Removing makeup: pick your surface
Makeup is an oil and grease stain, usually from foundation on a sofa arm or lipstick trodden into carpet. The chemistry stays the same wherever it lands — but the safe way to treat it changes completely with the surface, which is why each pairing below has its own guide.
Not water-soluble
Water alone will not touch this stain; it needs an absorbent, surfactant or solvent stage.
Heat sets it
Keep hot water, steam and dryers away until the makeup is fully out — heat fixes it permanently.
Fresh vs dried-in
Foundation and lipstick are pigment suspended in oil and wax, so treat them as grease first and colour second. Fresh marks respond well to the absorb-then-degrease routine; dried makeup may leave pigment that needs a final alcohol pass.
Makeup removal guides by surface
Makeup on a wool carpet
hard to remove · pro sometimes needed
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a nylon carpet
moderate to remove
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a polypropylene carpet
hard to remove · pro sometimes needed
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a wool rug
hard to remove · pro sometimes needed
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a fabric sofa
moderate to remove
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a leather sofa
moderate to remove
Dry absorbent powder overnight, then a dedicated leather cleaner
Read the guideMakeup on a microfibre sofa
moderate to remove
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a polyester carpet
hard to remove
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a shaggy rug
moderate to remove
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a velvet sofa
moderate to remove
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a suede sofa
hard to remove · pro sometimes needed
A dry absorbent powder overnight and a suede brush, then a purpose-made suede cleaner
Read the guideMakeup on a linen sofa
moderate to remove
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a cotton sofa
moderate to remove
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a fabric car seat
moderate to remove
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guideMakeup on a leather car seat
moderate to remove
Dry absorbent powder overnight, then a dedicated leather cleaner
Read the guideMakeup on a curtains
moderate to remove
An absorbent powder first, then neat washing-up liquid as a degreaser
Read the guide