How to Cover Logos on Clothes

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A quick and easy guide to covering and removing clothes' logos

Co-authored by Amy Guerrero and Eric McClure

Last Updated: October 25, 2022 References

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Using a Patch

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Removing Embroidery

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Removing Prints

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Video

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Tips

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Things You'll Need

ARTICLE

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There are plenty of valid reasons for removing a logo. If you like expressing yourself through your clothing, there are plenty of patches that are way cooler than corporate logos. Even if you don’t necessarily care about the look of the logo, a company or designer logo is just free advertising, and many people prefer to not walk around covered in corporate symbols. If you have a cool work shirt, removing the logo allows you to convert it into a regular piece of clothing that you can wear anywhere. The only real way to cover a logo completely is to use a patch or applique, which is a thin piece of fabric used for knitting and crafting. Otherwise, you can choose to remove the logo from the clothing.

Things You Should Know

Sew or iron a patch over top of your clothes' logo. This way, you can replace your logo with a new style you love!
Use a seam ripper to break the seams holding your logo onto your clothes. Flip your clothes inside out and remove the remaining strings.
Iron over rubber or plastic logos for 45-60 seconds. Use your fingers or a pair of tweezers to peel the logo off of the material.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using a Patch

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You can use any patch to cover a logo so long as it’s big enough to cover it. You can use a patch you already own, or buy a unique patch online. Get an iron-on patch if you want to make it easy to attach to your clothing. If you know how to sew, you can cover your logo with any type of patch.

Variation: Buy an applique if you don’t want to add a bulky patch to your clothing. An applique is basically a thinner version of a patch; appliques are used to create custom clothing without adding to the thickness of the fabric.
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Lay your patch on top of the logo and line it up. Lay your clothing down flat. Place your patch or applique directly on top of the logo. Adjust the orientation of the patch to line it up symmetrically with the top and bottom of your clothing. Use the seams on the fabric to visually determine whether the patch is lined up or not.^{[1]
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- You can certainly attach your patch at an angle if you prefer. In this case, you do not need to line the logo up with anything.
- If your patch is heat-activated, do this on an ironing board.
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Iron your patch over the logo if it’s heat-activated. If you’re using an iron-on patch, put a piece of cardboard under the fabric and put a clean pillowcase on top of the patch. Turn your iron on medium heat and wait 15-30 seconds for the iron to heat up. Then, run the iron over the patch while pressing down. Move the iron back and forth over the patch to heat the fabric evenly. Do this for 45-60 seconds to activate the adhesive on your patch and attach it to the clothing.^{[2]
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- Let the patch air dry for 3-5 minutes so that the glue has time to cure to the fabric.
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Sew the patch over the logo by hand if you want to stitch it yourself. Put 2-3 sewing pins into the patch and the clothing to hold it in place. Run some stitching thread through the sewing needle and tie a knot to hold it in place. Thread the needle through the back of the patch and pull it through the other side. Then, repeat this process by pushing the needle through the front and pulling it out the back. Continue threading the needle around the patch until you’ve completely attached it to your clothing.^{[3]
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- Tie a knot at the end of the stitching thread to hold it in place or leave the needle loose.
- Run the thread just inside the edge of the patch to avoid running thread through the stitching on the edges of the patch. This is less important for appliques, which are usually cut out.
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Use a sewing machine if you have one in your home. Stick 2-3 sewing pins into the patch and through the clothing to hold it in place. Run stitching thread through a sewing machine and pull it through to the needle. Lay your patch under the needle and pump the pedal on the machine to begin applying your patch. Continue rotating the patch under the needle until you’ve stitched the entire patch into the clothing.^{[4]
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- Cut the excess thread off when you’re done.
- You can use any stitch to attach the patch or applique to the clothing. A running stich is the easiest pattern to use for this.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Removing Embroidery

