How to Get Putty Out of Clothes

Using Rubbing Alcohol

Scrape off as much excess Silly Putty as you can with a blunt knife. Gently scrape the edge of the knife against the stain to flake off as much putty as possible. Put the scraped off putty to the side or onto a paper towel to dispose of later. Be careful to avoid scraping it onto the carpet or any other surfaces it could get stuck to. Stop scraping once all the large chunks of putty have come up. Wipe your knife off several times as your scrape the putty, and try folding the fabric so the putty is on an edge to make it easier to remove without potentially spreading it to other areas of the fabric. You could also use your fingernails to remove excess putty, but some people find it unpleasant to get it stuck under their nails. Using a blunt knife keeps your hands clean.

Pour 99% isopropyl rubbing alcohol over the stain (Note: If you don't have rubbing alcohol, you can also use hydrogen peroxide as well). Do this in a kitchen or bathroom sink so the rubbing alcohol and putty won’t get onto other materials. Saturate the stained area with the rubbing alcohol. The stain will start to disintegrate, and you will notice it gets slimy again. Don’t use antiseptic ethyl rubbing alcohol as it won’t work very well.

Use a scrub brush, toothbrush or clean washcloth to remove the stain. Use gentle motions when scrubbing, as you want to apply some force but you also don’t want to tear or damage the fabric you’re cleaning. The scrubbing motion will loosen the Silly Putty from the fibers of the clothing. Try holding the fabric you are cleaning so that the rubbing alcohol and scrubbing only affects one layer rather than soaking through to the entire piece of clothing. You can even just put one hand on the underside of the stained section and use your other hand to do the cleaning. A scrub brush or toothbrush works particularly well for this task as the bristles provide more friction than a washcloth will, but if the fabric is particularly delicate, use a soft washcloth.

Repeat the rubbing alcohol and scrubbing process until the stain is gone. It may take a few applications to get the stain out. Use your fingers to feel the fabric—is it still slimy or slippery? If so, there is still Silly Putty in the material. Keep working until the material doesn’t feel slimy anymore. Rinse your scrub brush, toothbrush or washcloth out several times as you clean. This will show you if putty is still being raised out of the clothing.

Wash the stained piece of clothing as usual and then air dry it. This removes the smell of the rubbing alcohol and any excess Silly Putty remnants. Once it has been washed, let it air dry rather than putting it into the dryer. Once it has dried, check the stained area to see if it is still visible. If it is, repeat the rubbing alcohol and scrubbing process again. Putting the fabric into the dryer, even on a low-heat setting, would make any remaining stain set in to the fabric. Air drying it gives you the chance to check it and do any additional cleaning you may need to do.

Freezing the Putty

Put the stained piece of clothing into the freezer and leave it overnight. You don’t even have to put the stained clothing into a bag, though you certainly can if you would like to! The freezing temperature will harden the putty and make it shrink up into itself a little bit, hopefully making it easier to crack and peel off. You can also try putting an ice cube or a bag filled with ice directly on the stained area instead of freezing it overnight. The main idea here is to get the putty as cold as possible so you can chip it off.

Use a hammer or other hard object to crack the frozen putty. This breaks the stain up into smaller, easier to remove pieces. Peel the frozen chunks off of the clothing. Put the putty off to the side or onto a paper towel to dispose of later. Avoid getting the Silly Putty on other surfaces it could get stuck to. You may be able to just peel off the frozen putty without having to crack it first, depending on how small or large the stain is. Generally, cracking large stains make them easier to peel off in sections; if the stain is small, it might peel off without needing to be cracked first.

Refreeze and repeat the process until the putty is removed. You may notice there is still some staining in the fibers of the material from whatever color the Silly Putty was. These small fragments may not come up from the freezing method, as they have become embedded into the fabric. Some types of putty won’t freeze due to the compounds they’re made up of. If you find that the putty isn’t freezing even after being in the freezer for 12 hours, you should try another method to remove the stain. Depending on kind the kind of Silly Putty being used (name brand versus imitation or made-at-home putties), it may not freeze entirely due to the composition.

Launder the fabric and let it air dry. Wash the clothing however you normally would, and then let it air dry rather than putting it into the dryer. Check the stain once the clothing has dried to see if it has come out completely. If not, try one of the other stain removing methods. Letting the shirt air dry keeps the stain from setting in like it would if it were to go into the dryer.

Applying WD-40

Use a blunt knife to scrape off as much excess Silly Putty as you can. Move the knife gently back and forth over the stain, taking care to not rip the fabric. For stubborn pieces, fold the fabric so the stain makes an edge and scrape from that point. Put flaked off Silly Putty to the side or on a paper towel so you can throw it away later, and be careful to not get it onto other surfaces where it could get stuck. Wipe your knife off several times while you are scraping the fabric.

Saturate the stain with WD-40 and let it stand for 4-5 minutes. If the smell bothers you, wear a face-mask or do this part outdoors or in a well-ventilated area. Try to keep the WD-40 from coming into contact with other fabrics that do not need to be treated. The idea here is that the oil in the WD-40 will lubricate the putty so that it releases its bond with the fabric, thus making it easier to clean off.

Scrape off excess Silly Putty with your knife and spray again with WD-40. Repeat this process until the Silly Putty stain is soluble and slimy again. It may take 2-3 applications before you feel confident that the stain has been uplifted from the material. If you don’t like the feeling of the WD-40 on your hands, wear rubber gloves while working with it.

Wipe off the Silly Putty stain with cotton swabs. Use a forward motion with the swabs rather than rubbing back and forth. Once a swab is coated in WD-40 and Silly Putty, set it to the side and use a fresh one. Continue doing this until you have removed as much of the Silly Putty as you can. You can use cotton balls or the thin cotton swabs you can buy at any drugstore.

Soak a clean cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and blot the stained area. It will be hard to see how much rubbing alcohol has been used because of the staining from the WD-40, so don’t be afraid to apply the rubbing alcohol liberally. Press down with the soaked swab repeatedly. You could also pour the rubbing alcohol directly onto the stain rather than using a cotton swab. The swab just gives you a little more control over where the rubbing alcohol goes. This process helps remove the WD-40 from the fabric.

Pour dishwashing liquid on a damp washcloth and wipe the stain. Remove any remaining residue from the fabric, rinsing with cool water every so often to check your progress. Continue to do this until the area appears to be clear of oil, stain, and suds. By the time you are finished, a large section of the material you are cleaning will be wet as you need to clean around the entire WD-40 treated area.

Launder the stained material on its own and let it air dry. Once it has dried, check the stained area to see if it has come clean of both the Silly Putty stain and the WD-40. If there is still a stain, repeat the rubbing alcohol and dishwashing liquid process until it comes clean. Because there is oil on the fabric, keep it away from other clothes until it is completely clean, even in the washer. Putting the material into the dryer would set in any remaining stain. Letting it air dry gives you the chance to check it and do additional stain removal work.