How to Remove Shoe Polish From Carpet

Yikes! You just spilled a huge glob of shoe polish on the carpet. Before you panic or rush out to purchase brand-new carpet, try to remove the stain yourself. There are a variety of carpet cleaning methods that can help to have that shoe polish out of sight and out of mind in no time. Read on to learn how to remove shoe polish from carpet.

Instructions

1. Pour non-acetone nail polish remover or ethyl chloride on a cotton ball or white rag (colored rags can transfer color to the carpet) and gently rub the shoe polish stain. If using nail polish remover, make sure it is amyl acetate, not acetone.

2. Purchase a home dry-cleaning kit from a grocery store or discount chain. Make sure to buy the non-flammable type. Pour the fluid on a cotton ball or white cloth and softly scrub the carpet.

3. Open a bottle of liquid detergent and then mix 1/8 tsp. liquid detergent in 2 cups of room temperature water. The detergent should be a lanolin-free, non-bleach formula. Use a clean white rag moistened with the detergent solution to scrub the stain.

4. While wearing protective gloves, mix 1 tbsp. general household ammonia with 1 cup of water. Use a clean white cloth dipped in the mixture to work on the stain.

5. Pour plain warm tap water over the stain. Blot with a dry white cloth to try to pull the stain from the carpet fibers.

6. Buy a carpet spot removal kit. Found at home improvement stores, vacuum cleaner stores or on the Internet, these kits contain professional spot remover solutions. Make sure to follow the directions provided with the kit.

7. Call a carpet-cleaning professional. If the shoe polish is not coming out, turn to the experts. After all, it is far cheaper to pay to have your carpet professionally cleaned than to buy new carpet. An added bonus is that with this solution, you clean your your entire carpet--not just the spot with the shoe polish.

Tips & Warnings

• Handle many of these carpet-cleaning solutions with care, as some of them are flammable or toxic.