Does Quilt Basting Spray Wash Out? (Find Out! Solved!)

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When trying to baste your quilt, you have many options. You can use pins, fusible web, loose stitches, or basting spray. Of these options, people typically opt for basting spray because of the speed and ease of use.

But then there is one question many people ask before they use basting spray, “does it wash out?”

Does quilt basting spray wash out?

Quilt basting spray may or may not wash out, depending on the brand of basting spray you use and how you use it.

But then, in many cases, after washing your quilt a few times, the basting spray will lose its stickiness. However, there may still be some residue on the fabric.

Before you opt for a quilt basting spray ahead of other basting options, you should read the information below. We talk about quilt basting spray washing out, ways to remove basting spray, and more.

Does Quilt Basting Spray Wash Out?

Basting is meant to be a temporary hold for your quilt layers, so obviously, you don’t want it on your finished quilt. You would expect that once you wash the quilt, most or all the basting spray on it should wash out. But does this happen?

As we said, in most cases, quilt basting spray will lose its adhesiveness after a few washes. But then, you may still have some residue on the fabric.

In other words, the basting spray may stop holding the layers of your quilt together after a while. But some of its particles may still remain on the fabric.

One thing to note is that your experience with quilt basting sprays will vary from one brand to another. So, before using any basting spray on your quilt, read about it thoroughly.

You could do an online search and read about some known brands before choosing. You could also read the can or pack of the basting spray while at the store. Look out for information on how long the spray holds, how long it takes to dry, and other similar details.

Besides the brand, the amount of spray you apply to your fabric may also determine if it washes out readily or not.

If you spray too much quilt basting spray on your material, the baste may not lose stickiness readily. It may also leave even more residue behind when it stops being sticky.

How to Remove Quilt Basting Spray

If you mistakenly smear some quilt basting spray on your fabric while working, do not fret. You can get the spray stain out with some simple solutions.

Warm Soapy Water

Washing quilt basting spray off your fabric with warm soapy water is perhaps the easiest way to remove the stain. All you have to do is get a sponge, dip it in the warm soapy water and scrub the spray stain out.

If you intend to remove quilt basting spray with warm soapy water, time is of the essence. The glue will become harder to remove with time, so get to it quickly.

Alcohol

If warm soapy water does not get the quilt basting spray out, alcohol will.

Pour some alcohol on a clean rag and rub the affected area until the stain comes out. If the fabric is thick, you may use a toothbrush instead of a rag. Just dip the toothbrush in alcohol and scrub the affected area gently.

Note that if your quilt fabric is acrylic, acetate, modacrylic, or triacetate, you should not use alcohol on it. Alcohol might damage any of those fabrics.

Also, avoid soaking your fabric, especially colored ones, in alcohol. Doing so may cause discoloration. In addition, use colorless or non-colorful alcohol. Using something like red wine will leave colorful stains on your quilt.

How to Remove Quilt Basting Spray From Your Iron

A quilter uses and iron to smooth out and press out any wrinkles on a bow tie quilt top.

Sometimes when quilting, people mistakenly iron some of the basting spray. Unfortunately, when this happens, the iron gets all sticky and messy. So, when you try using it on any fabric, it sticks instead of gliding.

If some of your quilt basting spray gets on your pressing iron, you can remove the mess by doing any of the following:

Heat the Iron

If the residue on the surface of the iron is thick, you can try heating the iron. Heating the iron softens the sticky residue, and when the spray residue is soft, you can wipe most of it off with a clean rag.

Clean the Iron With White Vinegar

To clean your iron with white vinegar, you need a plastic scrub pad. Once you have the vinegar and scrub pad, do the following:

Wet the scrub pad with some white vinegar.
Then scrub the glue off the surface of the iron with the scrub pad.
You may have to repeat the scrubbing a few times to remove the glue. But ensure you do not scrub too hard, especially if your iron has a Teflon coating.

Final Thoughts

With most brands, quilt basting spray will lose its stickiness after some washes. However, even if they become non-sticky, they may leave some residue.

For the best experience, ensure you learn as much as you can about a brand of quilt basting spray before you use it. This way, you will know what to expect and plan ahead.