When it comes to the carpet in our home, it is easy to take one look at it and wonder if it would just be much easier to have full hardwood flooring. As you are probably aware, whether it is from coffee finding its way over the top of the mug, or children with art supplies, accidental spills are bound to happen.
A carpet is lovely and soft underfoot and can really set the tone of a room, but it can also become something that is stained overtime. Whether you have children or dabble in a bit of art, acrylic paint is one of those things that once ingrained into the carpet you might think it is time to forget any household budget and spend big on overhauling the carpets.
You do not have to though, as cleaning acrylic paint out of a carpet is not as difficult as you may think. There are many tips and tricks to removing the vibrant colors from the lightest of fabrics. Here, we shall guide you through some of those to hopefully help you to remove the Jackson Pollock painting from the carpet.
Before You Start
Most of the time when we are removing something like acrylic paint, the accident will only just have happened. This is the best time to attempt to remove it because it will not have had time to dry and cling on to those all important carpet fibers.
When it comes to dry acrylic paint, then it becomes much more difficult to remove – if you can at all. However, it actually is not impossible, but the methods may be different. Luckily for you, we shall be covering both dry and wet acrylic paint removal.
How To Remove Dry Acrylic Paint
First up, we shall talk about dry paint and the many ways to remove it, though it may need more scrubbing power and ingredients that you potentially might have to buy from the store.
Rubbing Alcohol
Used for a variety of things within the household, isopropyl alcohol is a pretty effective way to remove dry acrylic that has been haunting you for some time – plus, it can be used on fabric and hard surfaces.
Even though rubbing alcohol is easy to get hold of from the store, the 99% concentration is the one you are after when it comes to cleaning out the dried strain, but it can only be bought online.
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Method
The best method is to use either needle-nose pliers or a putty knife to remove as much of the dried paint as possible from the carpet fibers. Doing this helps you to deal with a much smaller surface area, hopefully making it easy to remove the rest of the stain.
Using a dry old cloth, soak it with the solution and then blot the stain, all the whilst making sure the mixture soaks into the dry paint. Once this step is complete, let it do its magic for around 15 to 20 minutes. You can also agitate the area with a toothbrush to loosen any color.
Once the time has passed, blot the area with a dry cloth to soak up any excess solution. The paint should be gone or at least lightened. If this method does not work, there are other things to try!
Acetone
Normally associated with fake nails, acetone can be used to remove dry acrylic paint, though some carpets may be sensitive to this solution, therefore a patch test may be recommended.
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Method
Before you begin using acetone, wear a mask and gloves and make sure to open windows. It can be strong!
With an old cloth, dampen it with acetone and blot the stain. You can also use an eyedropper tool to apply directly onto the stain. A good trick here is that when blotting the stain, keep moving onto clean areas of the cloth to avoid putting color back down onto the carpet.
The stain itself may actually start to appear worse, but the acetone is bringing the color to the surface – so no need to panic!
Glycerin
Just like the previous methods, it is a solution that will need blotting, but this one can be kept on the carpet for a fair number of hours to get the job done. So if the first two methods do not work, this one should.
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Method
Damp an old cloth with glycerin and blot the stain once again with the idea that it should pick up the color from the paint. You can then either keep blotting it to help soak up the stain, or leave it on for a few hours to work its magic.
How To Remove Wet Acrylic Paint
Once you see that a bit of paint has found its way onto your cream colored carpet, then is the perfect time to mix up a solution. Here are a few ways to work that stain removing magic in no time.
Cold/Warm Water and White Vinegar
To create the mixture, you will need to have a spray bottle to hand. With 1 part white vinegar mixed with every 10 parts of warm water, the solution will then need to be mixed with a shake of the bottle.
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Spray the solution directly onto the stain and then blot with a cloth or paper towel to soak up the excess color and mixture.
Afterwards, use either an old cloth or a sponge soaked in cold water to blot the stain thoroughly.
Both these should be used alternatively until the stain has completely gone.
Warm Water and Dish Soap
Probably the most common method – using regular dish soap and other household items is a good idea if you are limited on products.
Again, the solution will need to be transferred to a spray bottle. For every cup of warm water, 1 teaspoon of dish soap needs to be added.
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Method
Once the mixture has been combined, spray the stain directly with the soapy solution, and then blot the stain with a paper towel to remove color and excess solution.
If All Else Fails
If nothing works, you could always steam the carpet with a professional cleaner. These are available to rent, but also you can buy a carpet cleaner that does not break the bank as well.
Final Words
It can seem like the end of the world when acrylic paint gets splashed onto a (brand-new) carpet, but actually there are many ways to get rid of it that you would not even know it had been there.
Following these tips on both wet and dry acrylic paint stains could save you a few hundred bucks just to remove it yourself, rather than getting a professional in or buying new carpets.
So, what are you waiting for? You will have that stain removed in no time.
