How To Remove Paints From Carpets

While painting a room can make an immediate impact on the appeal of any home decor, removing
paint from carpets can be a difficult and time-consuming task that can take several days in severe instances. Since the amount of paint that is on a carpet after painting can range from a few stray drops spewed from a paint roller to a paint can that has been accidentally knocked over, the process to remove paint from carpets should match the mess. In most cases removing paint from a carpet in the amount of a few drops is most easily accomplished by allowing the paint to dry on the carpet, and it can then "plucked" from the carpet fibers using your fingernails or a pair of needle-nose pliers. For larger areas the process to remove paint from carpets is much more labor intensive, and needs to be addressed as quickly as possible before the paint has  had a chance to dry.


The best tip for removing large amounts of paint from carpets is to use rags or paper towels to absorb as much of the original spill as is practical. Once this has been accomplished it needs to be determined if the paint is latex based or oil based before proceeding. This information can be found on the original paint container, which may also provide specific instructions for clean-ups of accidents. The common procedure for cleaning latex based paint is ordinary soap and water, while oil based paints are usually cleaned using a stronger chemical such as mineral spirits. In either instance it is imperative to use rags or towels as blotters to soak up as much of the spill as you can while it is still wet.

Since it is highly unlikely that removingpaint from carpets in large spills can be done in one attempt, the remainder of the spill will need to be addressed after drying. The best way for removing latex paint from carpets then is to rent a carpet cleaning machine and purchase a fine-toothed steel comb. Wet the area of carpet with soap and water and then run the comb back and forth across the area to loosen then paint. Follow this step by cleaning the area with the carpet cleaning machine.

Removing oil based paint from carpets is a bit harder, and a carpet machine cannot be used in conjunction with mineral spirits because of the fire hazard it represents. In this case a steel comb is used as a scrubber with the mineral spirits serving as the cleaningagent and then the carpet is blotted dry with a rag.

Removing paint from carpets in any instance is not easy, but with a good work ethic and the proper processes used it can be completed to success.