How to Take Paint off Plants

Whether you're painting indoors or outdoors, paint spills are bound to happen. Cover vulnerable plants with cloth dropcloths to protect them from paint spills. Do not use plastic dropcloths, which trap heat and can burn or even kill plants. Enamel latex paints are water-soluble, meaning they wash up with water while wet. These paints aren't likely to harm plants and should wash off quickly with normal watering. Oil-based paints contain volatile compounds and are more difficult to remove.

Soft cloth or paper towels
Pruning shears

Instructions

- 1
  Blot the paint immediately from the plant leaves with a soft cloth or paper towel. Latex paint, especially, is easy to remove if you move quickly. Once the paint dries, though, it will be harder to work with.
- 2
  Wash the plants using a gentle flow from a garden hose to remove the latex residue. Be careful not to wash away the soil or wet a recently painted surface.
- 3
  Snip leaves that are coated with paint with pruning shears to remove the paint. However, if the plant is covered with paint, your best bet may be to wait until new growth emerges and the old, paint-covered leaves fall off on their own. Pruning perennials and shrubs severely, especially in mid-to-late summer may promote disease or winter injury and may also result in an unattractive plant.

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