Spilling paint on your carpet is easily done when painting your walls – we have done it many times! Or knocking over your nail polish whilst watching TV, and not quite getting rid of the stain. Here, we have compiled a number of ways you can get rid of spillages from different types of paint stains. And if those stains are particularly stubborn, a professional company like Herts Carpet Cleaning can help. However, whether it’s gloss paint, acrylic paint or nail polish, we’ll show you how to do it yourself first.
Treating the Stain
With the properties of the various types of paint differing a lot, you will need to choose the correct way of removing them to effectively remove the stain. With all of these suggestions, any solution applied to your carpet should be tried before use. Find a small, inconspicuous area of your carpet to try any solution.
Nail Polish
Nail polish can quickly make an obvious stain and treating it with soap and water just won’t cut it. The quicker you treat the stain the better. The paint will be easier to get out if you work fast.
With a nail polish spill that is still wet, blot any excess away with a paper towel. For the dry areas, use a knife or the side of a spoon to scrape away the paint and help lift it from your carpet.
Like you would remove nail polish from your nails, using a nail polish remover that isn’t oily and is acetone free to blot the area can help remove nail polish from your carpet. It’s important to note that the use of nail polish remover on the carpet should be used sparingly. This is because the chemicals in the remover can affect the backing of your carpet and can cause later problems if overused. An alternative if you don’t have nail polish remover to hand is rubbing alcohol which will also do the job.
If nail polish still remains after this treatment, a solution of a small amount of dishwasher detergent (containing no bleach) and warm water blotted over the stain can help remove any last remnants of nail polish from your carpet.
Water-Based Paint
For water-based paints, a paint spill is quickly solved. Ideally, work while the paint is still wet to blot the area with a wet paper towel to remove any excess. If this is an older stain you would like to treat and therefore dry, don’t worry it can still be treated but will require more effort. Apply a mix of hot water with a drop of dishwasher detergent to the area to help soften the paint that has dried. Then, using a knife, scrape away the paint as it softens. Continue using this technique and apply more solution as needed to fully remove the paint from your carpet.
Oil-Based Paint
Oil-based paints such a gloss paints are more durable than water-based paint. Therefore, while they may last longer on your surfaces, they are particularly tough to remove from your carpet.
As we’ve already mentioned, removing paint is much easier when it’s still wet. Immediately blot the area with paper towel or rag. Once any wet excess is removed, apply a mild paint solvent or paint thinning agent to the affected area and blot the stain. Take care to check the label of the product to make sure they won’t affect your carpet. If in doubt, find a small hidden area of your carpet to test the product first.
Dried oil-based paint may be harder to remove but it can still be done. It will require steaming the area to soften the dried oil-based paint before following the same instructions as above for when it’s still wet. While you can buy yourself a hand-held at-home steam cleaner, it is probably not worth it from this one spillage. It can also be difficult to gauge the perfect temperature; too cold and it won’t soften the pain but too hot and it can damage your carpet’s fibres. Therefore, you may like to check out our carpet cleaning services and contact us for further information.
Acrylic Paint
For instances of acrylic paint spillages, apply a small amount of laundry detergent to a wet rag and blot this onto the affected area. As with water-based paint using dishwasher detergent, getting out the water-based paint with this solution will work to loosen the paint from your carpet. Then, with a knife, you can scrape away the paint that has softened.
If the laundry detergent solution isn’t working for you, try using a small amount of acetone to further loosen the stain. However, be wary of the amount of acetone you are using to treat the stain.
Finishing Up
With all these methods, it is a good idea to follow-up with a thorough clean of your carpet. This will help get rid of any left-over softened paint as well as leaving it smelling fresh and clean. Use a commercial carpet cleaning product or bicarb of soda, and something like a toothbrush to scrub away at the stain.
Follow with vacuuming the treated area to absorb the carpet cleaner as well as a good amount of the paint. For tough and large paint spillages, getting out the paint may take a few goes but try and persevere!
With these tips to remove different types of paint (wet or dried) from your carpet, you should be able to tackle the spillage. However, if you’ve given removal a good go yourself and the paint stain is proving difficult, or you had a major spillage that you don’t know where to start in removing it, the best solution is to use a professional carpet cleaning company.
At Herts Carpet Cleaning we offer the ideal solution to remove these difficult dried paint stains as well as being able to treat your carpet to a good clean. Contact us for a quote today!