Abstract: Inexpensive paint stripper compositions, containing neither chlorinated, aromatic nor alkaline solvents and well adopted for removing glycerophthalic, alkyd-urethane, acrylic-polyurethane and epoxy paints from a variety of substrates, e.g., wood and metal substrates, comprise (a) from 1% to 20% by volume of an aprotic polar solvent selected from among dimethylsulfoxide, dimethylformamide, N-methylpyrrolidone, N-methylmorpholine, .gamma.-butyrolactone, acetonitrile and mixtures thereof; and (b) from 99% to 80% by volume of an ether selected from among methyltert-butylether, diethylether, tert-amylmethylether, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane and mixtures thereof.