How to Remove Paint Stains From a Carpet

Of all the stains to remove from a carpet, paint can be one of the most daunting.

Whether you were doing a bit of redecorating or a spot of art in your free time, it’s pretty common to let a few flecks of paint fly, so don’t beat yourself up about it.

In this article, the John Frederick team is going to be showing exactly how you can remove paint stains from your carpet.

What type of paint is it?

Given that different types of paint will require different removal strategies, the first thing you need to do is identify what sort of paint you’re dealing with.

If you don’t already know, take a quick look at the container it came in.

How to remove water-based paint from your carpet

Once you’ve identified that the paint stain is water based, the first thing that you need to do is try and lift the paint away from the carpet.

You can do this using a dull knife or an old credit card. Assuming that the stain is still fresh, the worst thing that you can try to do is rub the stain, as this will only cause it to bond further with the carpet, making its removal extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Once you’ve lifted away as much of the stain as possible, the next thing that you need to do is to simply blot away the rest of the stain.

You can do this using a paper towel or a clean rag. Keep changing the area of your blotting as the paint starts to lift until the entirety of the stain has gone.

What if the stain is already dry?

If you’re dealing with a stain that’s already dry, then the first thing that you need to do is reconstitute the paint.

Mix a solution of hot water and a small amount of detergent into a bowl and get yourself an old bristled brush (we recommend a toothbrush).

Dip the brush into the solution and then slowly apply it to the dried stain, before leaving the stain to sit for around five minutes. After that, the stain should be a little more workable. 

Once finished, you can then start with the steps mentioned above.

The only difference here is that you might want to vacuum at the site of the stain once it’s been removed to ensure that any loose paint particles get picked up.

How to remove oil-based paint from your carpet

For oil-based paint stains, the method of removal is more or less the same regardless of whether the stain is wet or dry.

You still want to try and lift the stain up with a dull knife in both scenarios, although if the stain is dry you will be doing more scraping than lifting.

Once you have finished lifting, you want to start blotting as above to get as much of the stain away from the carpet as possible.

The next thing to do once the stain has been blotted and vacuumed is to apply a solvent to it. Somewhere on the paint tin it should be able to tell you the best one to use, whether that’s mineral spirits, paint thinner or turpentine.

When you have identified the right solvent, dab a clean rag in it and then apply it to the stain.

Keep moving to a clean area of the rag as the colour is transferred during the blotting process.

All you need to do after that is clean the area of the stain.

You can do that by mixing some hot water and a small amount of detergent and gently working the stain with an old toothbrush. At this point, you can also vacuum the stain to remove any renegade flakes that didn’t get picked up.

Having trouble keeping your carpet clean in London? If any of the above sounds daunting, don’t worry, simply call the professionals here at John Frederick and we can give your carpet a thorough clean for you.

John Frederick is based in Hendon, but provides cleaning services throughout the Greater London area, including Bushey, Harpenden & Radlett. John Frederick’s are expert carpet, upholstery, curtain & blind cleaners. They also supply a wide range of curtains & blinds and carpet & flooring options to customers throughout London.