Paint stains on your carpet are far from attractive (especially if it involves dark paint on light colored carpet) and such things can be tricky to remove if the paint has dried. Coping with a fresh paint stain on carpeting is a far easier prospect but it still has to be gone about in the right manner to avoid causing additional damage to the carpet itself.
The Importance of Acting Quickly
Paint spills on carpet should ideally be dealt with just as soon as they occur. Excess amounts of paint should be carefully blotted up with either a clean cloth or a plain paper towel. You should never rub or scrub the area at this point though as that will only serve to spread the paint stain around. After you have blotted up as much as you can using this method tier are several things you can do to clean up the rest at this point.
Getting Fresh Paint out of Your Carpet
Rubbing alcohol can be used on a small paint stain on a carpet. Carefully pour a small amount of rubbing alcohol onto a clean white cloth and blot the stain carefully . You should repeat this with clean cloths until there is no more color transfer. When using this paint stain removal method ensure that you do not soak the carpet with the rubbing alcohol as doing so can lead to the destruction of the carpet backing
A hydrogen peroxide solution can also be used to remove a small paint stain from a carpet. To use this particular stain removal method begin by filling a spray bottle with a weak 2-3% hydrogen peroxide solution.
The spilled paint should now be moistened with the solution but again never, ever soaked. The solution should then be left in place for about an hour. Once an hour has passed you should take a clean white cloth and blot the entire area very carefully. If this stain removal has been a success, which it should be, you will see plenty of color transfer to the cloth. Repeat until their is no further color transfer. Once the stain has been removed place a few plain paper towels down and weight them in place with a book or paperweight to soak up any remaining excess moisture.
Removing Dried Paint from Carpet
Once paint has been allowed to dry onto a carpet removing it becomes a much tougher mission and one that many homeowners are rather scared to undertake.
If you are game for trying to remove dry paint form a carpet yourself there is a product on the market called Goo Gone that can be quite effective. If you cannot find that WD40 works as well. To begin trying to remove the dried paint work a small amount of whivhever of the aforementioned substances you have chosen directly into the paint stain and allow it to sit undisturbed for about 15 minutes. Next use a cloth or a small hard bristled brush to begin removing the dried paint form the carpet. If you encounter single carpet strands that are particularly paint soaked cut them out carefully with a small sharp pair of scissors.
While both Goo Gone and WD40 work quite well on paint stains on carpet they do tend to leave behind a greasy residue that has to be removed right away. To do this make a mixture of one tablespoon of dish washing liquid with one teaspoon of white vinegar. Apply the mixture to the stain with a clean sponge and the blot it up until paper towels come off the carpet dry. Finish by sponging the area with plain water and then blotting it dry again.
To learn more about carpet care please visit Aladdin Carpet and Floors . This article, How Do you Remove Paint from Carpet? has free reprint rights.
