How to Get Slime Out of Clothes: Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

If your child has come home with slime stuck to their school jumper, do not worry, it comes out. To get slime out of clothes, scrape off as much as you can, soak the stain in white vinegar for 10–15 minutes to dissolve it, then rinse in warm water and wash as normal. For dried-on slime, pop the garment in the freezer for a few hours first so the slime goes brittle and flakes off.

Slime is basically glue mixed with borax or contact lens solution, which is why warm water alone often makes it worse. The vinegar method breaks the slime down at a chemical level, and it works on shop-bought slime, homemade slime and even the glittery kind. Here is exactly how to do it, plus a freezer trick for the really stuck-on bits.

What You Need to Remove Slime from Clothes

Everything here is cheap and easy to find:

• White vinegar (a 1-litre bottle costs around £1–2 at Tesco or Wilko)
• An old toothbrush, spoon or blunt knife
• A bowl for soaking
• Your normal laundry detergent
• A freezer bag (for the freeze method)
• Ice cubes (for spot-freezing small patches)

Use white vinegar, not malt vinegar or brown vinegar, because the coloured kinds can stain light fabrics. Distilled white vinegar from the cleaning aisle or the food aisle both work fine.

How to Get Slime Out of Clothes: Step-by-Step

This method works for wet or damp slime. If the slime has already dried hard, skip to the freezer method below first.

1. Scrape off the excess. Use a spoon, blunt knife or your fingernails to lift away as much slime as you can. Work gently so you do not push it deeper into the weave of the fabric.
2. Soak the stain in white vinegar. Pour white vinegar over the stain so it is fully covered, or soak the whole area in a bowl of vinegar. Leave it for 10–15 minutes. The vinegar dissolves the slime, breaking down the glue that holds it together.
3. Scrub with an old toothbrush. After soaking, rub the stained area with an old toothbrush using small circles. You should see the slime starting to come apart and lift out of the fibres. Keep the area wet with vinegar as you work.
4. Rinse with warm water. Hold the garment under a warm tap and rinse away the loosened slime and vinegar. Check the area. If any residue remains, repeat the vinegar soak.
5. Wash as normal. Put the garment in the washing machine with your usual detergent on its normal cycle. Check the stain is gone before you tumble dry, because heat can set any leftover residue.

For most fresh slime, one vinegar soak does the job. The whole thing takes about 20 minutes plus a wash cycle.

The Freezer Method for Dried-On Slime

When slime has dried completely, it goes hard and crusty and vinegar alone may struggle. Freezing makes it brittle so it cracks and flakes off.

1. Put the garment in a freezer bag and place it in the freezer for 2–3 hours, or overnight for really thick patches.
2. Take it out and immediately bend and crack the frozen slime. It should flake off in chunks. Use a spoon to help lift stubborn bits.
3. For any remaining residue, use the vinegar soak method above to dissolve what is left.
4. Wash as normal.

This method is brilliant for school uniforms, because kids often do not mention the slime until it has dried solid. If you only have a small patch and do not want to freeze the whole garment, hold an ice cube on the slime for 10 minutes to harden it, then scrape it off.

How to Get Slime Out of Carpets and Upholstery

Slime does not always land on clothes. If it ends up on the carpet or sofa, the same principles apply. Scrape off the excess with a spoon, then dab the area with a cloth soaked in white vinegar, working from the outside in. Leave it for 10 minutes, blot with a clean damp cloth, and repeat until the slime is gone. Finish by blotting with plain water to remove the vinegar smell, then let it air-dry. Avoid rubbing, which pushes slime deeper into carpet fibres, and never use hot water on the spot.

How to Get Slime Out of Clothes Without Vinegar

No vinegar in the house? Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl alcohol) also dissolves slime. Dab it onto the stain with a cloth, leave it for 10 minutes, then scrub and wash. You can find rubbing alcohol at most pharmacies for a few pounds. Alternatively, a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water rubbed into the stain can help lift it, though it is less effective than vinegar on thick slime.

Top Tips

• Do not use hot water first. Hot water can melt slime and spread it through the fabric, making the stain bigger. Always dissolve or freeze it off before washing warm.
• Act before it dries if you can. Wet slime comes out in minutes with vinegar. Dried slime needs the freezer first, so check school clothes the same day if possible.
• White vinegar only. Malt or brown vinegar can leave their own stains on light-coloured clothes.
• Keep a dedicated “slime toothbrush”. An old toothbrush is the perfect tool for scrubbing slime out of fabric weave without damaging it.
• Check pockets before the freezer. Kids leave all sorts in pockets, so give the garment a quick check before it goes into the freezer bag.
• Glitter slime needs extra rinsing. The glue dissolves easily, but glitter clings to fibres. Rinse thoroughly under a running tap and give it a second rinse cycle in the machine.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Washing slime-stained clothes in hot water straight away, which spreads the slime.
• Rubbing dried slime, which pushes it deeper into the fabric instead of lifting it.
• Using bleach on coloured school uniforms to attack the stain, it will fade the fabric.
• Tumble drying before checking the stain is fully gone, heat sets any leftover residue.
• Scrubbing delicate fabrics too hard with a brush, use your fingers on silk or wool instead.

FAQs

Does white vinegar remove slime from clothes?

Yes. White vinegar dissolves the glue in slime. Soak the stain for 10–15 minutes, scrub gently, rinse and wash as normal. It works on both shop-bought and homemade slime.

How do you get dried slime out of clothes?

Freeze the garment for 2–3 hours so the slime goes brittle, crack and scrape it off, then soak any remaining residue in white vinegar before washing. This two-step approach handles even slime that has been stuck on for days.

Will slime come out in a normal wash?

Usually not on its own, and hot water can make it worse by melting it into the fabric. Always scrape, freeze or vinegar-treat the slime before the garment goes in the machine.

Is slime safe to wash out of kids’ clothes?

Yes. White vinegar and freezing are both safe, non-toxic methods. Just rinse the vinegar out well and wash with your child’s normal detergent afterwards.

Conclusion

Getting slime out of clothes is easy once you know the trick: vinegar dissolves it, the freezer makes dried slime flake off, and the washing machine finishes the job. Keep a bottle of white vinegar under the sink and no slime incident will ever ruin a school uniform again.

For more stain advice, see the Cleanipedia UK guide to removing glue-based stains and the Which? guide to removing common stains.