How to Remove Paint from Carpet

You can meet with a lot of disappointment if your painting project doesn't turn out the way you want it to. Especially, when you end up painting the things you weren't supposed to be painting. Yes, spilling a few droplets of paint on your new carpet is definitely a nightmare. Simple carpet cleaning won't always help, particularly if the stain is stubborn. Actually, covering the carpet area with newspapers, before painting is a good idea to prevent paint droplets from falling onto the carpet. But, if the damage has already been done, you have no choice but to resort to the damage control methods to save your carpet from getting permanent stains.

Before going for any carpet stain removal method, assess the damage done to the carpet. Be practical in your approach, attempting to remove the stains is a feasible option only when the paint is covering a small portion of the carpet. In case you have knocked down the entire bucket of paint on your carpet, there is little you can do to salvage your carpet. In such cases, you should inquire if your home insurance company covers accidental damage due to paint. In other cases, simply identify the type of the paint to decide what kind of cleaning is required to remove the stain from the carpet. You can determine the kind of the paint by reading the 'brush cleaning instructions' mentioned on the paint bucket. If it mentions water and soap solution for cleaning, the paint is water soluble. If it says turpentine or white spirit, the paint is an oil based paint.

Water Soluble Paint
Water soluble paint is pretty easy to remove from the carpet. It is also called as latex paint or emulsion. If you spilled the paint recently, dab the excess paint with a damp cloth or a paper napkin. If the paint is an old one, then try scraping it off with a blunt knife or other such items. Once, you have removed the excess paint, rub the stain with a soap solution. If the stain doesn't dissolve you need to soak it for a few minutes. Blot it with a napkin or a damp cloth. Do not rub the stain, always use blotting motions to get rid of the stain.

Oil Based Paint
Stains of oil based paint are pretty stubborn to remove. You'll need a special solvent like turpentine, white spirit or methylated spirit to remove these stains. The process of removing the stain remains the same as in water soluble paint, only instead of soap solution use the solvent. While blotting make sure you don't spread the stain and worsen the damage.

Acrylic Paint
Kids often spill acrylic paint while painting. This kind of painting is water soluble and hence, is pretty easy to remove. Take a towel and soak it in the solution of laundry detergent and water. Use this towel to remove the acrylic paint stain from the carpet. Put it on the stain for a couple of hours before vacuuming the carpet.

This was all about how to clean carpet stains. Remove paint from the carpet with extreme care, as there is often a chance of damaging the carpet. If the area occupied by the stain is too much, use a special carpet cleaner, depending upon the type of your carpet. Rely on a professional help if your carpet is pretty expensive.