Stains from potassium permanganate: how to wash hands, clothes, bath

Potassium permanganate or potassium permanganate has become an integral part of our everyday life and is used everywhere for disinfection and decontamination of wounds and various solutions. It is used in agriculture and is even added to water for bathing babies.

Potassium permanganate is a chemically active substance with a very strong oxidizing effect. That is why a stain from potassium permanganate turns from purple-burgundy to brown within a few minutes of getting on any surface. You can’t wash it off or remove it with just water; it seems to have ingrained itself forever. However, there are means for removing such stains.

Removing potassium permanganate from skin

If the stain is very fresh, you should immediately wash it under water with soap, preferably household soap. But potassium permanganate very quickly eats into the skin and if this method does not help, then in order to scrub it off, you need to use products containing more aggressive components.

• Laundry soap with soda will help with extensive stains. Grate a piece of 72% laundry soap and pour boiling water over it to dissolve it. Then add a couple of teaspoons of soda and a few drops of essential oil to the solution. Cool slightly and dip your hands (or feet) in it for 15 minutes.
• Hydrogen peroxide. Soak a cotton pad or napkin in a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide and carefully wipe the brown stain. Be sure to wash off with soap and plenty of water.
• You can also use a weak solution of vinegar to remove stains. Rub the stained area with a soft cloth slightly soaked in it. Be sure to rinse with water.
• Using a cotton pad soaked in the liquid, carefully rub the traces of potassium permanganate, repeating this procedure several times, remembering to rinse with water so as not to damage the skin.
• Cut off a piece of citrus and rub the potassium permanganate stain. To make the stain lighter, repeat the procedure several times. Since lemon corrodes the skin, you should rinse it with water each time. It can be replaced with citric acid, diluted in water (1 teaspoon per half a glass).
• Ascorbic acid. You can buy a ready-made injection solution, or take ascorbic acid powder and dilute it with water. This remedy is not very aggressive, but if you wipe dark traces of potassium permanganate with it several times a day, the result will be clearly visible.
• Mustard powder with vegetable oil. Make a paste from the mixture of mustard powder and oil, apply it to the skin and rub a little. The product copes well with the stain if it is not very large.
• White spirit will help lighten traces of potassium permanganate. After rubbing the problem area with a cotton pad soaked in the product, rinse it with water several times.

Solvents, vinegar, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide and other substances must be handled with extreme caution. In no case should they be left on the skin for a long time, the consequences can be negative, from an allergic reaction to a chemical burn of the skin, which is much more unpleasant than a potassium permanganate stain.

It is important to remember that after using any of the products, you need to protect your skin with a rich cream, since they all dry out the skin very much and peeling may begin.

If you fail to wash off the potassium permanganate the first time, you need to wash your hands more often during the day and repeat the procedure again after a while. But do not use several products at the same time. It is also good to develop the habit of working with dyes in gloves and then there will be no problems with stains of brilliant green , potassium permanganate or stains of iodine .

Removing Brown Stains from Clothes – 5 Methods

Stains from potassium permanganate on clothes are not dyeing of the fabric, but rather fading in the process of a chemical reaction. Therefore, the best products to remove them are those that contain acid.

It is very important to test the product’s effect on an inconspicuous area in order not to ruin the item completely.

1. Use laundry soap, possibly mixed with soda. It copes very well with such stains.
2. Pour lemon juice on the stain, rub it a little, and wait 15 minutes. After that, wash the item as usual.
3. Kefir contains lactic acid and will also help remove traces of potassium permanganate. The method is suitable for delicate fabrics. To do this, soak the stained area of ​​the item for several hours in a container with kefir, periodically checking the effect, and then simply wash as usual.
4. Soda is more suitable for white items. You need to make a paste out of it and water and leave it on the problem area for a couple of hours. Then wash the item.
5. A mixture of hydrogen peroxide and citric acid is also used for light-colored fabrics.

Don’t forget about stain removers, you just need to follow the instructions for use.

For cleaning bathtubs and sinks

To remove a stain from a hard surface, the latter must be tested for sensitivity to the selected product. Apply it to an inconspicuous corner of your bathtub or sink and make sure after half an hour that it has not damaged the integrity of the coating.

1. For cleaning, you can choose any bleach, it copes with such problems quite well. It is enough to fill the bath with water so that it covers the stains, add a little bleach and leave it for 8-10 hours.
2. Grated laundry soap (half a bar of 72%), pour boiling water over it, stir. After cooling, add 1 tbsp. soda + 1 tbsp. mustard powder + 2 tbsp. ammonia. This mixture will cope with many stains (you can even prepare the product for future use).
3. Acids are suitable for this purpose, but not very aggressive ones (10% citric, acetic, oxalic).
4. Hydrogen peroxide, either alone or mixed with table vinegar, bleaches and removes ingrained potassium permanganate.
5. Apply a paste of baking soda to the stain for 15 minutes, then rub the stain with a sponge soaked in vinegar.

For acrylic bathtubs, cleaning methods are selected even more carefully; in this case, it is better to give preference to specialized products.

These simple methods will help to deal with stains from potassium permanganate. Do not forget that all work on cleaning surfaces must be carried out with gloves.