How to dispose of paint stripper

Find out which kind of stripper you have

"Paint stripper" covers very different chemicals. The label's ingredient list or the safety data sheet (SDS) tells you which kind you have. That matters for how risky it is to store and carry. It doesn't change where it goes: every type below ends up at household hazardous waste unless your local program says otherwise.

What happened to methylene chloride strippers?

EPA banned methylene chloride in consumer paint and coating removers. The ban took effect November 22, 2019, because of deaths from breathing its fumes. In April 2024, EPA went further and banned all consumer uses, plus most business uses.

Many garages still have old cans. EPA asks people to stop using them. For disposal, it says to ask your state and local solid waste agencies. In practice, that means your household hazardous waste program.

Methylene chloride is a chlorinated solvent. New York DEC says these "halogenated" solvents (names with chloro-, fluoro- or bromo-) cause the most serious health effects. New York's small-amount cat litter method is only for non-halogenated solvents. Never dry out or trash methylene chloride stripper.

"Safer" strippers still need care

• Solvent-based replacements can be more flammable. Klean-Strip's non-methylene chloride Premium Stripper has a flash point of about 0°F. Its sheet calls it highly flammable and says it causes severe skin burns. The label also says to dispose of the product within 3 months of opening.
• Citrus smell isn't proof of mildness. Citristrip's main ingredient is benzyl alcohol, and its sheet says it causes severe skin burns and eye damage. It's much harder to ignite, though: the flash point is above 200°F.
• Soy doesn't always mean NMP-free. Franmar's Blue Bear Soy Gel lists soy methyl ester and NMP. It carries a California warning that NMP can cause birth defects.
• Water-based strippers are the mildest. Dumond says Smart Strip Advanced has no methylene chloride, NMP or caustic chemicals. Even so, Dumond says to bag the paint and stripper residue and dispose of it by federal, state and local rules.

How to handle stripper sludge

The sludge is old paint softened by stripper. It holds whatever was in both. Treat it as hazardous waste.

1. Before you start, set out a metal can with a tight lid for the sludge. Use a plastic bag only for water-based stripper residue, which its maker says to bag.
2. Scrape the softened paint straight into the can. Don't let it fall on bare ground or grass.
3. Wipe tools and the surface with rags or paper towels and put them in the can too.
4. Close the lid between scrapes so fumes don't build up.
5. Label the can with the stripper's name and "paint stripper sludge." If the paint is from before 1978, add "may contain lead."
6. Keep it outside or in a ventilated spot, away from heat and kids, until you drop it off.

What about rinse water and after-wash?

• Some strippers are rinsed off with water. Catch that water with a tarp or tub, especially if the paint is old. Don't hose it into the street. Pennsylvania DEP says paint products should never be dumped into storm sewers, drains or onto the ground.
• Ask your local program how to handle rinse water with paint chips. Rules vary, and lead paint changes the answer.
• Stripper after-wash is often mostly solvent. Klean-Strip's after-wash is 80 to 100 percent acetone, so handle leftovers like acetone.

How to drop off leftover stripper

1. Leave it in the original container with the label. Don't pour it into a different can or bottle.
2. Make sure the cap is tight. Stand the can upright in a box or tub.
3. Bring the sludge can separately. Don't mix sludge, stripper and after-wash together.
4. Check your county's household hazardous waste site or event. Providence, R.I., for example, lists strippers as hazardous waste and takes them at free, by-appointment Eco-Depot events.
5. Don't take stripper to a paint store drop-off. PaintCare doesn't take solvents or other non-paint products.

State and local differences

• California bans hazardous waste, including solvents and paint products, from the trash.
• Rhode Island law bans household hazardous waste from the trash.
• New York allows drying small amounts of non-halogenated solvent with cat litter, but not methylene chloride.
• Businesses, like furniture refinishers and painting contractors, need a business hazardous waste option. EPA's smallest category is 100 kilograms of hazardous waste or less per month.