How To Get Latex Paint Out Of Carpet

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Spilling latex paint on a carpet can be a major inconvenience, and cause permanent damage if it's not cleaned up quickly. Luckily, while there are some other paints that are extremely difficult to remove from carpeting, latex paint is one of the easier varieties; as long as it hasn't been dry for a long time. However, there are a few cleaning solutions to cleaning up latex paint whether it's still wet or has had a little bit of time to dry.

1
Collect excess paint. No matter what size the paint spill, carefully use a putty knife or any sort of flat tool to scoop up paint that is sitting on top of the carpet, not yet soaked down into the fibers.^[1] Scoop up as much excess paint as you can without spreading the paint around.
- Wipe off the collected paint with paper towels and throw them away in the garbage.
2
Blot the paint with a clean cloth. Use a paper towel or clean rag to blot and absorb as much wet paint as you can.^[2] Lift your towel up and down and gently dab at the paint. Adjust the towel so you are always dabbing at the paint with a clean section.
- Don't rub or try to scrub the paint out; that will merely spread the paint around and push it deeper into the carpet.
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3
Mix a cleaning solution. Mix a cleaning solution of 1 cup (240 ml) of warm water with ¹⁄₄ –1 teaspoon (1.2–4.9 ml) of mild dish soap.^[3] ^[4] Use another clean towel to drip on a small amount of cleaning solution onto the paint.
- Let the cleaning solution sit on the carpet for a few minutes.^[5]
4
Blot the paint with the cleaning solution. After the solution has had some time to soak on the paint, dip a clean paper towel or rag into the cleaning solution and continue to blot at the wet paint.^[6] Always adjust the cloth so you are blotting with a clean section. Keep blotting at the stain until your cloth no longer absorbs any of the paint.^[7]
- Blot from the outside of the paint, moving inward; this will prevent you from spreading out the stain even further.^[8]
- If the stain still remains, repeat the cleaning process with the soapy water, or move on to using vinegar to blot at the paint.^[9] Vinegar works well with removing water-based paints like latex paint.^[10]
5
Dry the area. Once the paint stain is removed, use a clean paper towel or rag to blot at the wet area and soak up any remaining moisture. It should take about a day for the carpet to completely dry.
- You could even set a heavy object on top of layers of paper towels or rags to soak up moisture overnight.^[11]
6
Call in a professional. If the stain is persistent and can't be removed completely with all of your cleaning efforts, consider calling a professional carpet cleaning service to clean the rest of the remaining paint.
- A professional carpet cleaner will have the necessary cleaning chemicals and tools to adequately remove any lingering paint stains.
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1
Saturate and loosen the paint. Soften the paint by soaking it with some hot, soapy water or a stronger solvent. Gently cover the paint with a soapy water mixture made of 1 cup (240 ml) of hot water and ¹⁄₄ –1 teaspoon (1.2–4.9 ml) of mild dish soap. You could also use a solvent such as vinegar, acetone, or WD-40.^[12]
- Put the soapy water in a spray bottle so you can easily spritz your carpet.
- Allow the solvent to sit on the paint for approximately 20 minutes.^[13]
2
Scrape at the paint stain. Use a putty knife or some sort of blade to push down into the carpet, and scrape away at the paint.^[14] Continue to add your solvent solution and scrape away at the paint. Every once in a while, blot the area with a clean towel to absorb any dissolved and loosened paint.
- Remember, try to scrape from the outside of the stain toward the center.^[15] You don't want to spread the paint any further from the spot that is already stained.
- If there is a lot of paint on your carpet, use a stiff-bristled brush to loosen the paint.
3
Add steam to the stain. If the paint is particularly stubborn, consider using a steam iron to steam the stained area from above.^[16] Don't place the iron on the paint and carpet. Simply hold the iron over the carpet and allow the steam to further loosen the paint.
- If steam doesn't work, use a harsher product like acetone or hydrogen peroxide.
- Continue to use a putty knife to scrape away at the paint.^[17]
4
Dry the area. Use clean paper towels or rags to blot the area dry. You could also lay a few layers of towels or rags over the affected area, place a heavy object on top of the towels, and allow the area to dry overnight.^[18]
- Once the area is completely dried, consider vacuuming the area to pick up any loose pieces of paint either onto of the carpet, or in between the carpet fibers.^[19]
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Works best when paint spill is wet.

Results may vary depending on your type of carpet.

Things You'll Need

Paper towels/clean rags
Warm water
¹⁄₄ –1 teaspoon (1.2–4.9 ml) of mild dish soap
Vacuum
Vinegar (optional)
WD40 (optional)

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