Even the most cautious vaper has done it – and if they tell you otherwise they’re definitely fibbing!
Whether changing a coil, refilling a tank, or even just having a sniff of the aroma of next potential vape flavour your considering adding to your device – e-liquid spills can happen anytime.
We’ve already covered vaping in the home and the associated mess you can expect in our blog section – as well as some handy tips to getting on top of or avoiding them. Here however we’re going to assume it’s too late, and your vape juice has made it onto your garms.
Can Vape Juice Stain Clothes?
Yes it certainly can! The initial thing you will see when you spill e-liquid on clothes is a dark mark, similar to water soaking into the fibres of whatever it is you are wearing. The difference is that as water dries, the mark fades to nothingness – sadly not so for e-liquid.
It doesn’t matter if it’s high-VG or 50-50, e-liquid stains don’t fadeaway very much, instead leaving a greasy mark.
The reason for this is actually down to one ingredient in particular – Propylene Glycol (PG). You can find out more about e-liquid ingredients in our blog, but the short version is of the four main ingredients (PG, VG, nicotine & flavouring), it is the PG that is the cause of vape juices staining power.
How to Get Greasy E-Liquid Stains Out of Clothes
PG is oily, hence why it leaves a greasy mark that doesn’t fade away. If you are the domesticated type, you may already have an armada of grease-busting ideas – many of which will do the trick, but if you (like may of us) are a little unsure of how to proceed, the following advice should help.
Move Fast
If disaster strikes and your favourite vape flavour is on your gear, don’t waste any time – the sooner you treat the stain the less of an impact it will have. No matter how you choose to tackle it, do it quickly! If you started reading this after spilling vape juice on yourself, it's probably already too late... sorry!
If possible, get the affected area soaked in dish washing detergent asap, which will get cracking eating away at the stain and help break down the oil causing it. If you’re at work and can’t just whizz off your kecks, the next best thing is to get a clean, wet washcloth soaked in some dish soap and start blotting the affected area – keep dabbing until it’s good and soaked.
Once you’ve done this give it time to dry naturally, don’t apply any heat like a hairdryer or radiator. If the satin is still there when dry, then it may be time to try something more intense like a specific stain removal product in a proper washing machine (if that wasn’t your first course of action).
The main thing to remember is that unless it’s a particularly serious stain, almost all e-liquid should come out of your clothes if you get to it fast enough.
Try Dish Soap First
PG is an oil, and is not just used as a base material by itself, it is also used as a carrier for the nicotine and flavouring in all of our vape juice. This means the stains from e-liquid are oil-based.
Because Dish Soap is designed to cut through grease specifically, you will find that is can be particularly effective on e-liquid stains without having to go out and buy something specific. This is why we always recommend using dish soap first if available.
Use other products for stubborn stains
Vanish Oxi-Action is a fantastic option for removing all kinds of stains, and if you have had no luck with dish soap then we recommend trying this out next – either the pre-wash treatments of in-wash products will do the trick, although the pre-wash allows you to more accurately target the stained area, so these are very handy!
The Stain Won’t Go Away!
Unfortunately, there are a few circumstances where an e-liquid stain will prove too much to handle:
- If exposed to sunlight or high temperatures for a good while after the spill, it can set the stain and make it very hard to get out of the fibres of the garment.
- Rayon in particular is a material that is hard to get stains like these out of, best practice is just to act as fast as you can!
- If you didn’t notice the satin and it is now days later – it can sometimes be easier to use a dry-cleaners or similar service as they are better equipped to battle such tough stains.
Good luck, now get scrubbin’!
