There are normal everyday stains from beverages or other liquids, and then there are stains like paint. Paint is a thick and durable substance that will require a lot of work to remove from a carpet effectively.
Thankfully, not all paint is the same when it comes to stains; oil-based paint or water-based paint will be much easier to remove if you use paint thinner or turpentine.
No matter the type of paint stain, figuring out how to remove paint from the carpet is useful information to know.
How to Remove Paint From Carpet? To remove water-based paint from a carpet, remove as much excess paint from the surface of the carpet as possible and then blot the paint with a paper towel. Use dishwashing detergent and warm water to remove the paint. For oil-based paint, blot the stain with paint thinner to loosen the paint and wipe it away.
Getting paint out of carpet is not an easy task, and more often than not, time is of the essence to avoid the possibility of the paint drying into the carpet. Read on to find out about the differences between oil-based paint stains and water-based paint stains and how to address both types of paint.
How Do You Get Dried Paint Out of Carpet?
If you are lucky, you will immediately be able to address paint that hits the carpet and act quickly. The main problem to avoid is to allow the paint to dry completely into the carpet. If the paint is allowed to dry, it will take time-consuming work to remove the dried paint. If you simply cannot remove paint stains that have dried, contacting a professional carpet cleaning service is your best course of action.
Since dried paint on the carpet is the worst-case scenario, let’s focus on how to remove either oil-based or water-based paint stains.
Water-Based Paint Stains
Water-based or latex based paints can be removed by using warm water or lukewarm water and dish soap to blot the paint into a cloth or paper towel. Be sure to blot up as much of the paint as possible and do not scrub or rub the cloth into the paint. Doing this will simply cause the paint to stain the carpet even further and completely damage the fibres.
Try to avoid using stuff like carpet cleaner or surface cleaners as this could also damage the carpet even further. Dish Soap and warm water are all that you need for this task. You may need to do this for quite some time if the paint has dried into the carpet.
Keep blotting until the stain begins to lift and be sure to change your cloth out or use fresh paper towels to avoid reapplying the paint back into the carpet. If the dried paint is too thick and will not respond to the solution, you may need to scrape away as much of the dried paint as possible to get results.
This can be done with a scraper or even a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove as much of the stubborn carpet fibres as possible. Once you see the dried paint begin to lift, continue blotting the stain until the entire stain lifts.
Additionally, you can use an alcohol-based solution such as nail polish remover or even rubbing alcohol to lift the stain if soap and water are not doing the trick. Blot the nail polish remover into the stain and keep cleaning the stain until all the paint is removed.
Be sure to use a dry vacuum to remove any remaining dried paint from the affected area. A dry vacuum is essential to avoid possibly damaging a regular vacuum. Latex or water-based paints are thick and stubborn but oil-based paint is a bit harder to address.
Oil-Based Paint Stains
The process is essentially the same for oil-based paint stains but unlike latex paint removal, the process is a bit different. Blot the area to soften the paint and make sure to thoroughly dry the affected area afterward. But there are some differences when dealing with oil-based paint due to the heavy staining power of this type of paint.
Oil paint has a greasy and thick consistency when it binds to the coarse material in carpet fibres. To remove oil-based paint, you will need to first use a solution like paint thinner or turpentine to treat the stain followed by soap and hot water to remove any excess paint.
Start by dipping a cloth into the solution of your choice and blot the stain until the paint begins to lift. Just like the first process, continue blotting the area until all of the paint is removed. Unlike latex paint, oil paint will not clump as much and will likely not be as hard to remove once dried.
Go over the affected area with a cloth dipped in water and soap and then thoroughly dry the area. Vacuum up any remaining dried paint.
Do not scrub the paint stain and if you are finding that the steam simply will not budge, you can try using a handheld steamer to apply heat to the stain.
Can’t get paint out of your carpet? Use our professional carpet cleaners based in Portsmouth. We work across a wide area and can give you the expert advice you need.
What Home Remedy Will Get Paint Out of Carpet?
The two remedies listed above are mostly comprised of products you may have sitting around your home in the first place to get paint out of carpet. If you do not have nail polish remover, paint thinner, or even rubbing alcohol, you can keep working with detergent and hot water in a cloth. The trick is to let the solution keep penetrating into the paint and eventually, the stain will begin to lift.
You could also substitute detergent with vinegar and see if that will cause the paint to move from the area. But at the end of the day, removing paint from a carpet is not an easy task by any means. You may find that you will need at the very least an alcohol-based remover to see results.
Does WD40 get paint out of carpet?
The main job of WD-40 is to provide lubrication through a means of chemical reactions. This lubricant can actually work well when it comes to carpet stains, and at the very least, at least loosen the paint enough to make cleaning up the stain much easier. If you want to try WD-40 for paint stain removal, be sure to have a wet cloth and a dry cloth nearby.
First, spray the paint stain with a coating of the lubricant and allow it to set into the stain for at least one minute. Then, use a wet cloth with soap and scrub the stain for another minute to completely loosen and absorb the paint.
Finally, use a dry cloth and scrub the paint stain until the area is completely dry. If you notice that the paint is not responding at this point, it is likely that this solution is not going to work for the paint stain. You can troubleshoot the stain to see if the paint is too dried or thick to respond to the WD-40; if this is the case, you can use a knife or scraper to remove as much of the dried paint as possible and then try the method again.
How does rubbing alcohol get paint out of carpet?
Rubbing alcohol removes paint from the carpet by attacking the pain that is attached to the carpet fibres and causing it to loosen. Inside of paint are compounds known as resins and this is what allows the paint to bind to whatever surface it comes into contact with.
By breaking down the resins, the alcohol is effectively causing the paint to lose its ability to bind to the carpet fibres and then be easier to remove with a cloth. This is one of the reasons why a substance that contains a high concentration of alcohol is so important when trying to remove a thick substance such as paint.
You are effectively doing the work of removing the paint through cleaning but you will need something to help break down the paint to make cleaning it away successful. Rubbing alcohol is a perfect solution for this.
Summary
We realise that carpet stains are incredibly unpleasant, which is why we also provide knowledgeable and understanding customer service to listen to your needs and target our approach to what will completely eliminate the problem.
Following all of the above tips will help to neutralise these stains and prevent further damage to the carpet fibres from paint, yet you will need a strong and effective cleaning service to restore your carpet to its original state. We make it our goal to never leave a job until your carpet is thoroughly cleaned and all paint stains are removed.
Contact us today to talk to a carpet cleaning professional to get your carpet back to its original state and to let us show you how dedicated we are to handling all of your carpet and upholstery cleaning needs.
