What To Do If Paint Is Spilled On Your Carpet

How well does paint stick to your walls? It bonds to your carpet even better.

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

Some people feel if they are using water based paint, it should remove easily. NOT TRUE. Truth is, once 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 at removal. Allowing the paint to dry makes the task difficult to impossible.

Here's how to avoid paint spills...

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.

What to do if you spill a whole gallon of paint...

Don't panic. First, extract all that you can with a wet vacuum or shop vac. Then, call us. We've taken care of problems just like this. We can save your carpet if you call us IMMEDIATELY!

Acrylic paint might be a problem. Acrylic 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, extract with a wet or shop vacuum. Then, blot the area with a mild cleaning agent that is safe for your rug. 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.

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