Sharing is caring!

How to Get Paint Off Plastic

Overspray can happen to the best of us. You could be spraying a chair outside and the wind blows and gets some paint on plastic near it. Spray paint can be really hard to get off and you cannot wash it off with just water because some are made of the same material that a car’s paint is made of.

This article will show you 4 of the best ways that you can get paint off plastic without scraping it or changing the color of what the paint gets on. This could be your car, motorcycle, chair, or just a DIY project.

Tools You Will Need:

• Acetone / Nail Polish Remover
• Rubbing Alcohol 
• Paint Thinner
• Dawn Dish Soap
• Gloves 
• Face Mask
• Paint Scraper / Razor Blade 
• Microfiber Clothes 
• Sponge
• Paper Towel
• Cleaning Container 

1. Nail Polish Remover 

Nail polish remover was made to remove nail polish off your fingers, but I found out that it can get paint off plastic if you scrub it a little. You can even use nail polish/acetone to remove hair dye off a bathroom countertop, it is that powerful.

Steps To Take:

1. Take the piece of plastic and find an open area where you can work on it without anything getting in your way. If you cannot move the plastic, clear everything around it and on it.

2. Pour a generous amount of acetone on the over sprayed area that is covered in paint and let it sit for 20 minutes. 

3. Once the 20 minutes are up use the microfiber cloth and scrub the area until you see most of the paint coming off.

4. Use a paint scraper and scrape whatever paint is remaining off the plastic. Hold the paint scraper or razor blade at a 45-degree angle so that the blade doesn’t scrape the plastic.

Also Read: How to clean oil paint brushes

2. Paint Thinner 

Paint thinner was originally made to thin paint so that it can apply to certain surfaces better if the paint was too thick. What people have done with it is use it directly to wipe paint off any surface. I recently curb my car wheel and had to spray it and some of the paint oversprays and got on to an area where it shouldn’t. I use the paint thinner to wipe it right off within seconds.

Steps To take:

1. The first thing you need to do is put on a glove and a proper face mask so that you do not smell the harsh toxic smell from the paint thinner.

2. Pour some paint thinner into a small container and use a clean microfiber cloth and wipe the paint of the plastic whether it is your car, chair, or anything you are working on. You do not have to wait for the paint thinner to break down the paint because it starts working instantly.

3. With paint thinner, the majority of the time you will not need to scrape the paint off the surface because the paint thinner will wipe it right off.

Also Read: How to get paint off laminate floors

3. Using Rubbing Alcohol To Get Paint Off Plastic 

The majority of houses have a bottle of rubbing alcohol in the bathroom cabinet or in a first aid kit. Rubbing alcohol is one of the best cleaning products you can use to remove stains off surfaces and it works create on paint by breaking it down so it is easier for you to scrape and clean.

Steps To Take:

1. Take the piece of plastic to somewhere where you can get a little messy. Add some of the rubbing alcohol to a spray bottle so you can spray the paint splatters or spots it got on.

2. Spray the splatters and let them sit until you see the paint start to have a watery look to it.

3. Now you can use a piece of thick paper towel and wipe the paint splatter off. If the paper towel is too soft, use the microfiber cloth you have ad club it off.

4. Some paint might still be on the plastic after this so use the paint scraper or razor blade and scrape the paint right off the plastic. Once you are done use a clean microfiber cloth with warm water and wipe the plastic off.

Also Read: How to remove paint from glass

4. Washing The Paint Off Plastic With Dish Soap

Using dawn dish soap to wash the paint off plastic will not work on every type of paint. This method will only work on water paints that can be washed off with water when you scrub it. These types of paints are called latex paints. So check to see if you have water paint or acrylic paint. All the methods above are strong enough to remove acrylic paint from plastic.

Steps To Take:

1. Get a large enough container and fill it with warm water. Add half a cup of dawn dish soap to the water. If the plastic can fit in the water, leave it in it for 2o minutes. If it cannot fit skip to the next step.

2. Use a sponge and scrub the area with the paint on it until it comes right off. If the paint isn’t coming off, that means the paint is acrylic paint and you will need to use one of the methods above to get the paint off the plastic.

Also Read: Farmhouse style paint colors

Final Thoughts:

Whenever you are spraying any plastic or if plastic is close by, always mask off the area around it so you cannot get any overspray. If you are painting somewhere place a drop cloth around the area so you do not get paint splatter all over plastic nearby. Three of the above cleaning method will get most paint off plastic surfaces and the last will only wash off water paint with a little scrubbing.

If interested, please read the other articles on how to get paint off other surfaces in your house, especially laminated floors since the paint you are working with might have splattered all over the place.

Sharing is caring!