Have you recently taken up your old hobby of painting again? Alternatively, is it a home renovation project that you are working on?
Looks like someone left their wet paint on your carpet and stained it. Oh My God! Really? How can someone be so irresponsible? On the other hand, maybe you forgot to pick it up from the floor, did you?
Sometimes, a little clumsiness can cause big harm. Painting require some pre requisites, which include, covering the sensitive areas before you proceed to this activity.
Well, does not matter who or how the paint spilled on your exquisite carpet because what is done can only be undone by removing it quickly.
If you were lucky enough to come across a fresh stain of paint, rush to the kitchen and grab a handful of paper towels and clean it.
The stains might still be a little hard to remove, but removing dry stains is a whole different ball game as compared to removing the fresh ones. The later one, requires much less effort to remove.
But what if it went by unnoticed and dried up before you had a chance to remove it? Not a problem again! Although wet paint stains are easier to deal with as compared to dried-up ones, with our carpet cleaning tips below, it should not be impossible either.
There are many specific products available out their just to perform this task. Some may find home remedies online for this purpose. Well, it doesn’t matter which option you go for, it is important to know how to do it efficiently. Later in this blog, we will cover the “which” and “how” part in detail.
Do not let the excitement of the new project take over and you forget to cover your expensive rugs with sheet for protection.
But of course, spills are unavoidable but if you are quick to react, you can still save your carpet from getting stained. In addition, here is how you can do it!
How to Clean Paint Out of a Carpet?
When you spill paint on the carpet or leave the wet brush there mistakenly, the first thought that will strike is that the carpet is ruined forever.
However, so is not the case! If you ask us, do not give up before trying our cleaning hacks because we promise, no matter how old or tough the paint stain is, it will come out easily.
Do you want to know how to clean paint out a carpet? Then here is how we do it:
1. Removing Water-based Paint
Acrylic, water-based, and oil paints all are treated differently, and hence, when it comes to removing them from carpet, the technique slightly differs too.
If you have accidentally spilled water-based paint on the carpet then first and foremost, grab a handful of paper towels and dab the stain to remove access paint from the carpet.
Now make the solution using some dishwashing liquid and cold water. Mix it well and spray it on the stain or dip a cloth in the solution and blot the area. Let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes and make sure you do not rub it to avoid smearing.
If the need is, use a toothbrush to gently rub the stain but do not let it spread to the surrounding area. Next, either rinse with cold water or use wet wipes to clean out the solution and pat it dry.
But what should you do if the water-based paint has dried up already? Start by removing the dried-up chunks of paint with tweezers and pouring the homemade solution of dishwashing liquid and hot water on it. Next, repeat the same steps as above and you should be good!
2. Cleaning Stain of an Oil-based Paint
As compared to water-based paints, oil-based paint stains can be a little tricky to remove. But this doesn’t make it an impossible deed.
Thus, if you have spilled oil-based over your carpet and stained it, be quick to remove the excess paint using a cloth or some paper towels.
But if the paint has dried up already, use some needle, tweezers, a knife, or some pliers to remove the bigger chunks. Next, based on the type of carpet you have, use a cleaning solvent like paint thinner, spirit, or turpentine.
If you were unsure of which cleaning solvent to use, we would say test it on a small patch to make sure it does not damage the carpet.
Moreover, for tougher paint stains, we suggest going for turpentine if it goes well with the type of carpet you have.
Now, take a clean piece of cloth, dip it in the solution and blot the stain. Leave it there for 15 to 20 minutes, rub gently and rinse with water.
If you think the stain is still there then repeat the process until the stain has been fully removed. Next, either air-dries it or use a vacuum to speed up the drying process.
Removing Dried Paint from Carpet
Looks like you missed cleaning a paint spot under the chair on your sofa. Oh, has it dried up? Well, no problem! You can still remove it with some effort and patience. How to clean paint out of a carpet that has dried up already?
It is pretty much similar to how you remove fresh paint stain from the carpet, but you might need a stronger solution for it. Whether oil-based or water-based paint spot, remove the dried-up chunks with the help of a knife, scissors, or anything that you can find. A spoon can come in handy too!
Next, mix white vinegar/hydrogen peroxide with water or any carpet cleaner to blot the stain.
Leave the solution there for 15 to 20 minutes, rub gently with a cloth or toothbrush and rinse with cold water. If you do not wish to wash it, use wet wipes to clean out the solution.
But looks like the stain is still there, right? No problem! Repeat the process until it is all out and uses a vacuum to dry. Still did not succeed in this? If after a few attempts you have failed to rinse out the stain properly, then we would suggest calling in a professional.
As we already said, dealing with dried-up stains can be tricky so, you might need to hire a professional carpet cleaner to deal with it. They will make sure to use the right products and be gentle in their techniques while removing the stain completely and preserving the carpet.
Be Careful Around the Carpet
If in all your excitement of starting your paint project you have forgotten to cover your carpets with a sheet, then you have certainly made the biggest mistake here.
When you have expensive rugs in the house, you need to be very careful around them because cleaning them is not easy.
Thus, if you or the kids are working with paints, coloring their favorite masterpieces, make sure you cover the carpeted area with a plastic sheet to control spills. Because accidents are inevitable, you need to prepare for the worst at your end.
Even then, if you end up cleaning a paint mess but struggling to get the stain out, no worries because you can always hire carpet cleaners for it.
These professionals will charge you a good amount but at least it will be much less than what is required to replace the old carpet with a new one.
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.
