HOW TO GET FOOD COLORING OFF HANDS
Color makes everything more fun, am I right? My kids have always loved colorful activities, and I find they’re so much more willing to engage when the activity is captivating. In almost every activity on the blog and Mothercould In Your Pocket, I use all the colors of the rainbow to create a learning experience that excites all the senses! I firsthand know how much color can make a difference.
For some of the projects, I use washable watercolor, because it’s easy to clean. But that wouldn’t be a good idea for our taste-safe activities! Whether you’re making taste-safe blocks, play-dough, beach sand, or sensory rice for your little ones, using food dye is the best way to color your concoctions to make them taste-safe and visually exciting! However, during the creation of your activities, it’s easy to remove food coloring on your hands. And as you’ve probably realized by now, it’s not so easy to get off.
In this post, I’ll be listing some different ways to get food dye off your skin when soap and water just aren’t working. Here are some methods to try next time your little one is covered in food coloring stains and you’re about to pull your hair out:
HOW TO GET FOOD COLORING OFF HANDS
Rubbing Alcohol or Hand Sanitizer
The first method to get food coloring from your skin is to use rubbing alcohol or hand sanitizer! This one can be a little harsh on the skin, so if you have sensitive skin or you’re using this on little hands, be cautious about how much you use. Luckily, you shouldn’t need much to get rid of a stain with this method!
Use a cotton ball or rag to soak up some rubbing alcohol or apply some hand sanitizer. Then, rub the stained area until you see the stain start to dissipate. You shouldn’t need to scrub much and it should work fairly quickly. If not, use this initially and then move on to one of the less abrasive options below. This isn’t one you want to re-apply multiple times.
Watch out for open cuts and dry skin, because rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizer could really make those things hurt. I recommend choosing a different method of removing food dye if you or your child has any scrapes or irritation.
Bonus: Nail polish remover can work using this method as well! But just make sure you follow the same guidelines as above.
Shaving Cream
Foam shaving cream is another simple cleaning solution for food coloring. This is a great hack for getting food dye off of kids’ skin since it doesn’t use any harsh ingredients! Just apply the foam shaving cream, let it sit for about 30 seconds - 1 minute, and then wipe it off. It should get the job done without too much elbow grease. You can also re-apply it a few times if needed, without worrying if it’s going to hurt your little one’s skin.
Non-Gel Toothpaste
No shaving cream in the house? Try toothpaste! You need to use a non-gel, whitening toothpaste and rub your hands with it for a couple of minutes or until the food dye is gone. The toothpaste might dry out while scrubbing. If that happens, just layer on some more, and the food coloring should come off with a little time. And the smell isn’t totally awful like the smell of rubbing alcohol.
Baby Oil
I was skeptical at first if baby oil would work, but you might have seen on Instagram that baby oil easily removed permanent markers from my skin. This is now my go-to cleaning method for removing permanent markers from my kids after a messy project!
You’ll be pleased to know it also works on food coloring. This solution isn’t harsh at all and just takes some baby oil and a rag! Apply baby oil to a rag and gently rub the affected area in small circular motions. And it’s totally safe for sensitive and young skin, which is why I like this option so much.
Baking soda & Vinegar
Having baking soda and vinegar on hand when you have stubborn stains around will literally save you so much. Baking soda and vinegar are versatile cleaning products that work for many applications—stain removal is one of them. Just mix a few tablespoons of baking soda with equal parts white vinegar to make a paste. Then, apply a small amount of the paste to your skin, let it sit for a few minutes, and then scrub it away. Repeat until the food dye is gone! If you don’t like the harshness of baking soda and vinegar, baking soda and water can also work–maybe not as quickly, but it’ll work.
Lemon & Salt
Looking for a more natural way to get food coloring off your hands? Like the vinegar and baking soda method, you can mix equal parts lemon juice and salt to make a paste. Instead of applying it and letting it sit, though, massage the lemon and salt paste into your hands, focusing on the affected area. As a bonus, your hands will smell like fresh citrus after you’re done scrubbing the dye away!
How Long Does Food Coloring Last on Skin?
If you don’t feel like scrubbing the food coloring from your skin, it will go away eventually. As long as you’re using soap and water regularly and taking showers, it should fade in 1-3 days. By then, you’ll be ready to tackle another Mothercould project with your kids! If the food dye was a headache, you can always try one of my watercolor projects like ice painting or outdoor chalk.
You can get food coloring off your skin with regular household items!
As I said above, color makes almost every activity better. It’s engaging, exciting, and perfect for sensory play which is super great for childhood development! Don’t shy away from a project because of the mess it may make. Instead, think about the cherished memories you’ll have with your children! And to be honest, food coloring goes away, but beautiful, fun memories never do!
You focus on making core memories and know that we’ll always help you with fighting the stains and cleaning up the messes afterward! You can find more colorful activities, cleaning hacks, parenting tips, and more with the Mothercould blog and Mothercould In Your Pocket. For a one-time fee, you get full access to my entire library of adventures, activities, and advice! I hope to see you there soon!