How to Get Lipstick Stains Off Clothes: A Practical Removal Guide

Quick answer: For most washable clothes, remove any excess lipstick without smearing it, pretreat the spot with a prewash stain remover or liquid laundry detergent, work the product in gently, then wash according to the garment’s care label. Air-dry and inspect before using a machine dryer. If color remains, repeat the treatment rather than assuming one wash will finish the job.

This approach closely follows the American Cleaning Institute’s guidance for cosmetics and lipstick stains: pretreat, then launder. The exact product, water temperature, bleach option, and drying method should still be governed by the care label. The Federal Trade Commission’s Care Labeling Rule is the reason those instructions matter: manufacturers are required to provide care directions and warnings intended to prevent substantial harm during regular cleaning.

Quick reference: choose the method by fabric type

What you need

• A spoon, dull butter knife, or clean plastic card for lifting excess lipstick
• White paper towels or a clean absorbent white towel
• Liquid laundry detergent or a prewash stain remover
• A soft-bristled toothbrush or small laundry brush for sturdy fabrics
• Access to clean water for rinsing
• Your garment’s care label

You do not need every item above for every stain. The shortest effective treatment is usually better than stacking multiple cleaners. Start with detergent or a purpose-made laundry pretreatment; move to a more targeted spot method only if the stain remains and the fabric can tolerate it.

How to get a lipstick stain off washable clothes

1. Lift off excess lipstick before adding liquid

If there is a visible smear or small chunk of lipstick sitting on the surface, lift it away with the edge of a spoon, dull knife, or plastic card. Work from the outside of the mark toward the center so you do not spread color into clean fibers. Avoid vigorous rubbing with a dry napkin; that can push the colored residue farther across the fabric.

2. Put an absorbent layer under the stain and pretreat it

Place a clean white towel or several layers of white paper towel beneath the stained area. Apply a small amount of liquid laundry detergent or a prewash stain remover directly to the mark. The American Cleaning Institute lists liquid detergent, prewash stain remover, a paste made from powdered laundry product and water, or bar soap as suitable pretreatment options for cosmetics and lipstick.

Follow the product label for contact time. More product is not necessarily better: the goal is to wet the stained fibers enough for the detergent or pretreatment to work, not to saturate half the garment.

3. Work the pretreatment gently instead of scrubbing aggressively

For a sturdy washable shirt, lightly massage the fabric with your fingers or use a soft-bristled brush with short, gentle strokes. If the item is delicate, skip the brush and blot or press the treatment in instead. When pigment begins transferring to the towel underneath, move the garment to a clean section of the towel so you are not pressing removed color back into the fabric.

Do not treat “more force” as “more cleaning.” Friction can roughen fibers, distort knits, or create a light-looking abrasion spot that remains even after the lipstick is gone.

4. Rinse, then launder according to the care label

Rinse the treated area thoroughly using a water temperature that is safe for the garment, then wash it as directed on the care label. The FTC explains that U.S. care labels address washing, drying, bleaching, ironing, and warnings where needed. That means a generic stain-removal trick should never override a specific “hand wash,” “no bleach,” “wash cold,” or “dry clean” instruction.

If the label allows bleach and a residual tint remains after pretreatment, use only the type of laundry bleach permitted by the care label and the bleach product’s own directions. Do not assume that a white garment automatically tolerates chlorine bleach; trims, dyes, finishes, stretch fibers, and construction details can change what is safe.

5. Air-dry and inspect before using heat

After washing, check the area in good light while the garment is still damp, then let it air-dry if you are not sure the stain is completely gone. The American Cleaning Institute’s lipstick guidance for napkins specifically recommends air-drying and repeating the process if a little color remains. That is a useful practice for clothing too because it gives you another chance to treat remaining pigment before routine machine drying.

If a faint shadow remains, repeat the same pretreatment process once more. A second controlled pass is usually preferable to immediately jumping to a harsher chemical.

What if the stain is old, dried, or from long-wear lipstick?

Older and transfer-resistant lipstick marks may require more than one treatment because the colored residue has had more time to settle into fibers. Start with the same detergent or prewash method. Let the product work for the time stated on its label, rinse, wash, and inspect.

For sturdy, colorfast washable fabric, there is one additional option worth knowing about: the American Cleaning Institute describes placing lipstick-stained napkins face-down on absorbent towels and dabbing from the back with 70% or 90% rubbing alcohol. This is not a universal garment instruction. If you consider it for clothing, first test a hidden area, avoid flooding the fabric, stop if color transfers from the garment itself, and do not use it when the care label or fabric manufacturer warns against solvent spot cleaning. Afterward, rinse thoroughly and launder as allowed by the label.

Common mistakes that make lipstick stains harder to remove

• Rubbing the fresh mark sideways. This can enlarge the stain before the cleaner has had a chance to loosen it.
• Using a dryer before checking the result. Air-dry first when any color is still visible so you can repeat treatment.
• Ignoring the care label. A technique that is fine for a cotton T-shirt may be wrong for a structured, embellished, coated, or dry-clean-only garment.
• Combining multiple cleaners. Use one controlled method at a time and rinse it out before changing approaches. More chemistry does not automatically mean more stain removal.
• Using chlorine bleach just because the fabric looks white. Follow the care label and the bleach product label; some white fabrics or components are not bleach-safe.
• Scrubbing delicate fabric with a toothbrush. On fragile fibers, blotting and professional cleaning are safer than abrasion.

When should you stop treating it at home?

Stop and use a professional cleaner if the garment is labeled dry-clean-only, if the stain sits on silk-like or highly delicate fabric, if the item has beading or special finishes, if the garment’s own dye begins transferring, or if repeated gentle treatment is not improving the mark. Tell the cleaner that the stain is lipstick and mention any product you already applied. That information can help them choose a compatible professional process.

Fast checklist

• Check the care label first.
• Lift off excess lipstick; do not smear it.
• Put a white absorbent towel under the stain.
• Pretreat with liquid laundry detergent or a prewash stain remover.
• Work gently; use a brush only on sturdy fabric.
• Rinse and wash according to the care label.
• Air-dry and inspect.
• Repeat if a faint stain remains.
• Use rubbing alcohol only as an optional, carefully tested spot method on compatible washable fabric.
• Use professional cleaning for dry-clean-only or delicate garments.

Sources and care guidance

The core stain-removal steps in this guide are based on the American Cleaning Institute stain removal guide, including its cosmetics/lipstick pretreatment guidance and its separate lipstick method for napkins. Care-label recommendations are based on the Federal Trade Commission guidance on the Care Labeling Rule. These sources provide general cleaning guidance; the garment’s own care label and the directions on any cleaning product you use remain the most specific instructions for the item in front of you.