How to Get Hair Dye off Your Sink

Co-authored by Guy Peters and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: October 25, 2022

Dyeing your hair at home is a fun way to change up your look—but when you rinse your hair out, you might find a giant mess waiting for you. Not to worry! Fortunately, there are a few tried and true methods you can use to clean hair dye stains off of your sink, tub, or shower in no time. Read through this article to pick the product that’s right for you and get your bathroom sparkling clean again.

Things You Should Know

Start by cleaning the area with soap and hot water. Use rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover on non-varnished and non-painted surfaces.
Try baking soda or Bar Keeper’s Friend as a mild abrasive to scrub stains away. Use caution on porcelain sinks, as they can scratch the surface.
For white porcelain, try bleach to remove stains. For colored porcelain, use hydrogen peroxide to get stains out fast.

1

Dish soap and hot water

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Use degreasing soap to quickly remove hair dye. Sometimes, a little soap and water is all you need! Grab a clean towel and get it wet, then add a few drops of dish soap. Scrub the sink to remove most of the hair dye and tackle any stains left behind.^{[1]
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- The great part about using soap to clean is that it’s safe for almost every surface in your bathroom. If you got hair dye on your counter, tub, or shower, use soap to quickly clean it off.
- Soap might not remove the hair dye entirely. If you can still see some color, move on to another method.

2

Rubbing alcohol

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Rubbing alcohol strips the color out of tough stains. Grab a bottle of rubbing alcohol and dip a cotton pad into it. Use the cotton pad to rub at the stains to remove most of the dye. Then, leave the cotton pad with rubbing alcohol on it sitting on top of the stain for 5 minutes before rinsing with warm water.^{[2]
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- Rubbing alcohol is fine for most surfaces except varnished or painted ones. Using rubbing alcohol on surfaces like these can strip the color, so use caution.

3

Nail polish remover

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The acetone in nail polish remover helps clean up tough stains. Pour a bit of nail polish remover onto a cotton pad, then scrub at the hair dye in your bathroom. Grab a new cotton pad with nail polish remover on it and leave it on the stains for about 5 minutes, then rinse the sink with warm water.^{[3]
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- Like rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover isn’t safe for painted or varnished surfaces.

4

Baking soda

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Baking soda is mildly abrasive, so it can tackle tough stains. Mix 1 tsp (5.6 g) of baking soda with water until it forms a thick paste. Spread the paste onto the hair dye stain, then let it sit for 1 hour. After an hour, come back and scrub the stain with a clean cloth before rinsing with water.^{[4]
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- Baking soda is safe to clean most surfaces, but scrubbing too aggressively can damage some materials, like enamel and porcelain. If you have a varnished or enamel sink or tub, use caution with baking soda, especially when it comes time to scrub the stain.
- You could also try scrubbing your sink with a Magic Eraser. These sponges are also mildly abrasive, so they work about as well as baking soda does.

5

Bleach

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Bleach easily takes care of stains on white porcelain. Pour equal amounts of bleach and water into a spray bottle, then cover up your bathroom countertops with paper towels to prevent overspray. Spritz the stains with the bleach mixture, then let it sit for 1 hour. Rinse your sink with clean water to remove the stains.^{[5]
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- Using bleach is ideal for white porcelain sinks that could be damaged with other cleaning products.
- Bleach is a very strong cleaning agent. Always work in a ventilated area, and use gloves to protect your hands when cleaning.
- Oxygenated bleaches, like OxiClean, also work well on white sinks.

6

Hydrogen peroxide

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Hydrogen peroxide has the cleaning power of bleach without stripping off color. Pour hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle, then spray down the stained area. Leave the peroxide for 30 minutes to 1 hour, then come back and rinse with clean water.^{[6]
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7

WD-40

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WD-40 is a tough cleaner that can strip stains. Shake up a bottle of WD-40, then spray it onto the stained surfaces. Wait for 30 minutes to 1 hour before wiping up the product with paper towels and rinsing with water.^{[7]
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- WD-40 is a great choice for stainless steel sinks, because it won’t damage or scratch the surface.

8

Bar Keeper’s Friend

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Bar Keeper’s Friend is a mild abrasive that can scrub stains fast. Squirt some of the liquid formula onto the sink, then gently scrub it into the surface with a non-abrasive sponge or cloth. Then, rinse with warm water.^{[8]
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- If you’re cleaning a porcelain sink, use caution when scrubbing. Since Bar Keeper’s Friend is abrasive, it has the potential to scratch or damage the porcelain on your sink if you scrub too hard.