Paintball is a freaking awesome game to play, isn’t it? But it can turn into a massive nuisance if paintballs stain the clothes. The real concern is about the potential for paint to get all over the clothes and then be difficult to remove. So does paintball paint wash out of clothes? 

Yes, paintball paint can be washed out of clothes. Paintballs are made of water-soluble food coloring substances that are nonstaining and biodegradable, so usually, they don’t stain on clothes. 

However, some paintballs can cause permanent stains, so you must be careful. Also, wrong treatment of paint can cause problems for you, like staining other clothes. So lots of things are there that you should know before washing out paintball stain cloths. Scroll down to learn more about them. 

Are paintball Stains Permanent? 

No paintball stains are not permanent. Just above, I told you that paintballs are not actual paint. They are just gelatine and polyethylene glycol substances that may leave simple marks, not permanent stains if you clean them in the right way. 

But if you leave the stain untreated for a couple of days, the stain can be permanent. Though the paintball doesn’t have harmful chemicals, if it’s an oil based paint, with time, it can sit on the cloth and cause a permanent stain. That’s why i always say, no matter what stain it is, first dab the stain as much as possible with a microfiber towel or cloth so moisture is absorbed, then use stain remover solution. Thus, cleaning becomes easier.  

Another reason for permanent stains can be using the wrong paintballs that are outdated, low quality etc. I will discuss more below.

So, paintball stains are in no way permanent. You can remove paint stains from clothes, trees, houses, paintball gear, or anything very easily.

Are Some Paintballs Prone to Leave Stains than Others? 

Yes, some paintballs are more prone to leave stubborn stains than normal paintballs. This depends mainly on three contributing reasons. 

Cheap Quality Paintball 

There are a number of shops selling mediocre and bad-quality paintballs. These paintballs have a tendency of early breakage (before reaching the enemy) or of hard resistance (too difficult to break upon impact). A good paintball should reach the target properly and break after the contact. It should have proper shell, weld, and staining ability to leave a mark. 

Outdated Paintballs

Paintballs are meant to perform best soon after production. After a few months of manufacturing, paintballs get dry and less soluble, making them difficult to remove. So, I suggest playing with fresh paintballs.

Paintball Dye

Pink or red, or similar strong colors have the propensity to permanently stain. Manufacturers use stronger food coloring agents to make them red or pink. So, they permeate more, especially on light-colored clothes. However, red paintballs aren’t allowed on many paintball sites. 

Pro Tip

Always wear dark-colored clothes on the field. Dark clothing is less stain-affected by Paintball. 

Can you wash paintball clothes with other clothes?

Yes, you can wash paintball clothes with other clothes, but after pretreating the stains.  Why take risks of ruining our favorite clothes and making the work worse?

If you wash paintball cloths with other clothes, chances are low of having any stains on cotton or light-fabric clothes.  But strong fabric would definitely bear some mark of the paint. And if the paints are not good quality or outdated, chances are high they will ruin any type of clothes.

So, the best practice is to pretreat the paintball clothes separately to remove the stains and then wash them with other clothes.  After all, it’s not a difficult task to wash paintball clothes. 

How do you wash clothes after paintball?

Now comes the cleaning part of the game clothing. As I have already mentioned, it is better to clean the clothes immediately after a paintball game. So we will follow the below process a day after the game or the day itself.

  • First, you should look for stains and pretreat them. Start by dabbing the stains with a microfiber towel or paper towel, so it can absorb the moisture of the stain. You know, when the moisture is out of the stain, it becomes easier to clean. 
  • Then use stain remover or liquid detergent. Simply put the cleaning solution on the stain and leave it for a few minutes to work. Then use a stiff brush or toothbrush and give it a gentle scrub. 
  • Next, put the cloth into a regular washing machine, add laundry detergent, and start the machine to clean clothes. Most of the time, regular laundry is enough for paintball stains. 
  • If there are no stubborn marks, clothes will be spick and span. But what if you find some persistent stains? Well, in that case, try this solution. Take a 1:2 ratio of dish detergent and warm water with ammonia water, and then soak the cloth for an hour. All stains will be removed like magic. 
  •  Avoid squeezing the cloth after washing; just hang it on the balcony or rooftop and let it air dry naturally. That’s all; your clothes are all ready to be worn on the next battlefield.

How To Remove Stubborn Paintball Stains

If you’ve ever been the unfortunate recipient of a paintball battle gone wrong, you know that paintball stains can be a real pain to deal with. Whether they’re on your clothes, paintball gear, walls, or furniture, sometimes these paintball splats can be difficult to remove – and often result in a lot of scrubbing!

Let’s know a simple way to get the stubborn paintball stains off!

  • Mix 1 cup of warm water, not hot water, with one tablespoon of ammonia and one teaspoon of dish soap or liquid. Give it a good stir, and it’s done.
  • Put the stained clothing in this mixture and let it soak in the solution for half an hour. If it’s not paintball clothing like pants or shirt, but a paintball mask, or knee pads, follow the same process. 
  • But if it’s a paintball marker or somewhere else, like on walls or cars, take the solution in a spray bottle, and spray directly on the stained area. Let the solution work for half an hour, and then clean paintball stain.
  • After half an hour, take out the clothing and scrub with a bristle brush until the stain is gone. same for other places or equipment. If paint residue is still there, add some of the solutions again and continue scrubbing the excess paint.
  • Then put the clothing in the regular washing machine and wash it as usual. and for equipment and places, wipe out the wet paint with a damp microfiber towel.
  • Dry the clothing in natural air, and avoid wringing. Wringing will cause tiny cracks and crevices on the clothes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does paintball stain white clothes?

Yes, paintball stain white cloths. As I told you before, you should wear old clothes with a long sleeve while playing paintball because of paintball stains. Now, if you are wearing white or light color clothes, obviously, paintball stains will be more visible and harder to remove.  

How To Get Rid of Paintball Smelll

Get creative by using lemon juice ice cubes. Place a few cubes on the stained area and wait until it melts. You can make it even easier by dipping them in some liquid detergent first. This way paintball smell will be gone in a few minutes.  

Can you wash out paintball paint from cars and trees? 

Yes, you can wash out any type of paintball paint from cars, trees, houses, and clothes. Paintballs are not actual paint. Rather, they are water-soluble nonstaining gelatin capsules. 

Can you use a Dryer on paintball clothes? 

There is no problem using the Dryer for gaming clothes. But if your clothes are made of rough fabrics, it would be better to dry them in the air. 

Final Verdict

To be precise here, paintball paint is easy to remove and wash out clothes if you clean them on time. Don’t keep your stained clothes for so long. Take everything into consideration and make your decision. If you still do not have a clue whether paint stains can be easily washed out of clothes, try using a pre-treater Resolve stain remover. They have special ingredients for removing any type of stain from clothes.