Hair dye is strong enough to permanently change the color of your hair; naturally, it can also change the color of other surfaces. This article discusses methods, cleansers, and tools—generally how to get hair dye stains out of sinks, tubs, showers, or counter surfaces.
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Options for Removing Hair Dye off a Sink or Tub
How to Get Hair Dye off a Sink: 5 Easy Steps
- 1Prepare the area for stain removal: First, put on gloves for personal safety. If applicable, wipe up any hair dye puddled on the surface—avoid spreading or smearing.
- 2Apply the cleaner: Spray, squirt or wipe on the chosen cleanser.
- 3Leave the cleaner for a while: Depending on the chosen cleaner, this might be anywhere from a few seconds to 1 hour.
- 4Scrub the area: In most cases, an ordinary sponge, toothbrush, or paper towels are good bets—abrasive brushes could scratch the surface.
- 5Rinse and repeat for difficult to remove stains: If you see progress but there is still a stain, repeat your chosen procedure until it is gone or try different approaches.
How to Get Hair Dye off a Bath Tub: 5 Easy Steps
- 1Fill the tub with hot water until it covers the stains: First, put on gloves for personal safety. If applicable, wipe up any puddled hair dye. You can fill the tub with water or turn on the shower to help.
- 2Apply the cleaner: Spray, squirt or wipe on the chosen cleanser
- 3Leave the cleaner for a while: Depending on the chosen cleaner, this might be anywhere from a few seconds to 1 hour.
- 4Scrub the area: In most cases, a regular sponge, nylon brush, toothbrush, or paper towels are fine—abrasive brushes will not help.
- 5Rinse (and repeat): Rinse the cleaner and stain off by filling the tub (or, if applicable, running the shower). If you still see a stain, try again with a different approach—or, if the stain has been lifted somewhat, repeat the previous procedure until it is gone.
Hair Dye Stains & Different Types of Sinks
How to remove hair dye stain in stainless steel sinks?
If the sink is old or the stains are left to set too long, hair dye can actually stain stainless steel sinks. It turns out rubbing alcohol or baking soda are the safest and best ways to remove hair dye from a stainless steel sink.
How to remove hair dye stain in a marble sink?
Abrasives are not how to remove hair dye from marble sinks; instead, try dish soap first before going to more powerful cleaners, such as hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol for chemical stains on marble.
How to remove hair dye stains from porcelain sink?
Abrasive cleansers or brushes are not how to get hair dye off of porcelain sinks. For vintage porcelain, use gentler approaches such as lemon essential oil or even lemon juice; you could also use hydrogen peroxide as a mild bleach replacement. For more durable porcelains, you can use regular bleach if needed.
How to remove hair dye stain from ceramic sink?
Ceramic can tolerate all cleaning methods mentioned in this article, but as with other surfaces, avoid abrasives to clean hair dye off these sinks.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
What happens if hair dye stains stay in the sink for too long?
Ultimately, this article targets how to get hair dye off a sink or tub when it has dried. Most people will find that hair dye wiped up immediately will not stain their sink.
Will purple shampoo stain my tub?
Like hair dye, it can stain a tub or shower surface. Therefore, definitely rinse and/or wipe any that splatters or puddles right way. If you still find a stain: try one or more of the above cleaning methods as soon as possible.
Does Magic Eraser remove hair dye?
Yes, in terms of effectiveness and convenience, this is how to remove hair dye stains from sink counters and shower-tub units.
Does toothpaste work in removing sink stains?
No, toothpaste can remove rust or tarnish (oxidation layers) from some items, but it is not how to get hair dye off of a sink. Instead, consider dissolving denture cleaning tablets in your sink or tub, as they often contain bleach and baking soda.
Conclusion
There are many options to remove hair dye stains from a given sink or tub surface. So, if the color is not coming out, keep trying until you find something that works. Sometimes, however, it is just a question of patience: keep repeating a cleaning step until the stain has faded or disappeared.
Holly Curell is the editor extraordinaire for Plumbing Lab. Having grown up in Michigan, Holly has spent time living in New York, Virginia, & currently North Carolina, where she lives with her husband & family. Holly loves DIY & has years of experience with at-home plumbing problems that arise from having 3 kids & living in colder climates. When she’s not writing about her plumbing knowledge, Holly enjoys reading, hiking & relaxing with family.