How to Clean Ink Stains Out of Carpet

Drop a pen on your new white carpet? Watch your little one run across the center of the living room, dripping ink from an exploded pen? Irritating ink stains occur more easily and often than one might think, but the splotches left behind do not have to remain as permanent eyesores.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paper towels
• Milk
• Dish Detergent
• Toothbrush
• Rubbing Alcohol

How to Clean Ink Stains Out of Carpet

1. Lay a paper towel, the more absorbent the better, over the stain to lift away excess ink.

2. Apply a small amount of milk or dish detergent to the stained carpet, and gently rub it in with a toothbrush.

3. Soak up the milk or detergent with a damp paper towel, and then use a clean, dry one to finish the job.

4. Repeat until the stain is removed, or move on to the next step for a more powerful, slightly more abrasive, approach.

5. Mix a half cup of lukewarm water and 1 tbsp isopropyl rubbing alcohol in a bowl. Dip a clean, white cloth in the solution and blot the stain repeatedly and quickly.

6. Remove the rubbing alcohol solution using a damp paper towel. Do this promptly so as to avoid damage to your carpet. Repeat until the stain is removed.

Tips & Warnings

• If the proposed carpet cleaning methods do not effectively remove the ink stain, call in experienced professionals with specialized supplies.
• Consider rearranging furniture to mask any remnants of a carpet ink stain.