How to Remove Lipstick Stains From Clothes
For centuries, poets and men with an agenda, have been writing
peons of praise to the loveliness of female lips. Most of them
however, admired from afar and didn't have to deal with the
lipstick of today. Now, a compliment is as likely to get a
gentleman an enthusiastic hug, and an imprint of those
incomparable lips on his shirt collar.
The first thing to do, is return the enthusiasm and forget the
stain! You can't do much about it until you get home, although
you can try blotting it wit water to make sure it doesn't set
any deeper. Don't rub though, or it will become a real mess,
instead of a charming imprint.
Take care of it as soon as you get home. Lipstick is a
grease-based product, and most good grease pre-treatments will
do the job. Spray the spot, or blot if necessary with a white
cloth and the pre-treatment. Let sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with
warm water. If the stain is still there, turn the fabric over so
you are working at the stain from the back, and work in some
liquid dish detergent with an old toothbrush. Let sit 15
minutes, then launder.
An alternative is to dab the stain with rubbing alcohol. Do not
rub, or you'll spread the mark. Turn the fabric over and work in
dish detergent from the back, with a toothbrush. Let sit for 15
minutes and launder. If there is any mark remaining, re-treat
with a pre-soak.
Other choices include dabbing off what you can with a water
dampened cloth, then blotting the stain with a bit of ammonia,
and laundering as usual. Or, you can try wetting the spot with
hairspray, wiping the spot gently, and laundering.