Have you ever taken on a painting project and forgot to lay down a drop cloth? Or forgot to use painter's tape along your carpet edge beneath your baseboards when you were painting? Did you end up with paint on your carpeting? Don't try to cover your paint stain with a random piece of furniture, or run out and buy new carpeting just yet. There is a way to clean up the paint on your carpet. See below for helpful instructions to remove paint from your carpeting in case you ever run into this problem.
Tools Needed For The Job:
- Clean rags
- Dish detergent
- Water
- Bowl
- Paper towels
- Carpet stain remover
- Knife
- Iron (if the stain is dry)
Instructions For Wet Paint:
- Blot the paint on the carpeting with a clean rag or paper towels. Don't try to scrub it out, as you will only spread the paint further, making your spot a much bigger spot.
- When you've blotted up most of the wet paint, take a bowl of warm water and add some dish soap to it. Wet a clean rag with the mixture and begin blotting at the spot to help treat the stain. You'll want to work from the outside in. Continue doing this until you can no longer see the stain. If your carpeting is getting really wet, you can soak it up with a paper towel.
- If you still see a little bit of a stain in your carpeting, try using a store bought carpet stain remover to help remove what is left. Be sure to test your carpeting in an unnoticeable area with the stain remover before using it.
Instructions For Dry Paint:
- For dry paint, you'll need to remove as much of the dry paint as possible using a knife. Don't use a knife that is too sharp that it would damage your carpeting, a butter knife should be sharp enough to do the job. You can then vacuum up the flakes of paint that you remove.
- Next, add hot water to a bowl and add some dish soap to it. Pour some of the mixture onto the spot to help soften the dried paint. If the paint does not soften with the hot, soapy water, you can use a steamer or iron to help soften it. Be sure to use a cloth between the steamer or iron to keep from burning your carpeting.
- With the paint softened, use your butter knife to again flake and scrape the paint to remove it from your carpeting. Blot when needed with a paper towel or clean cloth to remove the stain.
Spilled paint or paint drips on carpeting can happen to even the most careful painter. Take a deep breath and get busy removing that paint stain.
For more information, talk to a carpet cleaning professional like Power-Kleen.
