Homemade Paint Remover

Paint removers can be purchased from all hardware and home improvement stores, but these items are costly and can contain harmful ingredients that can hurt you and your family. With a few simple ingredients, you can easily make your own homemade paint remover.

Washing soda paint remover is inexpensive, harmless and simple to make. Pour 1 cup cold water into a dish and slowly stir in 4 spoonfuls of washing soda (this can be purchased with laundry detergents in any supermarket). Add flour to the mixture, one spoonful at a time, mixing each spoonful into the solution. Keep adding flour and mixing it in until you have a thick, consistent cream. Brush this cream over the area you wish to remove paint from, and let it penetrate for 30 minutes. Rinse off this homemade paint remover while scraping off paint with a firm brush.

This recipe requires more potent ingredients and is designed to remove older paints. Pour 2 cups room temperature water into a dish and add 1 cup borax, 1 cup ammonia and 1 cup washing soda (found with laundry detergents in any supermarket). Mix thoroughly until you have a consistent creamy paste, then brush over the paint with this mixture. Let penetrate for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse off with warm water while scrubbing with steel wool. This works well to remove all paint types, including paint that is many years old.

Removing paint from hardware is another simple task and does not require the expensive paint removal products found in stores. Using an old pot, boil a pot of hot water (enough to submerge the affected hardware), and pour in enough baking soda to give the water a white film (typically about one to two cups). Stir the baking soda so that it begins to dissolve, then add your hardware into the pot. Let it simmer for 15 minutes, then remove with a pair of tongs. Use caution, as the hardware will be extremely hot. Rinse with cold water, and wipe away excess paint or residue with a cloth or paper towel.