We’ve all been there. That dreaded moment when you know you have your work cut out for you due to an accident that results in a stain on the carpet. There are many different situations when this occurs.
For example, wax can make a huge stain on carpet. So can ink from a pen or printer. But both of these can be removed. Just like paint can! Today, we’re going to learn how to get paint out of carpet to prevent you from having future problems.
Tips For How To Get Paint Out Of Carpet
Before you start removing paint from carpet, you need to know how to remove paint from carpet. But before you do that, you need to know a few tips that will make your job so much easier. Any help…well, helps.
It never hurts to try new things unless you don’t educate yourself beforehand. Not only will learning a few things about your project give you knowledge, but it can also give you confidence. So, take a look at these tips.
Clean Up Immediately
This is probably the most useful tip you can have. Always clean up paint immediately after it is spilled. It doesn’t matter what kind of paint it is, clean it up as soon as you notice it. Even if it is not a good time.
If in the middle of a project, keep some water and a cloth on hand. If your kids are painting, watch them closely if they are painting in a carpeted room. The sooner you remove the paint, the easier it will be.
Know The Paint Type
There are multiple different types of paint but what affects the methods to remove them is whether they are water-based or oil-based. This is because water and oil leave different types of stains on your carpet.
We will talk more about the methods used later on, but for now, you need to know that what stains in water-based paint, isn’t the water but the dyes and pigments. However, oil in oil-based paint stains.
Test An Area
Before you try removing paint from your carpet, you need to test the method out. Strong chemicals may remove the paint stains but they also may remove pigments from your carpet or break down the fibers.
So find a small area that you can hide easily and try it out. It would be great if you had patches of carpet that you haven’t installed to use. Scraps from when you installed the carpet is great, but if not, a hidden spot is fine.
Protect Your Carpet
The best way to “remove” stains from carpet is to not let them happen in the first place. You can do this by laying out a drop cloth on your carpet before you begin painting. But there’s something you should know about drop cloths.
When it comes to hardwood floors, cloth drop cloths are superior. But when it comes to carpet, both can work. Cloth ones are much better if they are thick and the paint won’t seep through. Otherwise, use plastic.
Grooming Your Carpet
This is a great thing to do after you get most of the paint out. You can trim the top of the carpet to remove the paint on the tips. This only works for thick carpet with long fibers and only if you use sharp scissors.
Otherwise, you can just brush away the leftover dried paint with a brush with bristles that are close together. And yes, this means a human or dog brush. Slicker brushes tend to work great for fluffing the carpet back up.
Wet Vs. Dry Paint
It is far easier to remove wet paint than dry paint. The two are very different and in some cases, wet paint can be much messier. But if you do it right, wet paint is easy to remove and can be done in seconds.
For wet paint, scrape away the excess with a spoon or putty knife. Just be careful not to spread it further. Then use a dry rag to blot the area. Finally, blot again with a wet rag followed by a dry one. be careful doing this and you will have it done.
Dry paint is much more difficult to deal with. You need to scrape away any dried paint that you can, then vacuum the area. From there, you can try steaming the carpet or brushing away any dried paint.
Water-Based Vs. Oil-Based Paint
It is fairly easy to determine whether your paint is water-based or oil-based because labels almost always state it clearly. But if you don’t have the label anymore, you can test out whether it is oil-based or not.
Find a wall or piece of furniture that is using the same paint that is dry. Start with a cloth wet with warm water and add a drop of laundry detergent on it. Wash a small area of the wall and then dry it.
Finally, soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and wipe the wall. If the paint is oil-based, then it won’t come off. If it does come off, then the paint is water-based. Yeah, you don’t want to do this on an area you can’t repair.
Removing Oil-Based Paint
There are a few different methods you can use to remove oil-based paint from carpet, but something similar to turpentine is usually your best bet. If you can’t find turpentine, then you can use paint thinner.
Just blot the area that is affected with oil-based paint and continue blotting until the paint is removed. Remember to test a hidden area first because this could discolor your carpet or break down the fibers.
After you remove the paint, wash the area with warm soapy water, preferably dish soap, and then dry it well. This should take care of the problem. Water-based paint is much easier to remove with just soapy water.
How To Remove Acrylic Paint From Carpet
This is one type of paint that can be difficult to find info on regarding removing it from carpet. But those who do use acrylics often can rejoice because there is a fairly easy way to remove this type of paint from carpet.
This short guide is a step-by-step walkthrough of how to remove acrylic paint from carpet. If you don’t use acrylics, use one of the methods above depending on whether you are using oil-based or water-based paint.
Step 1: Wet The Area
There won’t be much of a chance to remove wet acrylic paint from carpet because it will dry before you even notice it. So whenever you do notice it, wet the area with warm water, nearly saturating it.
Step 2: Use Laundry Detergent
Again, we are going to add a drop of laundry detergent to the rag and then blot. Don’t add the detergent to the stain because then you’ll be tempted to scrub. But you only want to blot at this point or you will spread the stain.
Step 3: Clean With Acetone
This can be a little dangerous, so use a small amount on a fresh rag and then blot the area again. Acetone is strong so make sure that you wear a mask if it bothers you and always test it out on a hidden area.
Step 4: Carpet Cleaner
If all else fails, a carpet cleaner usually does the trick. There will be thorough instructions for spot cleaning on the package. This usually involves letting the cleaner soak for up to ten minutes then washing it away.
Step 5: Clean The Carpet
Not to be confused with the “carpet cleaner” step this step involves cleaning the carpet. It is best to use a wet vacuum for a thorough clean. If you don’t have a wet vacuum, then borrow one from a friend.
Or, rent one from the hardware store. This may seem silly but it is important if you don’t want to ruin your standard vacuum because the carpet needs to be wet during this time you are cleaning it. So be safe!
When To Hire A Professional
For wet paint, hiring a professional isn’t usually necessary. But when it comes to dried paint, there are many occasions when you need to hire a professional unless you want to replace all of the carpet in the room.
If the stain is on your staircase, then consider removing the carpet from your stairs. You may be surprised by how amazing the wood underneath the carpet looks whenever you pull the carpet up. You never know!
In the end, whether you hire a professional or not is up to you. But keep in mind that if you don’t know what you are doing, you could make the professional’s job more difficult, which means you will pay more.
So, if you plan on hiring one if you can’t get rid of the stain yourself, it may save you money to go ahead and hire one to begin with. Just don’t forget this could be a great excuse to update your floors with hardwood!
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