Homeowners who need to remove paint stains from their carpeting have many questions.
“Should I try to lift the stain myself or do I call one of the local carpet cleaning services in Kirkland?” “Which paints are easier to lift and which ones are the most difficult?”
“How do I tackle the job so I don’t make the mess worse?”
These are all common queries from folks just like you who have mistakenly dripped, dropped, or spilled paint on the carpet and worried about whether or not the material is now completely ruined.
The good news is that you should be able to eliminate just about any size mess you’ve made regardless of what kind of paint you used or how much was spilled. But you do need to perform certain steps for removal based on the type of paint you were using and the size of the stain that’s been made.
Here’s what you need to do depending on the sort of paint you’ve splashed on your expensive floor covering:
If You Spilled Water-Based Paint
Most of the time this paint will come right up but you need to be careful about how you go about it. Hopefully you’ve gotten to the mess while it’s still wet, if so, you can take a damp paper towel and blot gently to pick up as much of the liquid as you are able. But remember, only blot, don’t wipe!
Let’s say you found it later and the paint has dried. Fill a cup with hot water and some dish soap. Apply it to the spot and let it soak into the stain, but don’t drown the paint. You don’t want to oversaturate the carpet and cause further problems. Let the water sit until the paint begins to soften up. You can then take a razor blade or knife and lift the paint off. Just be careful not to damage the fibers.
If You Spilled Latex Paint
You’re going to need to get at this paint while it’s still fresh. Grab that paper towel and blot lightly to pick it all up. If you got to it after it’s dried, go with the water and soap option again (this time make the water a little less hot, more lukewarm) and then blot at the spot with a paper towel. Start at the outside and move further in until you’ve gotten it all.
After you’ve finished, vacuum the area but wait until the carpet is dry.
If You Spilled Oil-Based Paint
Let’s hope you got to this one while it’s wet. If so, same as above, paper towel and blot. Dried paint situations will require you to moisten the paint and hot water won’t quite do the trick this time. You will need a steamer to soften it up. Aim the heat right at the paint and pick at it as the paint moistens back to a malleable form.
You will need to do this slowly and carefully. One piece at a time so you avoid damaging the carpet, which is entirely possible if you are too rough about it. So go slow and be aware of what you’re doing.