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If you recently painted a room with carpet in it, chances are you may have gotten some on the carpet. If you didn’t notice it right away and weren’t able to get it off while it was still wet, you probably have dried paint stuck on your carpet.
The best way to avoid dirtying your carpet is to hire professional painters. Many DIY projects result in mistakes being made and carpets being stained. Professional painters will know how to be careful with the equipment and keep your house in pristine condition.
This may seem like a big problem now that it’s dry, but we have some tips and tricks on how to remove dry paint from carpet. We wish you the best of luck and hope you end up with your carpet looking as good as new!
1. Dish Soap and Blotting Method
If you have just noticed the stain and it’s just starting to dry, this is the best method to remove dry paint from carpet. Remember that the last thing you want to do is scrub a paint stain from your carpet. This will just help the paint get settled into the carpet fibres. Instead of scrubbing, use a blotting method by gently blotting up as much paint as you can with a paper towel.
To remove the rest of it, you will need to use some dish soap to help get the rest of the paint out. In a small bowl, combine a bit of dish soap with warm water. Next, take a rag and soak a small corner of it in the dish soap solution and keep blotting out the paint stain.
This method works best if you start on the outside of the stain and slowly work your way toward the middle. Once complete, you should have some, if not all, of the stain removed.
2. Scrape Away Loose Bits of Paint
For a stain that is completely dried, start by scraping away any loose bits of paint. This will help clear an area to get to the really stuck on paint.
To do this, you can use a regular kitchen knife. Just make sure that it’s sharp enough to scrape the paint. It’s also a good idea to make sure it’s not too sharp because the last thing you want to do is risk cutting yourself or damaging the carpet fibres. Please use caution when performing this step.
3. Soak the Stain
Now that you have all of the loose bits of paint scarped away, you can get to the more stuck-on area. Again, you will want to combine a small amount of dish soap with warm water in a small bowl.
Next, pour the solution onto the paint stain, letting the mixture soak into the paint. This will help soften the stain.
4. Scrape and Blot the Stain
Once the area of dried paint has softened, you can now gently scrape it from the carpet fibres. Do so slowly and gently so you don’t damage the carpet fibres. Once some of the paint starts to come loose, you can blot it with a damp rag or dry paper towel.
5. Steam the Stain
Another trick you can try is to steam the stain using a small handheld steamer, or if you don’t have one, an iron set to the steam setting works well too.
Pro Tip: If you opt to use an iron, be sure to place a wet rag on the carpet before you iron to ensure you don’t burn the carpet fibres.
6. Use Commercial Carpet Stain Remover
One of the methods described above should work to remove dry paint from your carpet. In the event that none of these methods work, or you’re unable to get all of the paint out, one of your last resorts should be using a commercial carpet stain remover.
You can purchase this at your local hardware store. Be sure to follow the directions on the bottle when using it. If you have questions, the associate at your hardware store should be able to help.
If you find this method works the best, be sure to keep some on hand just in case you need to use it the next time you paint.
7. Call in the Professionals
If even the commercial carpet stain remover didn’t work, or you were too nervous to use it, there’s still one option: calling in the professional carpet cleaners. These professionals will have the tools and skills needed to do a thorough job – it will just cost more than the methods described above.
Although being proactive and blotting up paint from your carpet is the best way to protect your carpet from dried paint stains, this isn’t always possible. You may be so into the paint job that you don’t notice until it’s too late. Don’t beat yourself up about this. As you can see, there are many ways to target the dried paint stain, you just need a bit of patience.
