The Best Ways to Remove Chapstick Stains from Your Clothes

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Clean melted or dried lip balm from your clothes & laundry machines

Co-authored by Ayad Mirjan and Hunter Rising

Last Updated: May 6, 2024 Fact Checked

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• Fresh or Melted Chapstick
|
• Dried Chapstick
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• Cleaning Your Washer & Dryer

|Show more |Show less

Did you accidentally wipe some chapstick on your clothes or did it melt in your pocket after going through the wash? Chapstick has oils and wax that absorb into your clothes, but there are quick and effective solutions that can get rid of the stain. When the chapstick is fresh or melted, a stain pre-treatment works best, but running over a dried stain with an iron will help remove the residue. Whether you’re using ChapStick, Burt’s Bees, Carmex, Blistex, or any other lip balm, we’ve got you covered. Keep reading to learn all the best stain-fighting techniques as well as how to clean out your washer and dryer to prevent stains on your next load of laundry.

Things You Should Know

• First, scrape off as much chapstick as you can from your clothes with a butter knife. Scrub baking soda into the stain with a soft brush to absorb the oils.
• Then, soak the stain with a pre-treatment, like soapy water, stain remover, or a vinegar-water solution, for 30 minutes.
• Finally, wash your garment with laundry detergent on the hottest temperature setting listed on its care tag to fully remove the stain.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Treating Fresh or Melted Chapstick

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1. 1
   Scrape off any excess chapstick with a butter knife. As soon as you notice the chapstick on your clothes, act fast to prevent the stain from setting in. Gently run the edge of your butter knife across the stain to lift up any oily or waxy residue on the surface. If you don’t have a butter knife, a spoon or the edge of a credit card will work well too.

   • Chapstick stains are easiest to remove if you catch them while they’re still fresh.
   • Avoid rubbing the chapstick into the fabric since it will get caught deeper in the fibers and be more difficult to remove.
2. 
   2
   Scrub baking soda into the stain with a soft brush. Spread a thin, even layer of baking soda across the entire chapstick stain. Let it sit for about 30–60 minutes so it has time to absorb the oils leftover from the chapstick. Then, gently use a soft-bristled toothbrush or cleaning brush to make the baking soda clump up and fall off.

   • Only apply a little bit of pressure when you use a scrub brush so you don’t work chapstick residue deeper into the fabric.
   • If your clothing says “dry clean only” on the tag, then take the garment to your local dry cleaners. Point out exactly where the stain is so they can start treating it right away.
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3. 
   3
   Apply a stain pre-treatment to your clothing and leave it for 30 minutes. As a simple home treatment, mix a few drops of laundry detergent or dish soap in warm water. For a natural alternative, make a solution that’s equal parts distilled white vinegar and hot water. Alternatively, use a commercial stain remover for the strongest treatment option. Apply your cleaning solution to the stain and leave it for about 30 minutes to penetrate the stain.

   • If you have hair spray at home, it might help remove the stain in a pinch. Put a piece of paper towel behind the fabric and spray the stain. After 1 minute, blot the stain with another clean towel to lift it up.
   • If you’re cleaning a stain from tinted chapstick, apply oxygen bleach as a pre-treatment to lift the dyes without damaging your clothing.
   • Test stain treatments in an inconspicuous spot on your clothes first. Make sure it doesn’t cause any damage or discoloration before applying it to the entire stain.
4. 4
   Wash your clothes using the hottest setting they can tolerate. Check your garment’s care tag to find the hottest temperature to use on your washing machine. Put your pre-treated clothes in the washer along with laundry detergent, and run the load. After the pre-treatment, the hot water and detergent will be more effective at breaking apart the stain.

   • Wash clothes with chapstick separately from other garments to ensure the stains don’t spread.
   • If you found a chapstick stain on your clothes after they ran through the wash, be sure to clean your laundry machine before running another load.
5. 5
   Dry your clothes once the stain is no longer visible. After you pull your clothes out of the wash, check them again immediately for chapstick stains. If you don’t see the stains anymore, then dry your clothes like normal! If you still notice the stain, try applying baking soda and pre-treatment before washing your clothes again.

