How to Remove Paint From Carpet

If you have carpet, you likely have had a stain or two show up every now and then. Paint is one of those culprits and getting it out can seem a mystery.

In fact, paint is typically the MOST difficult spot to remove from carpet--even for professional cleaning companies.

The two most common types of paint you will likely have to remove from your carpets are latex paint and acrylic paint. Let’s look at how to remove each of these from carpet.

Some people feel that if they are using water based paint, it should remove easily. The truth is, once the paint is dry, it bonds to your carpet BETTER than it bonds to your walls. Have you ever tried washing the paint off your wall? You'd ruin the drywall before you could remove the paint.

If you attempt removal while the paint is still damp, you'll have a good chance. Allowing the paint to dry makes the task difficult to impossible.

Latex paint

The first thing to know is that when you are painting a room, you must cover the carpet. Ideally, you won't spill any, because when you do spill latex paint on the carpet, you must move quickly to prevent permanent stains.

If you do get a little paint on your carpet, start by quickly blotting up as much as you can with a clean white cloth. Work from the outside in, so you don't spread the stain. Then get a cloth wet and blot again, this time also moving from the outside in. Remove as much of the paint as you can.

Now, take some dishwashing liquid and mix it with lukewarm water (you only need about a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid to about a cup or two of water). Using a clean white cloth again, wet the cloth in the soapy water and blot the stain moving from the outside in.

If any paint remains, apply some odorless mineral spirits to a cloth and blot the stain with the cloth. NEVER pour mineral spirits directly on your carpet. Use it sparingly. Too much of any type of solvent can cause the carpet backing to fall apart. When finished, pour a little clean water over the stained area and extract the water with a wet vacuum. This rinses out any residue left behind from the mineral spirits and detergent.

Wait until the carpet is dry completely and vacuum the area. If the stain remains, try the whole sequence over again.

Acrylic paint

If you have children, this one might be a problem. Acrylic paint is often referred to as craft paint, so it's a common kind of paint you might have in your house. If some gets on the carpet, here's what you can do to get rid of it.

First, remember that acrylic paint is water soluble while it still wet and can be removed fairly easily if you are persistent. It's best to remove the paint when it's wet, but if the paint is dry and you are left with a stain, mix some laundry detergent and water together and soak a towel in the mixture. Then lay this on top of the stain and leave it for up to 2 hours. Vacuum once the carpet is dry. Repeat this if it doesn't work entirely the first time. If you are concerned about the laundry detergent bleaching or harming your carpet, test in an inconspicuous spot first.

Like with latex paint, use odorless mineral spirits if the stain still remains as according to the directions above.

If you have a paint stain that has dried or you have spilled a considerable amount of paint, you might need to seek the help of a specialist. If you experiment too much, you could ultimately damage your carpet.

Paint is one of the most vicious stains on carpet. But if you know what to do when the emergency arises, you'll have emerged with beautiful carpet.

The important thing to remember is ACT NOW. Paint can permanently bond to your carpet fibers. The sooner you get to it, the better your chance of removing it.

To find an honest, reliable professional carpet cleaning company in Pensacola, Florida and Athens, Georgia go to:

www.CarpetCleaningPensacola.com
and www.CarpetCleaningAthens.com