How to get paint out of carpet – Great Tips to Make it Easy!

How to get paint out of Carpet

Have you accidentally spilled paint on your carpet? Well, it happens to all of us, especially during DIY home renovation or improvement tasks. Getting paint out carpet may not be as challenging as you would assume, but the key is to get rid of the paint stains as quickly as you can. Getting rid of wet paint is definitely an easier task than getting rid of dry paint stains.

Regardless of the type of paint (latex, oil-based, or anything else), you have got on your carpet, here are a few effective tips you can follow to get rid of these stains without any hassles.

• Removing fresh paint stains

This is the best and easiest way of removing paint from the carpet. As soon as you notice wet paint marks on your carpet, use the dull edge of a knife to scrape the paint slightly and lift it off the carpet. Most of you might take a rag and rub away the marks when you notice paint stains. Never do this, as this method will lead to more paint marks spreading on the carpet.

After using a knife to lift off the paint marks, you can use a wet paper towel to blot the paint left over on the carpet. Keep using clean towels to blot the paint marks completely. Use a fresh towel to wipe dry the area, before you allow the carpet to air-dry for a considerable duration.

Removing acrylic paint out of carpets

• Using soap and water

You can use the method explained above to remove fresh paint marks, with the only difference being soaking a paper towel in a solution containing mild soap & warm water.  The rest of the processes remain the same.

• Using white vinegar
• Make a DIY cleaning solution of white vinegar and cold water in the ratio of 1:10.
• Pour the solution into a spray bottle and mix the contents well.
• Spray this solution on the paint marks on the carpet directly.
• Blot the stains with a paper towel or sponge.
• If stains remain, spray the solution again, and keep blotting until all stains have gone completely.
• Allow the carpet to air-dry thoroughly.

• Using alcohol
• Soak a rag in an isopropyl alcohol solution.
• Keep blotting the paint stains with this alcohol-soaked rag.
• After blotting, allow the alcohol solution to remain on the carpet for about 20 minutes.
• Use a dry cloth to blot the paint stains, and you will notice that the marks start coming off the carpet easily.
• Let the carpet air-dry thoroughly.

• Using glycerin

You can follow the same process as above, with the only difference being soaking a rag in liquid glycerin instead of alcohol. The rest of the processes remain the same.

• Using acetone

The process is the same as that you follow while using alcohol. The only difference is that you should soak a cloth in acetone instead of alcohol. However, with acetone, you should allow it to settle on the rag for just 5 minutes before you use a dry cloth to blot the paint completely.

Removing oil-based paint out of carpets

Oil-based paint is one of the toughest to remove. So, you need stronger chemicals (like store-bought carpet cleaners) for this purpose. These chemicals contain bleach. Therefore, it is better to test them on a small part of your carpet to check if it leads to loss of color before using them to get rid of paint marks.

• Soak a rag in a carpet cleaner solution. If you don’t have this solution, you can use hydrogen peroxide or acetone solutions as well.
• Keep blotting the stains until the spot where the stains are present is fully saturated.
• Use another rag soaked in paint remover solution to blot the stains once again until you notice the paint marks lifting off the carpet.
• Use another rag soaked in cold water to blot the stain marks. Keep blotting with this clean rag to remove all traces of paint and cleaning solution from the carpet.
• Now, you should use a dry cloth to soak up all the wet stains on the carpet.
• If you wish, you can shampoo-wash your carpet once to get rid of all the smells of the strong chemicals used on it.
• Let the carpet air-dry thoroughly.

Removing water-based and latex paint out of carpets

The process for getting rid of such paint marks is the same as the one we explained under the heading “removing fresh paint stains”. These types of paints are easy to remove compared to oil-based paint.

Removing dried paint out of carpets

This is the toughest of all processes, but if done right, you can get back stain-free carpets quicker than you expected.

• Using pliers, blunt edges of knives, or any other not-too-sharp object, scrape off the paint marks from the carpet. Clean the dried bits around the carpet immediately.
• Use a handheld steamer to get rid of any more dry stains that remain on the carpet. When the steam dampens the paint stains, it breaks them, making them easy to be scraped off. If you don’t have a steamer, you can also pour boiling water on the paint stains, and allow it to soak for about a couple of minutes, before you proceed to the next step.
• Keep blotting with a damp cloth to remove whatever paint stains you can.
• You can now pour a mixture of soap & warm water on the remaining stains on the carpet. Keep blotting the stains with a clean cloth to remove traces of paint and soapy solution as much as you can.
• For stubborn paint stains that remain on the carpet, you can use isopropyl alcohol. Follow the steps mentioned under the heading, “using alcohol” for acrylic paint stains.

Some general tips to clean paint from carpets

• Always test chemical cleaners, acetone and isopropyl alcohol on a small patch of your carpet to ensure that there is no color loss or patchy areas when you use them to get rid of paint stains.
• Use chemical cleaners only as a last resort. Even when you have to use them, you should use them very sparingly.
• Always use a white rag when cleaning carpets, as the dyes from the colored rags can transfer to your carpets during the process.
• Give a lot of importance to the air-drying process to ensure that your carpets don’t emanate any toxic smells of paints or cleaning solutions.

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