How To Remove Self Tanner Stains From Clothes

I've collected several tips for how to remove self-tanner stains from clothes, which can happen quite frequently when you put clothes on too soon after applying, or if some drips or sprays onto fabric while applying it.

The first tip is from a reader, who shared how she got out these stains.

Mary says:

I used a skin tanning lotion on all my extremities thinking it would not bleed onto my clothing.

Hmmm, I wore a lemon colored silk pant suit that was costly and brown spots showed up all over the suit.

I took it to the cleaners, they couldn't restore the suit, so I said, "Oh well, I can't wear it, nothing to lose", so I soaked in Oxiclean overnight and all the stains were gone.

I took it back to the cleaners and had them press it, and low and behold, it was like a brand new silk pant suit.

Also, I have soaked closet yellow clothes in Oxiclean with great results.

Thank you Oxiclean! Great, great product. I can't live without it.

Taylor says:

Thanks so much for your tip Mary.

I wouldn't normally recommend Oxiclean for silk, but since it was ruined anyway that is the kind of situation where you can go ahead and try something without fear.

There are lots of uses for Oxiclean around the home, and I've gathered quite a few if you're interested in seeing else what this stain remover can do.

For Small Fresh Smudges Try Baby Wipes

I got this quick tip from a SR101 reader, who said:

"If you've just recently gotten a spray on tan you know they sometimes smear.

If you throw on some clothes and almost immediately notice you've gotten a smudge try baby wipes."

Taylor says:

Thanks for the baby wipes tip! Here is more explanation from another reader, Amber, who has had success using baby wipes to wipe away these spots as well.

You can see even more uses for baby wipes here, for cleaning, stain removal and more.



Scroll down to see some pictures of some of these spray tanner stains on clothes, sent in by a reader, as well as more tips for removing them below.

Question: How Can I Remove This Self-Tanning Spray Stain?

by Rosie

Rosie sent in this question, and photo of the self-tanning spray stain.

Rosie's question:

"Self-tanning spray...? My 4 yr old daughter covered her white leggings and top with this and it wasn't apparent until I washed it and the stains looked like blood!

Soaked it in Vanish stain remover and rewashed it. Came out brown this time!

The heat seems to activate the tanning product."

Taylor says:

Rosie, I hope some of the suggestions on this page will help you remove these stains!

Remove Self-Tanning Lotion Stains From Clothes

Self-tanning lotions and spray tans can be a mess on your clothing.

That is because they can leave both a greasy and colored stain at the same time.

Here are three more DIY stain removal solutions to try, when getting rid of these stains.

These include using:

• A solution of dishwashing liquid and warm water





• 3% hydrogen peroxide; or





• glycerin

After using one or a combination of these methods, you should wash the clothing as usual, being careful not to dry or iron the item until the stains are completely removed so you do not set the stains.

Do you have a tip for removing these stains from clothes or other washable fabrics? If so, you can share your own method for removing these spots here and I'll add the best ones to the site!



Photo by renaissancechambara

Related Pages You May Enjoy

Stain Removal Tips & Tricks For Busy Moms

How To Remove Sunscreen Stains

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