How to Remove Makeup Stains From a Car Interior

To remove makeup from a car interior, start dry by lifting off loose powder, then dab oily products such as foundation and lipstick with a mild upholstery or leather cleaner, blotting with a white cloth and turning it as colour transfers. Finish with a barely damp cloth to remove residue. Most makeup combines pigment with oils, waxes or silicones, so plain water just smears it. Whatever the product, work in small dabbing movements from the outside of the mark inwards, because rubbing spreads pigment through fabric and grinds it into leather grain.

Where does makeup end up in a car?

Most makeup marks come from applying it in the car, usually in the vanity mirror on the sun visor. Typical spots include:

• The headlining around the visor and the visor itself.
• The driver's and passenger's seat backs and side bolsters, from collars and shoulders.
• Seat belts, which brush past foundation along the neck and jawline.
• Door pockets and the glovebox, where a lipstick or compact has melted or broken.
• The centre console and footwells, from dropped powder compacts.

Summer adds another problem. A cabin in direct sun gets hot enough to soften lipstick and cream products left in pockets, so they leak or smear onto trim.

How do you remove foundation and lipstick from fabric seats?

1. Remove the excess with the edge of a card, lifting rather than wiping.
2. Test your cleaner on a hidden area of the same fabric.
3. Apply a mild detergent solution, about a teaspoon of neutral detergent in a cup of lukewarm water, or a car upholstery cleaner, using a cloth or soft brush.
4. Dab and blot with a white cloth, changing to a clean section often.
5. Rinse lightly with clean water and blot until dry.

The University of Georgia Extension's cosmetics guidance uses that same detergent solution as one of its options for foundation and similar products on carpet, and for upholstery it moves to a dry-cleaning solvent and an oil based spotter for stubborn marks. In a car, keep solvents to a minimum and test them first, because the same guidance warns that solvents can damage carpet backing and upholstery foam, and that overwetting can leave a circle.

How do you get makeup off leather and vinyl?

Smooth, coated leather is easier than fabric if you act quickly. For lipstick on leather and vinyl, UGA advises wiping with mild detergent suds and then a clean damp cloth, using an absorbent powder such as cornmeal for any remaining grease.

Mazda's owner's manual lists grease or oil such as hand cream, and alcohol found in cosmetic and hair products, among the substances that should be cleaned off leather upholstery immediately, because leaving them can cause premature wear or stains. Use a pH balanced leather cleaner and a soft cloth, then dry the panel. Makeup remover wipes are tempting, but many contain oils or alcohol and leave their own residue.

What about mascara, eyeliner, powder and nail polish?

• Mascara and eyeliner: these are pigment in wax and are often waterproof. Treat them like ballpoint ink, dabbing gently with a cotton bud and a small amount of cleaner. Our guide to removing ink and pen from car seats covers that approach in more detail.
• Powder, blusher and eyeshadow: vacuum or brush them away dry first. Adding liquid too soon turns powder into paint. Clean any remaining tint with a mild detergent solution.
• Nail polish: blot wet polish immediately without spreading it. Do not reach for nail polish remover; acetone can dissolve plastic finishes, melt some synthetic fibres and strip leather. Dried polish on fabric or trim is a job for a professional.

How do you clean makeup off a car headlining or sun visor?

Headlinings are a thin fabric glued to a backing board. Too much liquid can loosen the glue and cause the lining to sag, or leave a water mark that is bigger than the original stain.

• Spray a little upholstery cleaner onto a microfibre cloth, never directly onto the roof.
• Dab the mark gently, lifting the colour into the cloth.
• Use a dry part of the cloth to blot the area straight away.

Our full guide to cleaning a car headlining explains how to treat larger areas safely. Sun visors are often a similar fabric over foam, so the same light approach applies.

When should makeup stains be left to a professional?

Dried nail polish, foundation that has soaked into a pale seat, melted lipstick in a fabric door pocket, and marks on a delicate headlining are worth handing over. Repeated home attempts can spread pigment or damage the surface, which makes the final result worse.

We treat makeup marks as part of our full interior and exterior valet, from £80, choosing products for each surface and testing on a hidden area first. Some marks, particularly nail polish on fabric, can only be reduced rather than removed, and we will say so before starting.

Sources

• University of Georgia Extension: Remove Stains From Cosmetics/Makeup/Sunscreen
• Mazda: MX-5 Owner's Manual, Leather Upholstery Maintenance