Let us not shy away from saying that in the real world, no one has the time to visit a nail salon regularly to get their nails done.
Although, a fancy manicure does not harm, sparing a good few hours from your tight schedule is not always possible.
Hence, what will you do for the upcoming party or meeting? Cannot go with those ugly-looking nails, right? Thus, when you are amidst a fashion crisis, your nail station can sure come to the rescue.
But looks like while being in a hurry, you spilled your nail bottled on the carpet and stained it! Oops! Oh My God! What will you do now? How to get nail polish out of the carpet? Can you even remove nail polish from the carpet?
Before you get a panic attack, let us share some quick tips and ways to clean nail polish from carpet and save your masterpiece.
How do you remove nail polish from your nails or fingers in general? With a nail, polish remover, right?
When your carpet is brutally stained with nail polish, the first thing that will pop into your mind is to rub it off with a nail thinner.
But wait, don’t be so quick! Here is a step-by-step guide of how to remove nail polish from the carpet without damaging it further:
1. Bloat with Cold Water
Before you are off to rigorously rubbing the stain with a nail polish remover, stop and sit back. Grab a piece of cloth or some paper towels, dip it in cold water, and blot the stain with it.
2. Use Hair Spray and Rubbing Alcohol
Next, spray a generous amount of hair spray on the stain and follow with rubbing alcohol.
3. Brush Away
Take a brush with small bristles like a toothbrush and gently rub the stain.
As you go along, pour nail polish remover on the stain little by little and keep rubbing it with the brush so that the remover evenly works its way through the stain.
4. Rinse with Cold Water
Either rinse the stain directly with cold water or bloat the spot with cloth dipped in cold water.
Also, make sure you do not forcefully scrub the stain off, or else, you will only end up damaging the carpet fibers while also smearing it to a larger area of the carpet.
5. Repeat if Needed
If you think that stain is still there, repeat the process until it has been completely removed.
But remember, do not overdo it in a day, or else the multiple uses of products can ruin the delicate carpet fibers, leaving you with bigger problems at hand.
Leave it for the day and re-start the next morning and within a wash or two, we promise the stain will come out. All you need to do is be careful and patient in dealing with the stain.
6. Pat it dry
Use either vacuum or a clean cloth to pat it dry. Do not, and we repeat, do not scrub it to dry, or else you can ruin the carpet. Once dry, brush it out!
Brushing out the fibers will bring them back into the shape, making your carpet as good as new.
Just make sure you do not use external heat to dry it because too much can easily burn the fibers and you will have bigger damage to take care of.
Other Ways to Clean Nail Polish from Carpet
What should you do when you do not have to rub alcohol? No problem at all! Hair spray and nail polish remover work great on their own.
All you need to do is blot the stain with cold water, through a few pumps of hair spray and gently rub it with a toothbrush while pouring nail polish remover on it.
Once the stain has come out completely, rinse the spot with cold water and dry it off completely.
In case you have nothing available, you can go for a window cleaner too but make sure you test it on a small patch to avoid damages to the whole.
In addition, if you do not have a window cleaner as well, bloat the nail polish stain in vinegar available at home. Let it sit for 15 minutes, gently rub off the access and rinse it clean.
Always, and we emphasize, always use cold water to rinse chemicals out of the carpet because hot water can easily damage the carpet fibers.
When you have lovingly decorated your homes with carpet, be active in taking care of them and make sure you never use nail polish in the room where you have placed your expensive rugs.
Or if the need is, place a plastic sheet or piece of cloth under your hand or feet before you open the nail polish bottle for application.
Top 7 Useful Carpet Cleaning Tips
Carpets are very delicate and thus, the use of the wrong product can ruin them completely.
Hence, here are a few tips that will come in handy when you are trying to get rid of that stubborn nail polish stain:
Do not use a bleach-based cleaner
For light-colored carpets, always use non-acetone nail polish removers
Always use rubbing alcohol or hair spray for dark-colored carpets to reduce the risk of bleaching it
Never scrub the stain with a brush
Be gentle in rubbing the spot
Always use cold water to rinse it
Use paper towels to absorb as much nail polish as you can before using cleaning products to avoid smearing
Remember, one mistake and you can ruin the carpet forever, leading to replacing it with a new one, which is, of course, an expensive choice to make!
How to Remove Dry Nail Polish from Carpet
If you have forgotten to remove the nail polish, stain and slept over it, do not stress over the horror. Rather than panicking, remain calm and prepare for some hard work that lies ahead.
Having said that, removing a dry nail polish spot is pretty much similar to dealing with a wet stain.
But before you bloat the spot with a cleaning solution, make sure you remove the excess dried-up nail polish with the help of scissors, needles, or pliers if need be.
Once you have successfully done that, bloat it with a homemade cleaning solution or hair spray/nail polish remover and rub it gently.
Rinse it with cold water and dry it. If you think the stain is still there, repeat the process or if the need is, hire a professional carpet cleaning service provider to help you with the deal.
Nail polish stains can be hard to deal with if they have dried up already but having said that, with a little effort and a few tricks to go, you can manage to get rid of the spots all on your own.
And just so if you are not able to clean it and think the situation is getting worse, stop right there and call in a professional.
Carpeted homes look gorgeous and comfortable but of course, the beauty comes with a price.
Relax and Enjoy!
You need to be super careful around carpets and these need high maintenance to increase life. Vacuum on and under the rugs regularly and never mop with hot water or else, it will ruin the fibers.
Also, remember, wet stains, be it any are much easier to clean than dry ones so if you spilled nail polish on your carpet, jump right into the action and clean it before it sticks hard to the carpet.
John Wesley is passionate about cleaning industry especially vacuum cleaners. He is having more than a decade of experience in repairing and selling vacuum cleaners from a well known retail shop. When he’s not testing and reviewing latest vacuum cleaners for this site, he likes to spend time with his partner, 2 kids, and doing house projects.
