Instagram is raving about this genius hack to get rid of paint stains

You won't believe what the secret is

Over the last few months, the UK has been seized by DIY fever. Many of us have used the extra time at home to update our homes with a splash of paint. But even with a dust sheet, those splashes can often end up in the last place you wanted them. Usually to the expense of a carpet or sofa.

Related: Anthea Turner says this trumps Pink Stuff when it comes to cleaning her oven!

Cleaning enthusiast, Mrs D, revealed on her Instagram account @mrs.ds.cleaning.reviews how to remove paint from fabric. Her secret weapon wasn't Vanish or another fancy stain remover, but simply a bottle of hand sanitiser!

colourful paint buckets

(Image credit: Future PLC/Polly Eltes)

Posting a photo of her own paint-splattered carpet she wrote: 'The worst things about painting your house is finding a few spots of paint on your carpet...or worse your clothes. Never fear, all you need is hand sanitiser.'

Mrs D explained that after painting her front door, despite putting a sheet down, she still ended up with a few paint spots on her hall runner.

'I knew exactly what to do...use hand sanitizer. But unfortunately, I had to wait, with hand sanitizer being in such high demand lately it was hard to get hold off,' she explains.

Luckily, the hack works on dried paint stains too. As soon as hand sanitizer started to come back into stock Mrs D was able to demonstrate her genius hack.

'Hand sanitizer liquid is by far the best, but gel does work exactly the same. The higher the alcohol the better,' she advises.

'Just spray the paint spots with hand sanitizer and gently massage into the paint using a microfibre cloth...voila the paint spots are gone.'

glass jars with paint brush on blue table

(Image credit: Future PLC/David Giles)

If you're not convinced by the hack, flick through the Instagram photos to see Mrs D's before and after. The blue paint spots have completely disappeared.

Mrs D's 44.3K followers were amazed by the hack. 'Who knew!! Amazing hack 🌟🙌,' commented one fan.

'Wish I had taken a before pic. I had 4 dodgy stains on my hall rug where the dog had been chewing a bone 🤢🤢. Tried this and it has cleaned them right off. Thank you x' commented another fan who had tried and tested the tip.

This is a great hack to try if you have hand sanitiser to hand. If you don't, why not try out one of these genius stain removal tips.

Related: Mrs Hinch sparks debate after calling this common cleaning hack a waste of time

Mrs D regularly posts clever hacks and product reviews. Keep an eye on her account for more top tips.

Rebecca Knight
Deputy Editor, Digital

Rebecca Knight has been the Deputy Editor on the Ideal Home Website since 2022. She graduated with a Masters degree in magazine journalism from City, University of London in 2018, before starting her journalism career as a staff writer on women's weekly magazines. She fell into the world of homes and interiors after joining the Ideal Home website team in 2019 as a Digital Writer. In 2020 she moved into position of Homes News Editor working across Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc, Real Homes, Gardeningetc and Ideal Home covering everything from the latest viral cleaning hack to the next big interior trend.