Easily Remove Makeup Stains From Bedding & Towels With A Cheap Bathroom Staple

Tired of fighting makeup stains on your bed sheets, bath towels, and other fabrics? That lingering foundation and stuck-on lipstick isn't easy to remove, but it is possible to make them disappear with the right stain removal solution. The answer just might be hiding in your bathroom's medicine cabinet.

Petroleum jelly, or Vaseline, is a household must-have because of its ability to solve many different problems, including chapped lips, diaper rash, and even removing sticker gunk. It's also a versatile skincare product — you can even rely on Vaseline to remove your makeup at the end of the day, thanks to its ability to break down various cosmetic products. And the next time you're facing makeup stains on your linens, you just might want to reach for this affordable bathroom staple, because do-it-all Vaseline can also remove makeup stains on fabric. 

Makeup stains tend to fall into two categories: water-based or oil-based. While water-based stains can generally be removed with dish soap or some kind of acidic cleaning solution such as white vinegar, oil-based makeup stains like foundation and mascara are the harder of the two to remove. When oil-based makeup gets into the fibers of your sheets or towels, the oil repels water and water-based cleaning solutions you use, making these stains a challenge. That's where Vaseline comes in handy: Vaseline is made from petroleum jelly which, like oil stains themselves, doesn't mix with water. This slick jelly works to draw out the oil present in lipstick, foundation, and other stubborn makeup stains, lifting the stain out of your bedding, towels, and other fabrics.

To get rid of those frustrating makeup stains, grab a washcloth and dampen it. Then, apply Vaseline to its surface and rub it on the stained items in question. This trick, using a cheap bathroom staple, should work to lift oil-based makeup stains that are both new and set-in, so if you have nice towels ruined by makeup, it may help.

After you apply petroleum jelly to your most stubborn makeup stains on sheet sets, towels, or other items, it's important to remember that you will need to remove the Vaseline. You're applying an oil-based solution to an already-existing oil-based stain — and Vaseline can leave behind stains of its own. As a precaution, you may want to squirt a little bit of dish soap onto wherever you applied the petroleum jelly once the original stain disappears, then give your sheets or towels a wash so every last trace of oil is eliminated.

You should also wash your sheets and towels in hot water after using Vaseline as a makeup stain remover. Even if you normally wash your sheets in cold water, Vaseline itself can be as tricky to remove as your lipstick or mascara stains, and it's best removed with a hot water wash cycle. Just make sure to check the care instructions or labels on your sheets or towels to make sure their fabric can handle hot water first.