How to Get Hair Spray Off Wood Cabinets

The tiny particles that fly from a bottle of hair spray do more than lift and separate curls and waves. The nearly invisible overspray from hair spray tends to float far from the intended head of hair and onto unwanted surfaces.

Hair spray removal is fairly simple and requires different cleaners for wood, leather or painted walls.

It's inevitable that hair spray will find a way onto the top layer or into the nooks and crannies of a wood cabinet's façade. The fine coating can go undetected for quite some time before dust and other debris begins to collect on the tacky surface of the layer of hair spray. Cleaning hairspray off wood can be difficult because if you aren't careful, then you can further damage the wood cabinets.

To remove the sticky layer of hair spray from the wood cabinet's finish, start with rubbing alcohol. A microfiber or terry cloth dipped in isopropyl alcohol, at least 70 percent, can remove a light layer of old hair spray that has collected on the cabinets surface. The alcohol will evaporate and not leave moisture on the surface of the wood or eat through the finish.

Use a dampened cloth with a few drops of liquid dish soap to remove any leftover sticky substances. For ridges and raised areas, dip a cotton swab in the alcohol and run it along the valleys of the cabinet and in the corners. Wash or polish the cabinet once it is clean to make cleaning up the hair spray easier in the future.

It can be tricky to remove the sticky stuff from porous leather, but it can be done with a little care and the correct cleaners. When a hairspray stain on leather, such as a jacket, car seat or sofa, is left to sit, the sticky substance can attract dust and lint from clothing as people settle in and rise from the cushions. This older layer of hair spray needs a little more attention and effort to completely remove from the surface of the porous material.

Vacuum the area to remove loose dust and bits of debris before you start so that you don't grind it further into the material. In a bowl, create a mix of 1 part olive oil to 2 parts of white vinegar. You can add essential oils to give the item a fresh scent, such as vanilla, cinnamon or lemon.

Gently rub the affected area with a towel dipped into the mixture. The vinegar will remove the hairspray and the oil will condition the leather. Buff the area clean with a dry cloth when the hair spray has been lifted from the leather item.

Painting over hairspray on walls can lead to problems with peeling or bubbling in the future. Removing the layer of hair spray will ensure that the hard work you put into painting a bathroom, hall or bedroom wall isn't a wasted effort.

To remove hair spray from walls, make a mix of 1 part shampoo to 2 parts of water. Don't shake it to mix or it will become frothy and unusable. Pour into a spray bottle and let it settle until it is relatively clear of bubbles.

Spray it onto the wall, floors or cabinets, and let it sit on the surface for a few minutes before removing it with a damp sponge. Repeat the process until the area is no longer sticky and is free from hair spray and the shampoo mixture. Test the wall and paint before cleaning to ensure you don't damage the paint job.