcohol, hair spray, shaving cream, brake fluid cleaner and hydrogen peroxide among the dozens of suggested to remove nail polish. Of course, with the right combination of fabric, product, tools and elbow grease, anyone can make virtually any stain disappear. The product that is most recommended to remove nail polish is a simple non-oily or acetone nail polish remover. Whatever you use to remove nail polish, do not use bleach, as it will leave large white spots on your fabric.

Although acetone nail polish remover can be very harsh to fabrics, most will withstand a spot treatment. Some say that non-acetone nail polish remover can be less harsh than acetone when used to remove nail polish. However, fabrics made of acetate will be severely damaged with acetone. If the nail polish spill occurs on an acetate fabric, it should be professionally laundered or cleaned in order to remove nail polish.

It is important to catch the nail polish stain as early as possible to avoid drying and setting. Test the fabric or carpet with acetone in an inconspicuous area for colorfastness. The greater good will need to be weighed if the fabric is not colorfast: is it better to have bright green nail polish on your pristine carpet, or a little bit of damage to the carpet’s color?

Attack the spot with a bit of acetone on a clean cloth. Try not to get too much into the carpet’s or fabric’s fibers to prevent damage. Dab and blot to remove nail polish from the fabric. Keep blotting until color no longer transfers to the cloth. Use as much acetone as necessary to keep removing the nail polish.

If color remains, you may have to bring out the bigger guns and go to work using your muscle and a stiff brush. Depending on the strength of the carpet or fabric, scrubbing to remove the nail polish may do the trick. If all else fails, you may have to relocate a piece of furniture to cover the mishap.