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How to Get Makeup Off the Walls

Kaye Wagner

Applying makeup can be messy; dropping mascara brushes, getting foundation on your fingers and hands or spilling powder eyeshadow can result in stains on your walls. Remove the makeup as soon as possible, to avoid having heat from the sun set the stain into the walls and make it harder to remove.

Aim for the face, not the walls, when applying makeup.

Avoid using very abrasive methods, as these can wear the paint off the walls.

  1. Blot as much of the stain off the wall as possible with a clean cloth. This is especially useful for new mascara, lipstick and wet makeup stains. Work until the stain is gone or it no longer transfers to your cloth.

  2. Dab vegetable oil on oil-based stains from lipstick. Let the oil sit for 10 minutes before wiping it and the oil stain up with a clean cloth.

  3. Soak a clean cloth in water. Use a terry washcloth if the makeup stain has been on the wall for a long time, as the raised nap will help agitate the stain. Apply a drop of liquid dish soap to the cloth and work it into the makeup stain. Don’t rub too hard, or you may wear off the paint. Work until the stain is gone. This process will also remove vegetable oil residue from the wall.

  4. Rinse the area with clear water and dry it completely with a clean cloth.

  5. Mix 1/2 tablespoon liquid dish soap and 1/2 tablespoon white vinegar with 1 cup water if the makeup stain is still visible. Blot the solution over the makeup stain until it is gone.

  6. Rinse the area with clear water and dry it completely.

The Drip Cap

  • Applying makeup can be messy; dropping mascara brushes, getting foundation on your fingers and hands or spilling powder eyeshadow can result in stains on your walls.
  • Work until the stain is gone or it no longer transfers to your cloth.
  • Use a terry washcloth if the makeup stain has been on the wall for a long time, as the raised nap will help agitate the stain.
  • Rinse the area with clear water and dry it completely with a clean cloth.