How to Get Slime Out of Clothes (10 Easy Methods)

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How to Get Slime Out of Clothes (10 Easy Methods)

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As the mom of a six-year-old, I’m well educated on the world of slime. The slime kits with mix-ins are really cool (I actually just picked one up for her birthday.)

DIY slime videos are on my YouTube playlists, and this is a really fun craft idea. My little one also loves things like this, so she’ll happily settle her bouncy self down for quite a while once she has a few handfuls of slime. 

However, slime used to be, and sometimes still can be, rather messy. Jello edible slime was the messiest slime I have ever seen. Her clothes were covered in it.

I don’t even know how that happened. Slime can also get stuck on clothes while you’re making it DIY style, or simply while they are playing with it. 

The thing about getting slime out of clothing is that it depends on what the slime is made up of. Standard store-bought slime calls for something different than edible Jello slime.

These ideas will guarantee that the slime comes out of your little one’s clothes, though, regardless of what type of slime it is. One of these will work. 

Follow Standard Stain Removal Tips

If you’re removing a stain from clothing, there are always a few things that you need to do. First, don’t wash clothing with other clothes. The stain, or, in this case, slime, can be transferred to other clothing while being washed.

Then, you wind up with an entire load of clothing with slime goop on it. Also, always test out new stain treatment methods on a small part of the clothing to make sure that it will not affect the color.

Follow directions on the tag. If it says dry clean only, don’t throw it in the washer, for example. Finally, don’t dry it until you’re sure the stain is out. 

1. Edible Slime Comes Out With Shout

Shout, my go-to stain remover, will easily take out Jello edible slime. My daughter had this on her pants, sleeves, and shirt. Now, keep in mind that this wasn’t white clothing, it was a dark gray shirt and jeans.

I sprayed them with Shout and ran them through the washer. With how sticky the slime was, I wasn’t sure if it would come out. However, the slime smears were gone in one wash.

Keep in mind edible slime is just powder and water, which makes it a bit different than the other types of slime you get at the store or make at home. 

2. Remove The Globs Of Slime

Shout worked so well and required so little effort because it was more like there were smears of slime color on her clothing. With actual slime that gets stuck in globs, it might require a little more effort.

If you have children’s clothing with literal balls of slime stuck to it, which can easily happen while you’re having fun with those DIY YouTube videos, you need to remove the excess slime first.

If you don’t, it can remain stuck to the clothing. If it comes off, it can get stuck inside the washer. 

To do this, get a plastic putty knife and gently scrape it off. A butter knife or spoon will also suffice. If you’re just having a hard time getting it off, freeze it.

This makes it easier to scrape off. To do this, use an ice cube or put the clothing in the freezer. (Putting it in the freezer and waiting is much easier than the ice cube method.)

3. Use White Vinegar And Water To Dissolve Slime

Mix 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water in a spray bottle. Then, apply the solution to the slime. Make sure to use plenty of it! Then, slowly work the solution into the clothing with a scrub brush.

I usually use a toothbrush (we always have extra toothbrushes under the bathroom sink.) Use a circular motion, and the slime will slowly break away from the clothing. 

As you do this, you’ll notice a tiny bit of excess liquid on the clothing from the slime breaking down. Keep a spare piece of cloth, like an old washcloth, handy to blot this up. Continue to do this until you feel you can safely through the clothing in the washer. 

If you don’t have a spray bottle on hand, you can also mix together vinegar and water in a large bowl. Then, simply soak the clothing in the bowl.

You only need to soak the part of the clothing that has slime on it, not the entire pair of jeans. Don’t forget to test a small portion of the clothing to ensure that it won’t affect the color of the clothing first.

Although this doesn’t usually happen, it’s always better to be safe instead of sorry. 

4. Remove Slime With An Apple Cider Vinegar Soak 

If you don’t have white vinegar but have some apple cider vinegar handy, this will do the trick. You can mix it like the white vinegar solution above, or you can soak the clothing in a bowl of water and vinegar.

This is a bit easier if you aren’t a fan of scrubbing clothes. Simply use half water and half apple cider vinegar (the ratio is different because apple cider vinegar is stronger than white vinegar) and put the clothing with the stain on it in the bowl. 

Check the clothing after twenty minutes. The slime should come off easier. If not, soak it again or resort to the spray bottle and scrub method. 

5. Goo Gone Will Remove Slime From Clothing

For a long time, I had a bottle of Goo Gone handy while I was painting. This stuff is so useful, I now almost always have a bottle under the sink.

It’s inexpensive, and it helps removes sticky stuff from almost anything. This also applies to removing slime from clothing. 

6. Dawn Dish Soap Works Wonders For Removing Slime Without Vinegar

If you don’t have any vinegar, try using dish soap. I don’t know if any dish soap works other than Dawn, but it never hurts to try! First, remove the chunks of slime from the clothing. Then, put the shirt in the sink.

Squirt the slime stain with plenty of dish soap. Then, start the water and work the shirt, soap, and water together with your hands to form a nice lather.

Keep rubbing the clothing together to release the slime. It should rinse right off so that you can throw it in the washer. 

7. Pre-Treat With Laundry Soap

Use liquid laundry soap or create a paste with powder laundry soap and water. Then, apply a lot to the slime stain. Rub the clothing together to slowly but surely loosen the slime from the clothing.

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You can also use a scrub brush or toothbrush to work the mixture into the clothing. The slime will slowly begin to come out. Rinse with water to make sure that you have removed the slime, and that it is safe to wash it. 

8. Immediately Wash The Clothing After Pre-Treating

Once you’ve successfully removed enough slime to wash clothing, it can be tempting to throw it in the hamper, but don’t. It needs to be washed according to the directions on the tag as soon as possible.

If you don’t, the slime can set in the clothing all over again. Then, you are stuck starting at the beginning of the process again. 

9. Wash The Clothing By Itself

If you wash clothing with slime on it with other clothing, it will spread to the other clothing. If the clothing has glitter on it still, you can expect everything to be covered in glitter.

Instead, wash it by itself to make sure that nothing else gets covered in slime residue, glitter, etc. While there shouldn’t be enough left on the clothing to make this happen, we all make mistakes, and we all miss spots. 

10. Always Use The Hottest Water Possible To Remove Slime

It doesn’t matter if you’re pretreating with vinegar or laundry soap, use hot water. If you can wash the clothing in hot water without shrinking or damaging it, do it. This works better at removing slime from clothing than cold water does. 

In Conclusion

If you’re stuck with slime-covered clothing, use vinegar and water to break up the slime. If you don’t have vinegar handy, pre-treat with stain remover, dish soap, or laundry soap.

For particularly stubborn slime stains, you’re going to need a professional product to remove the slime.