How to Get Rid of Dried Hair Dye on Carpets

Hair dye can make a mess on carpeted floors.

Dyeing your hair is sometimes a necessity or even an enjoyable way to change up your look, but the cleanup can be a lot less fun. Even if you catch the hair dye right when it hits the carpet, it can still smear and cause a stain. Once it has dried, it becomes even more of a challenge to remove. But it can be done.

Things You'll Need

• Liquid dish soap
• White vinegar
• Bucket
• Sponge
• Towel
• Rubbing alcohol
• Hydrogen peroxide

Instructions

1. Mix up a cleaning solution using 1 tbsp. each of liquid dish soap and vinegar. Dilute the solution into 2 cups of water in a plastic bucket or container.

2. Dip a sponge into the solution and rub the stain with it. It won't hurt the carpet, so rub it vigorously to remove as much of the dried stain as possible.

3. Wet the sponge with cold water and apply that to the stain to rinse it, then blot the entire area with a towel to remove all moisture from the carpet.

4. Dab at what remains of the stain with undiluted rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. These should only be used in small amounts and work best on light-colored carpets.

5. Rinse the area again with cold water and repeat the process until the stain has been lifted away. Blot the entire area with a towel after you are done so the carpet doesn't remain wet or damp.

Tips & Warnings

• Substitute ammonia in lieu of vinegar in the first step to make a stronger solution for a bad stain.

References

• Good Housekeeping: Stain Buster -- Hair Dye
• Real Simple: Homemade Carpet-Cleaning Solutions; Jennifer Jafarzadeh