Remove Body Paint and Restore the Car’s True Color

It's maddening when you wake up and find your car covered in your child's paint. But if something like this happens, don't panic.

There are many ways to remove spray paint, but the most effective are using acetone nail polish remover, car wash mud, and carnauba wax.

Use Acetone Nail Polish Remover

Find a bottle of acetone or nail polish remover that contains acetone. You may not have acetone on hand, but you probably have a bottle of nail polish remover. Nail polish remover is used to remove the enamel layer from your nails, which is exactly what you need to do when cleaning car paint. There are no restrictions on nail polish remover brands; the higher the acetone content, the better the results.

Pour acetone or nail polish remover onto a cloth. Choose a terry towel or microfiber towel to avoid scratching your car’s clear coat or paint. The towel must stay moist during the cleaning process, so when it starts to dry, add some acetone or nail polish remover.

• Wear gloves to avoid irritating your hands with acetone or nail polish remover and wiped-off paint.

Gently wipe the spray paint marks with a cloth. Use small circular motions to remove traces of spray paint from the car. The wiping action must be very gentle, otherwise not only the spray paint traces may be wiped off, but also the clear coat and paint of the car. The spray paint on the car will rub onto the rag, so the rag must be changed frequently.

Wash the car after removing the spray paint. After wiping off the spray paint, be sure to wash the car thoroughly. To remove all traces of spray paint as well as acetone or nail polish remover, pay special attention to the spray-painted areas.

Use Car Wash Mud

Wash and dry the car. It is important to complete this step before scrubbing your car with car wash mud. You can wash your car manually or automatically. If the spray paint is freshly applied, hot water and soap can even remove some of the paint.

Buy car wash mud. Car wash mud is a polymer abrasive that removes anything on the surface of your car’s paint without scratching or damaging it. There are several types of car wash mud available on the market, including Detailer’s Pride brand products. You can also choose Meguiar’s Smooth Surface Clay Kit, which contains cleaning spray, car wax, and a microfiber cloth. Cleaning spray can act as a lubricant to remove sludge.

• You can buy these sludge removers at your local auto supply store.

Rub to remove sludge. All you need is a small, flat, palm-sized piece of sludge remover, so if you buy a new sludge remover stick, you’ll want to cut it in half. Then seal it in a ziplock bag and place it in a bucket or bowl filled with warm water. Warm water will heat the sludge, making it easier to work with. Take half the stick and rub it between your hands to form a pancake or pie shape.

Apply sludge-removing lubricant. It’s important to use a lubricant, which will allow the stain to glide across the paint instead of sticking to it. Shake the lubricant and spray it onto the dirt and car’s paint. Spray a little more to prevent the sludge from sticking to the car.

• Your nearby auto supply store should have a sludge-removing lubricant for sale.

Wipe away any traces of spray paint with sludge remover. When removing the sludge, place it slightly below the palm of your hand without letting it wrap around your fingertips. Hold the remover firmly and rub the paint marks back and forth, as if you were scrubbing your skin with soap. Don’t stop until the paint is wiped off.

• When the desludge becomes coated with contaminants, fold it over once and re-roll it into a pie shape with a clean surface.

Wipe off any residue. Wipe away sludge removal residue from your car with a microfiber cloth. Gently wipe the scrubbed area with a cloth to remove sludge.

Wax the car paint. Using sludge remover will wipe away any previous wax, so be sure to wax your car afterward to prevent further damage to the paint and restore the shine to the clear coat. Use the tool that came with the wax or sponge to apply the wax using circular motions, or use a soft rotary polishing tool.

Use Carnauba Wax

Buy Liquid Carnauba Wax. Products like Butter Wet brand carnauba wax contain carnauba oil, which breaks down spray paint. It will not damage or scratch paint or varnish, it will only remove traces of paint from your car’s surface. You should be able to buy liquid carnauba wax at your local auto supply store, but if not, you can buy it online.

• If there is still spray paint residue on the car after using carnauba oil, then cover the paint with a polishing product such as V36. You can buy these products at auto supply stores.

Apply the wax to the sponge. Pour a generous amount of liquid wax onto a soft sponge or cloth. Squeeze it onto a sponge, or drop some on. Add wax as you clean the spray paint, and don’t worry about using too much, as it takes a lot of wax to break down the paint.

Use a sponge to wipe away any traces of spray paint. Hold the waxed sponge firmly and use circular motions to wipe the paint-stained areas of your car. Make sure excess spray paint and any erroneous paint marks are wiped away. When the surface of the sponge is stained with spray paint, immediately change the side or use a new sponge.

• This step may need to be repeated several times since the carnauba oil breaks down the paint rather than mechanically rubbing it off.

Wipe the wax off. After removing the paint marks, you should wipe the wax off the car. Take a clean microfiber cloth and polish the car. Use it in small circular motions to rub the waxed area.

Tips

• Remove traces of spray paint as soon as possible, as the longer the paint sits in the sun, the harder it will be to remove.
• If the car window also has spray paint on it, it should be easy to clean with acetone and a razor blade.