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1
Get a seam ripper to cut through the embroidery. A seam ripper is a special sewing tool used to remove threads or stitches. It resembles a pen with 2 prongs at the end and a sharp blade in the middle. The smaller prong is used to remove seams, while the longer prong is used to cut through individual threads or cloth. You can buy a seam ripper online or from a craft or knitting store.^{[5]
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- If there is a sewing kit in your home, there should be a seam ripper in there.
- You can buy a seam ripper for $3-5.
- Before you do this, turn your clothing inside out to see if there are stitches on the back. If there aren’t, you cannot use a seam ripper to remove the logo. You may be able to melt the glue holding the logo in place with acetone as described in the final section, though.
Removing an embroidered logo will damage the clothing if the fabric isn’t porous. To test the fabric, take the long prong on the seam ripper, gently poke the fabric next to the logo, and pull the ripper out. If the fabric isn’t damaged, you can remove the logo without damaging the clothing. If there’s a small hole, removing the embroidery will damage the clothing.^{[6]
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Tip: If the logo is on leather or vinyl, removing the embroidery will definitely damage the fabric. This will almost always be safe on cotton.
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Cut the individual stiches using the long prong of the seam ripper. Brace the fabric with your nondominant hand by pressing down next to the logo. Take the long prong of the seam ripper and dig it under the embroidery without puncturing the fabric underneath. Push the seam ripper forward while pulling the tool away from the clothing. Continue pulling the ripper up until the stitches slide to the back of the seam ripper and tear on the blade. Repeat this process for every section of the logo.^{[7]
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- This will be kind of time consuming if the logo is large or elaborate. You have to cut through all of the stitches to remove them.
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Flip the clothing inside out and pull the threads out. Turn your clothing inside out. Use your fingers to pull the threads on the logo from the back. Since you tore the threads on the front, the threads will come right out as you pluck them out. If the threads are really tight against the fabric and you can’t grip them with your fingers, use the small prong on the seam ripper to dig under the threads.^{[8]
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- You can also use tweezers to pull the embroidery out.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Removing Prints

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1
Iron rubber or plastic logos and peel them off by hand. Soak a pillowcase in water and put it on top of the logo. Then, turn your iron on to a medium heat setting. Wait 15-30 seconds for the iron to heat up and press it on top of the pillowcase that’s covering your logo. Move the iron back and forth over the logo for 45-60 seconds. Then, set the iron down and pull up the pillowcase. Rub the logo firmly with the pad of your finger. The logo will rub off as you continue to apply friction.^{[9]
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- You may need to peel the logo off if it’s sticking to the fabric.
- If the logo won’t come off, apply more heat with your iron and try again. Some stronger logos will require several attempts.
- It can be hard to tell the difference between rubber, vinyl, and plastic. In general, rubber and plastic logos will always reflect light, while some vinyl logos will not. Try ironing the logo and peeling it off before moving on to another solution.
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Use 100% acetone to dissolve vinyl logos. Get a bottle of pure, 100% acetone. Put on nitrile or rubber gloves and set your clothing down in a tub or sink. Pour the acetone on top of the logo until the logo is completely soaked. Wait 1-2 minutes for the acetone to soak into the fabric. Then, use your finger to rub and peel the logo off. Wash your clothing after doing this to remove the acetone.^{[10]
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- Regular nail polish remover that is less than 100% acetone may work, but pure acetone is much more efficient.
- You can tell if a logo is vinyl by feeling it. If it’s smooth and feels like it’s resting on top of the clothing, it’s probably vinyl.
Warning: If there’s printing on the clothing surrounding the logo, this process may damage the images or letters surrounding the logo. It won’t damage the fabric, though.
If you want to remove a logo because it’s worn down and old, you can usually use tweezers regardless of what it’s made out of. Grip an edge of the logo with the jaws of your tweezers and pull it up. The logo will probably come off in sections, so continue peeling it off until you’ve removed all of the logo.^{[11]
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Tips

You can use a pin-back button to cover a logo, but it may not sit flush with clothing depending on the material and the size of the logo. Still, this is a fairly good solution if you need to cover a logo quickly.

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