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Carpet Paint Remover

Tulika Nair
During a DIY project, you have managed to spill paint on your carpet and now you need to dispel the stain. How do you do that? We give you some easy removal options that you can use to clean your carpets.
Carpets are ubiquitous items in most homes. It is impossible to imagine homes without these integral features of home furnishing. The problem with carpeted flooring though is managing to clean them well.
Not only are carpets heavy but they are almost a magnet for dust and dirt, which can make it quite difficult to keep them clean and maintained well. Dispelling most stains from carpets can be a huge task, but what do you do if you spill paint on carpets.

Cleaning Paint from Carpets

When it comes to cleaning any form of paint from carpets, the one thing to remember is that it is best to remove the stain when it is still fresh. The longer you allow the stain to stay on the carpet, the more difficult it becomes to dispel the stain completely.
When you are removing paint from a carpet, it is also important to determine what type of paint has been spilled on the carpet, as the method used to clean the stain will vary accordingly. Determine whether the paint is a water based one or an oil based one and then use the methods listed out below to clean your carpet.

Method 1 - For Water Based Paints

The first thing to do as soon as you spill paint is to blot as much paint as you can with the help of a white cloth. Ensure that when you are blotting the paint, you do not end up spreading the stain instead. Wet the cloth and blot it again. Make a mix of dish washing liquid and warm water.
Now dip a clean white cloth in this solutions and blot the stain. Ensure that you move from the outside in. Once you have blotted out as much paint as you can, use a mineral spirit to remove any excess stain.
Ensure that you do not pour the spirit on the carpet directly but apply it on a cloth and then use it on the stain. Once the residues of the stain are out, pour clean water and extract it using a wet area vacuum.

Method 2 - For Water Based Paints

If the paint that you have spilled on the carpet is water soluble acrylic paint, then the method that you will need to use will remain more or less the same except in the case of dry paint. In this case, you will need to ensure that you first wet the stain.
To do this, mix detergent powder and water together and then use a towel to soak the mixture and then place it on the stain. Let the towel stay on the stain for a couple of hours and then vacuum the area once it is dry. Repeat the process again if it does not work at the first instance.

Method 3 - For Oil Based Paints

Firstly, it is important to remove any excess paint and to do this, you will need to use either a spoon or a dull knife. Once you have removed the excess paint, you need to blot the stain with a cloth that is absorbent in nature. If the paint stain is dry, then use a varnish remover to thin the paint.
Blot the stain with turpentine and then blot it with clean water. Keep alternating this blotting process till you eliminate the stain. Use a sponge dipped in clean water to clean the area. If the stain is still not cleaned, then use a dry cleaning fluid to blot the stain, alternating that with a detergent and water mix.
Once the stain is removed, sponge the carpet with clean water and let it dry. Then vacuum the carpet.
There are many people who also suggest the use of acetone or hydrogen peroxide to remove paint stains from the carpet, especially for very stubborn stains but since these are strong chemicals, it may cause harm to the carpet. The carpet paint removers mentioned in this article will ensure that you can remove the stain on the carpet without much damage to the carpet itself.