How to Remove Hair Spray Stains From Clothes and Carpet

Easy ways to get old, dried, and discolored hair spray out of fabrics and more

How to Remove Hairspray Stains

The Spruce / Adriana Sanchez

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 15 - 30 mins
  • Total Time: 1 - 10 hrs
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $0 to $10

Every time you spray a hair product, there's a chance it will land on your clothes, the carpet, or even upholstery. Typically, the stains or discolorations begin to appear over time around the collar, shoulder, and upper back areas of clothing. Thankfully, the stains can be removed with a few household products, a bit of patience, and some simple steps. If you spot the stain, stop putting the item in the dryer until you have treated it to prevent it from setting in even deeper.

Learn how to remove hair spray from your clothes, carpets, and more.

 Stain type  Oil-based, wax-based
 Detergent type  Stain remover or heavy-duty
 Water temperature  Cool to hot
 Cycle type  Varies depending on the type of fabric

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Soft-bristled brush or old toothbrush (optional)

Materials

  • Stain remover, stick, spray, or gel
  • Heavy-duty laundry detergent
  • Oxygen bleach (optional)

Instructions

Materials needed to remove hairspray stains from clothing

The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

How to Remove Hair Spray Stains From Clothes

Hair spray formulas can include sticky polymers, gums, and often oils to condition hair that can leave both an oily and waxy stain on fabrics. Using standard household products, you can take a few steps to remove hair spray stains from your clothing.

  1. Treat the Stain

    • Apply a solvent-based stain remover. If you don't have a stain remover, apply a heavy-duty liquid detergent, like Tide or Persil (these are leading high-performance brands that contain the necessary enzymes to break apart the oily component) directly to the stain, and work it in by gently rubbing the fabric together with your fingers or use an old soft toothbrush.
    • Let the stain remover work for 15 minutes and rinse the area with hot water.

    Warning

    If the hair spray contains dye, even temporary dye for root cover-up or highlighting, there is a step you need to do before treating the oily/waxy component. See step 3 in this section.

    Treating a hairspray stain on a blouse

    The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

  2. Wash and Check the Stain

    • Next, wash as usual, following the garment's care label directions.
    • Check the stained area of the garment before you place it in the dryer.
    • If the stain remains, do not put it in the dryer, and repeat the steps.
    Checking the hairspray stain is removed

    The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

  3. Soaking Solution for Dye Stains From Colored Hair Sprays

    • Mix a solution of oxygen bleach (brand names are: OxiClean, Nellie's All Natural Oxygen Brightener, or OXO Brite) and tepid water.
    • Submerge the entire garment. Allow it to soak for at least four hours or overnight to remove the dye component of the spray.
    • Check the stains. If the dye is removed, treat the oily stain as recommended and launder it as usual.
    • If the dye remains, repeat the soaking.

    Warning

    Oxygen bleach is safe to use for all washable fabrics, white and colored, except for silk, wool, and anything trimmed with leather.

    Soaking the garment in an oxygen bleach solution

    The Spruce / Sarah Crowley

How to Remove Hair Spray Stains on Carpet and Upholstery

If the rugs in your bathroom or dressing area are machine washable, follow the same steps recommended for washable clothes to remove the hair spray stains. However, if you repeatedly use hair spray in an area with wall-to-wall carpet, you're going to end up with stains that need to be removed from the carpet fibers.

The same cleaning solutions and techniques recommended for carpet can be used to remove hair spray stains from most upholstery fabrics. Before cleaning any furniture, always follow the manufacturer's care label on cleaning upholstery. This tag can be found under the sofa cushions or fabric skirt with letter codes that indicate how to clean the furniture.

Treat the stain with a solution of 1/2 cup isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol mixed with 1/2 cup cool water. Sponge the alcohol solution onto the affected area and let it work for at least 10 minutes. Blot away the moisture with paper towels. Allow the area to air-dry away from direct heat or sunlight. Repeat the steps if necessary and then vacuum to lift the carpet fibers.

Additional Tips on Handling Hair Spray Stains

Prevent future hair spray stains by using the product before dressing, using washable bath rugs, and avoiding upholstered furniture.

If the garment that is already stained is labeled as dry clean only, head to the cleaner and point out the stain. This is very important if the stain is on a natural fur item because the formulas of many brands still contain alcohol which can dry the hides. In addition, the oils in the hair spray can penetrate the fur and eventually become rancid. 

If there is dye from colored hair spray on a light-colored carpet, mix 1 tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide with 3 tablespoons of warm water and blot the solution onto the stain. Continue blotting away the stain with a dry cloth until it all transfers to the cloth. Allow the area to air-dry and repeat if needed. When the stain is gone, then vacuum.

If the fabric on the upholstery is silk or vintage, consult an upholstery cleaner professional.

FAQ
  • Does hair spray leave stains on clothes?

    Though most hair spray is colorless many products contain oxidizing agents and oils that will show up as discoloration or stains over time. Colored hair sprays may leave dye stains on fabrics.

  • How do you get dried hair spray out of fabric?

    Rub heavy-duty liquid detergent into the dried hair spray, let it sit for 15 minutes, and wash regularly. If that fails, use oxygen bleach on the stain per the package's directions. When that's not enough, use a dry cleaning solvent on the stain.

  • Does hair spray get other stains out of fabrics?

    Hair spray was commonly used as an agent to remove other types of stains from fabrics, such as ink and hair dye. But the hair spray needs to have alcohol as a base and modern products may not contain as much alcohol as an ingredient as in the past due to newer formulations.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
  1. Hairspray: Stain Solutions/Washable Fabrics. University of Illinois Extension.