Whether you’re looking for a cost-effective way to clean away paint splatters, or you’ve just discovered some dried paint and don’t have any paint remover at hand, then a household item that you could consider using is, believe it or not, nail polish remover!
Wondering why? Well, most nail polish removers are made with acetone as one of the main active ingredients within its formula, which means that nail polish remover can be used to help remove paint in certain circumstances.
The main reason for this comes down to that active ingredient, acetone, that we mentioned.
It’s a very powerful solvent in all types of paint, including oil-based and latex paints, which means you can potentially use acetone to help remove paint mishaps caused by using both indoor and outdoor paint.
If you would like to use nail polish remover to try and remove paint, then all you will need to do is simply pour the nail polish remover directly onto the paint stain, and allow it to soak for around 10 minutes.
After doing that, you can then take a bristly brush and begin scrubbing the paint stain in circular motions until you notice that all of the paint has been removed successfully.
As a side note, it’s worth keeping in mind that nail polish remover will not be effective at removing paint in all types of circumstances, especially if the paint has been allowed to fully dry, or even to fully cure.
When this happens, the paint will have reached its maximum levels of hardness, which will therefore mean that the paint will be a lot more difficult to clean away.
However, if you’re currently dealing with this sort of issue, it’s not impossible to get rid of the paint, it will just mean that you’re likely going to need a much more powerful cleaning agent to effectively rid the surface of the paint than nail polish remover.
Will nail polish remover remove paint from concrete?
Whether you’re a keen DIY’er and home improvement projects are your thing, or you love nothing more than spending an afternoon indulging in arts and crafts, there’s nothing more frustrating than getting paint in places it’s not supposed to be!
As nail polish remover contains acetone, which is a very powerful solvent, there is a chance that it could be used to effectively remove paint from concrete.
However, given the porous nature of concrete, it can be very tricky to remove paint that has been allowed to dry or cure, which means that you may need to consider using a slightly stronger solvent, such as acetone paint thinner.
Will nail polish remover remove paint from plastic?
If you’ve accidentally gotten paint on a plastic surface, then there are a variety of ways that you can effectively remove the paint and return it to its original glory.
Technically speaking, you can use nail polish remover to remove the paint from the plastic, as nail polish remover contains acetone as one of the primary active ingredients, which is a very strong solvent when used on oil and latex-based paints.
However, the only problem is that, due to the chemical formula of nail polish remover, there is a chance that it could damage the surface of the plastic and cause it to become discolored.
For this reason, we recommend trying the alternative method of using vegetable oil, as you will be able to use it without having to worry about the plastic becoming ruined.
Try out the steps below to effectively use vegetable oil to remove the paint from a plastic surface:
- Gently remove the excess paint with a blunt knife or spoon, as this will make it easier to remove the stain from the surface.
- Carefully pour the vegetable oil directly into the paint stain, allowing it to soak for a few minutes.
- After allowing the paint to soak, take a soft bristle brush and gently scrub in circular motions until all of the paint has been removed from the surface of the plastic.
As a side note, though we do not recommend using nail polish remover on plastic surfaces, you might need to use it for stubborn stains as a last resort.
To minimize the amount of plastic that gets exposed to the nail polish remover, we recommend saturating a cotton pad and then directly applying it to the surface of the paint stain only, and then allowing it to soak for around 10 minutes.
After doing this, you should then take a bristle brush and gently scrub the stain in circular motions until the stain has all been removed, remembering to clean the surface thoroughly afterward to rid it of any lingering nail polish remover.
Will nail polish remover remove paint from wood?
Nothing helps to spruce up a room like fresh paint! Sometimes, though, no matter how careful we might be, unwanted drips and accidental splatters can find their way onto surfaces they’re not supposed to.
If paint drops have gotten onto your wood furniture, then you won’t be able to reach for the traditional paint stripper or even sandpaper, because you’ll run the risk of damaging the surface of the wood beyond repair.
However, that doesn’t mean that you have to forego the idea of salvaging your once pristine wood piece, because there are other ways that you can potentially remove paint from a wood surface – and nail polish remover is one of them!
Now, it’s important to note that, if your wood has a lacquer finish, then you shouldn’t use nail polish remover as this could potentially cause the finish to become damaged.
However, if your wood surface has an acrylic or polyurethane finish, then you can certainly use nail polish remover to rid it of paint.
All you will need to do is saturate the stain in the nail polish remover, allow it to soak, and then gently scrub off with a soft bristle brush.
Keep in mind that, as nail polish remover contains acetone, it can potentially damage the wood if left for too long, so make sure to thoroughly wash the surface after you have finished removing the paint.
