How to Remove Glitter

Co-authored by Nicole Bolin

Last Updated: March 29, 2019

While using glitter for crafts, decoration, and makeup can be fun and festive, cleaning glitter can be an infuriating ordeal. If you’re struggling to remove glitter from your skin, hair, or furniture, you’re not alone. By using different forms of adhesives - including tape, lint rollers, and hairspray - for small amounts of glitter, and using a vacuum for larger spills, you’ll be able to remove all signs of glitter from your body and home in a matter of minutes.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Cleaning Glitter From Hair, Skin, and Clothes

1
Massage oil into your hair, then rinse. Basic oils - such as cleansing oil, baby oil, olive oil, or coconut oil - can do wonders for removing glitter from your hair. Coat your fingers in your oil of choice, and massage the oil into glittery sections of your hair. Let the oil set for 10 minutes before washing your hair with shampoo. The oil will loosen the glitter from your hair, allowing it to rinse off easily in the shower.^{[1]
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2
Blot your scalp with a paper towel sprayed with hairspray. While the towel is still damp, lightly blot the glittery areas of your scalp. The glitter will adhere to the hairspray, and the damp spray won’t get stuck in your hair.^{[2]
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3
Wipe down your skin with oil on a cotton pad. Put 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of any basic oil on a cotton pad or ball. Use the pad to lightly wipe down glittery areas of your face and body. When you’re finished, wash your skin with warm water and soap. As with the hair treatment, the oil will loosen glitter from your skin so it can be washed away with water.^{[3]
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4
Use scotch tape to clean stray glitter bits from skin. If there glitter lingers on your skin after washing your face, wrap 2 inches (5.1 cm) of scotch tape around your index finger so that the sticky side is facing out. Once the tape is secure, use your sticky finger to blot glitter from your skin.^{[4]
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- If your piece of tape becomes covered in glitter or loses its stickiness before your face is clean, replace the tape and keep going.
5
Use a lint roller to remove glitter from clothing. If you can’t shake the glitter from your clothes, use a lint roller to clean the lingering bits. The glitter will adhere to the sticky tape on the lint roller.^{[5]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Removing Glitter From Your Home

1
Sweep glitter spills into a large pile with a damp paper towel or a dryer sheet. If you want to remove a glitter spill from your home, first try to contain the spill as much as possible. A damp paper towel works well for sweeping spills on uncarpeted floors, while dryer sheets are best for carpet spills.^{[6]
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2
Use a vacuum hose to suck the glitter pile from the floor. Using the hose, as opposed to the larger vacuum unit, will help contain your glitter spill in its pile as you remove it. Vacuum the large pile until there are only tiny bits of glitter debris left on the ground.^{[7]
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3
Remove all lingering glitter bits with scotch tape or a lint roller. To clean those final, pesky bits of glitter, use the scotch tape method to remove glitter from the floor, or use a lint roller to swipe the area clean. This method also works for removing stray glitter or smaller spills from furniture or other home surfaces.^{[8]
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Expert Q&A
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Question

How do I take off glitter that was painted onto wood?

Nicole Bolin
Crafts & DIY Specialist
Nicole Bolin is a Crafting Specialist and the CEO of Stencil, a DIY Craft Studio in Phoenix, Arizona. Nicole specializes in interior design and various craft and DIY projects. Nicole holds a Certificate in Interior Design from the New York Institute of Art and Design. She opened Stencil in 2017 to teach others to create DIY projects that fit their home and lifestyle.

Nicole Bolin

Crafts & DIY Specialist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

The best way to remove glitter from wood is with sandpaper. You can sand it by hand, but it's much easier and faster to use something like an orbital sander or belt sander.