   • If your clothing still has stains, avoid putting it in your dryer since it could make the marks more difficult to remove.
   • If the stain doesn’t come out after 2–3 washes, it may have permanently gotten into the clothing. As a last resort, take your clothes to a professional cleaner to see if there’s anything they can do to help.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Removing Dried Chapstick

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1. 
   1
   Scrape off excess chapstick with a spoon or dull knife. Lay your clothing out flat on an ironing board so the chapstick stain is face-up. If there’s still chapstick on the surface, rub it with the edge of your spoon or knife to lift up the excess.

   • In a pinch, the edge of a credit card works well to scrape the chapstick off the surface.
2. 
   2
   Put paper towels over and under the stained part of your clothes. Place a few sheets of paper towel underneath the stain, and then place a few additional sheets on top to cover the stain. The paper towels will absorb oil and wax dried into the fabric so it doesn’t spread.

   • If you don’t have paper towels, put an old towel or T-shirt on each side of the stain to absorb the chapstick residue.
3. 3
   Run your iron on low heat over the paper towel. Set your iron to low or medium heat, and let it warm up. Once it’s hot, gently press the iron down on the paper towel and rub it over your piece of clothing. Keep moving the iron so it doesn’t burn through the paper towel. After a minute or two, lift up the iron and check on the stain. Keep using your iron until you lift up as much of the stain as possible.

   • If the paper towels get soaked through, throw them away and replace them with dry towels.
4. 
   4
   Spread laundry detergent over the stain for 20–30 minutes. Use your standard laundry detergent, and apply a thin layer to the residual stain. Gently work the laundry detergent into the stain with your fingers or a damp soft-bristled brush. Let the laundry detergent sit for at least 20 minutes so it soaks into your garment.

   • If you don’t have laundry detergent on hand, liquid dish soap can help break up the oily residue.
5. 5
   Wash your garment and dry it once the stain has disappeared. Look at the care tag on your clothes and set your washer to the hottest temperature listed. Toss your garment into your washer along with detergent and run the cycle. Once the cycle finishes running, check your clothes to see if the chapstick stains are still there. If the stain has disappeared, either air-dry your clothes or toss them in your dryer.

   • If your garment still has a stain, avoid drying it and try treating it again with laundry detergent. Take your clothes to a dry cleaner and point out the stain so they can wash it with stronger detergents.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Cleaning Chapstick from Laundry Machines

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1. 1
   Wipe your washer’s drum with a damp towel and laundry detergent. Wet a clean towel with hot water and lather in a few drops of laundry detergent. Clean the inside of your washer by scrubbing the drum with your soapy towel. Rewet the towel when it dries out, and keep wiping the inside until it’s clean. After that, run a clean, damp towel over the surface to remove as much residue as possible.

   • Wear a thick pair of cleaning gloves so you can use the hottest water from your tap without burning your skin.
   • If there’s a lot of residue stuck inside your washer, use paper towels so your cleaning rags don’t get dirty with chapstick.
2. 
   2
   Turn your washer to the hottest setting to melt residual chapstick. Set your washer to the hottest temperature and run an empty wash cycle. As the cycle runs, the leftover chapstick residue will melt so it drains out with the water.
3. 3
   Run your dryer with damp rags for 5 minutes on a high heat cycle. Put a few old damp rags into your dryer and run it on the hottest heat setting for about 5 minutes. The heat from the dryer and damp rags will form steam to loosen any chapstick residue that’s stuck inside the drum. That way, it’ll be easier to wipe out.

   • Some chapstick may get on the rags after running them through your dryer. Either clean the residue with a laundry pre-treatment or toss the old rags in the trash.
4. 
   4
   Clean your dryer with paper towels damp with vinegar and dish soap. Mix equal parts of distilled white vinegar and liquid dish soap in a small bowl. Wet a clean microfiber cloth with the solution and wring it out. Scrub the inside of your dryer’s drum to lift up the melted chapstick.

   • If you’re not able to lift the chapstick residue with vinegar, try wetting the corner of a cloth with rubbing alcohol and scrubbing your dryer drum.
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Tips

• Always check your pockets before tossing clothes in the laundry to help avoid chapstick stains in the future.
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