How to Get Spray Paint off Your Skin: 7 Effective Methods
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Spray painting is probably one of the easiest ways to paint an item. You get an even coat of paint and don’t have to deal with brushes at all. But, you have to be careful and wear some gloves when using the spray paint.
Imagine having spray paint on your hands because you never wore a pair of gloves. Once you complete the task, you need to figure out how to remove it from your skin. Fortunately, there are ways you can remove spray paint from your skin. In this article, we get to cover these different methods and the step-by-step process of each to achieve the ultimate goal.
Removing Spray Paint Off Your Skin
1. Using Rubbing Alcohol
Do you have some rubbing alcohol lying around in your home? You can use it to get rid of the spray paint covering your hands. Follow the steps below.
- First, you need to get some rubbing alcohol and cotton wool. If you don’t have some at home, you can rush to your nearest store.
- Wet the cotton balls with the rubbing alcohol. Take care not to apply too much alcohol. If you do, this will simply create a huge mess when trying to rub it on your skin.
- Rub the wet cotton ball on the part of your skin coated with the spray paint. Keep doing so until you start to notice the alcohol lifting the paint off your skin. If the cotton ball is covered with the paint, set that aside and wet another. Keep repeating this step until you remove all the spray paint off your skin.
- After you remove all the spray paint off your skin, it’s time for some soap and water. Wash your hands thoroughly to get rid of the rubbing alcohol and smell.
2. Using Olive/Coconut/Vegetable Oil
You won’t need any harsh chemicals to get rid of spray paint coating your hands. You can use some olive, coconut, or vegetable oil.
- Fetch the oil and pour some in a small bowl. Also, ensure you have some cotton balls or cotton towels you don’t mind coating with paint.
- Wet the cotton towel or balls. Placing some of the oil on a bowl makes it easy to dunk the cotton balls or towel. Ensure you squeeze out any excess fluid before you begin working on the paint on your skin.
- Check the spot where you have paint on your skin and rub the cotton ball/towel on it. Apply a bit of pressure to ensure the oil gets to work on the paint. That way, you can notice it lifting the paint from your skin.
- Keep rubbing the area, preferably in a circular motion. Replace the edge of the cloth with another side or a new cotton ball. After some time, you notice that there’s no more spray paint left on your hand. For this method, go with natural oils; they are much more effective.
3. Coffee Grounds
Do you have some coffee grounds from the pot you brewed in the morning? Don’t throw them out since you will need them to remove the spray paint off your skin.
- Check the coffee maker for some coffee grounds leftover from the morning brew. You need this together with some dish soap to clean your hands. The two work great to remove all traces of spray paint off your hand.
- Mix the coffee grounds and the dish soap. You can do this by placing some coffee grounds on your hands and adding some dish soap. Mix the two to form a paste. Be careful not to add too much dish soap in this step.
- Apply the mixture of coffee grounds and dish soap on your skin. Once you coat the area, start to rub it with your fingers. The mixture will lift the spray paint off your skin. Keep working it until you see all the spray paint is gone, then rinse your hands with clean water.
4. Acetone (Nail Polish Remover)
Did you know that nail polish remover (acetone) is one of the best paint removers? It works for all paints, including spray paint that’s set on your skin.
- Get some nail polish remover. If there’s none, you can rush to the store and get some. Also, get some cotton balls for this process.
- Wet a single cotton ball with acetone. Take care not to add too much acetone since this will make it difficult to remove the spray paint.
- Rub the cotton ball with acetone on it on the spot of your skin where there’s spray paint. It won’t take that long to see the area clear of spray paint. If the patch of skin is wide, dispose of the dirty cotton ball and wet another. Repeat this step until you get rid of all the spray paint on your skin.
5. Using Mayonnaise
Imagine that jar of mayonnaise in your kitchen. It’s good for much more than just adding to food. You can use mayonnaise to remove spray paint off your skin.
- Get a spoonful of mayonnaise. You also need an old toothbrush that you no longer use to clean your teeth.
- Apply mayonnaise on the toothbrush making sure the bristles are coated with it. You need a generous amount to work on your skin.
- Using the toothbrush, apply and work the mayonnaise on your skin, covering the entire patch of your skin with spray paint on it. Once you coat it, start scrubbing the spot with the mayonnaise. The bristles will help to dislodge the paint off your skin.
- After scrubbing the area, leave the mayonnaise on your skin for a few minutes. When the time elapses, rinse your hands, then wash with a little soap to get rid of all the mayonnaise.
6. Using Petroleum Jelly
That jar of Vaseline or any other petroleum jelly in your home has many uses. One of them is to remove spray paint off your skin.
- Find that jar of petroleum jelly that you have in your home. If you’re all out, you can head out to buy one.
- Using your fingers, scoop a generous amount of petroleum jelly from the jar. Coat the entire patch of your skin with spray paint on it with petroleum jelly.
- Work the petroleum jelly on the part of your skin with spray paint. You can use your fingers for this step, but using a toothbrush or other item might be better. You don’t want to remove the paint from one part of your skin and transfer it to your fingers.
- Check to see if all the paint is off your skin. After that, use a clean cloth to wipe away the petroleum jelly off your skin. You can also use a paper towel or cotton balls to avoid having paint all over a clean cloth.
7. Using Mineral Spirits
At times, you might have too much spray paint on you that you can’t avoid using mineral spirits. A good example is turpentine, which has the right chemicals to get rid of all the spray paint.
- Check to see if you have some turpentine somewhere in your tool shed. Get some paper towels or cotton balls too.
- Apply the turpentine on the cotton balls/paper towels. Be careful not to apply so much liquid because it can easily spill on the floor. This is a highly flammable liquid that needs proper handling.
- Rub the cotton balls or paper towel with turpentine on your skin. Cover the entire patch with spray paint and scrub it off. Keep doing this with clean paper towels or cotton balls until you get rid of all the spray paint.
- Get some dish soap, lather your hands and rinse off the turpentine from your skin. Ensure you dispose of the cotton balls or paper towels safely.
In Summary
When you use spray paint, wearing gloves helps to keep the paint off your skin. But accidents happen, or at times you forget to put the gloves on. In such cases, you might end up with spray paint on your skin. You can use any of the seven ways listed above to remove the spray paint off your skin.
Featured Image Credit: motointermedia, Pixabay
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