Comments on: How to Remove Latex Paint from Carpet

on 12/28/2008 I dropped a relatively small paintbrush that was loaded with Burgundy/Rose colored paint on brand new eggshell-colored carpet. Granted, there was not a lot of paint, and the spot was smallish, but I followed the original instructions above and it worked very well. There's a very very slight discoloration left, but to find it, you have to be looking for it and know *where* to look.

on 9/20/2008 I had dried yellow latex paint on a tan carpet. I had Stanley Steemer come out after the painters left, they couldn't get it out & told me to try some paint solvent on a cloth. I didn't want to use this at all. I wet the carpet & sprayed it with Xtra laundry spot remover & use a small stiff brush to rub it in. I was amazed to see that it was instantly gone. My carpet is soft & smells good , too!

on 8/12/2008 What if the paint was poured onto the carpet and has been there for awhile?

on 7/27/2008 Follow these steps:
1. Don't panic - you'll be OK.
2. Part I: Remove as much wet paint as possible (gently scoop, scrap, spoon off as much paint as possible off the carpet).
3. Assemble the following: Bucket of warm water, Oxy-Clean (I used liquid), roll of paper towls, and several cloth towels.
4. Soak cloth towels in oxy-clean solution, lay across paint spot, and blot heavily. (Get the carpet good and wet w/ the Water / Oxy-Clean solution).
5. Next, lay paper towls across the spot and soak up as much water as possible. (Stand on the paper towels - let them soak up as much paint as possible).
6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 over and over again. (You may go through a few rolls of paper towels).
7. You'll start to notice that the paint color will start to fade and you'll begin extracting less and less paint as it comes out.
8. Part II: Don't let the paint dry in the carpet - Next,

on 6/19/2008 Use "oops all purpose cleaner" it takes everything out from gum, tar paint...etc. We just had my 3 year old spill white paint all over our new carpet and it instantly took it out! It works wonders and doesn't bleach the fabric!

on 11/12/2007 I spilled pumpkin orange paint on my brand new tan carpet and I used finger nail polish remover then windex it worked a wonder

on 7/5/2007 We spilled some drops of Fireweed Red onto our white carpet...and we used a mixture of warm water, and a teaspoon of dishwashing detergent mixed in, and blotted it up. Worked great! In our old house, we had some spots of white on blue carpet and they'd been there for some time. This took it up there too, and didn't bleach the carpet. I'd try it on a spot, that you could 'hide' if needed first, to be sure, but we had no problems on white or blue carpet! Good luck!

on 6/22/2007 Glass cleaner! (no name brand worked fine for me) I just successfully removed many splotches of dried cappuccino colored latex paint off a white carpet that were hiding under the drop clothes. Amazing!
I went back over the stain with some fresh water on a cloth to dilute any remaining cleaner residue that may have been left behind.

on 5/30/2007 How to remove latex paint from carpet - First of all, thanks for all of your suggestions. I used some of all of them. Initially, when I first spilled a bucket of blue paint on ivory carpet, I knew there was no hope. I had prepared myself to call a carpet installer the next day. But then, I remembered I had a steam cleaner, so I filled it with hot tap water and some Tide detergent. I was amazed at how much of the paint came up. By the end of my cleaning, there was only a small unnoticeable amount of faint blue left in the carpet. Try it! It really works!

on 1/28/2007 I spilled light pink paint on dark green carpet. First I scraped up as much as I could with a spoon. I used oxi clean and hot water and a shop vac. As stated earlier, keep the areas covered with wet towels until ready to spot clean. Some dishwashing detergents have chlorine in them, so I would steer clear of that. My results with oxi clean were great. Can't see any remainder of paint.

on 8/11/2006 I spilled half a gallon of green paint on neutral carpet, and immediately covered it with wet cotton towels. Keep them wet by periodically sprinkling warm water on them until ready to clean underneath. I used a wet/dry vac to suck up small areas, wetting them further with cups of warm water and gently slushing them around with our fingers. It took a little while, but the results were good.

Of note, the one area we blotted first was the hardest to get clean, and it still had a little green tinge afterward.

on 2/12/2007 I found that combining Windex and rubbing alcohol had a stronger effect than rubbing alcohol. Apply to multiple stains at once and let soak for a few minutes, then start scrubbing.

on 7/14/2006 I used Goof Off professional strength remover to remove dried paint from a rug in my living room. It took a little time, but it worked. Make sure to have plenty of ventilation.

on 7/9/2006 After spilling half a gallon of green paint on grey/tan carpet, we first freaked out and used some words you can't say on TV. Next, we got the river of paint up. After seeing what we were really dealing with, we blotted (not rubbed) up the excess. Then we tackled it with the glass cleaner. Finally, we vacuumed. 45 minutes later, it's practically new again -- aside from the places where I rubbed it in. Aside from the newness -- it smells like paint and ammonia in the dining room!

Here are a few more tips:
1) As someone else said, keep the stain wet. If the glass cleaner isn't doing the trick, keep it saturated with warm water.
2) Take your time. As long as the stain doesn't dry into the carpet, the coast is clear. Just keep blotting. Again, rubbing only grinds it further into the carpet's strands.
3) The bigger the stain, the more towels you'll need. I needed a lot.
4) Don't use paper towels -- especially ones that fall apart easily! Grab an old stained towel.

on 1/13/2006 If you've just spilled paint on a carpet, don't panic - this is how most people make it worse.
First, how much paint is it? If it's just a drop or two, you might actually be better off letting it dry, then snipping it off the surface with scissors.
If it's more than that, you need to get as much paint up as you can before proceeding. Do this with a dust pan or similar scraper. If possible, you may want to lift the carpet off the floor and clean underneath.
What kind of paint is it? If it's latex (water based), the best thing to do on a bad spill is rent a steam cleaner. Keep the spill wet while you go to get it by laying damp towels and/or plastic sheeting over it. The Rug Doctor will take all the paint away, eventually. Be sure to clean the whole rug while you're at it, or you'll have a clean spot! If it's not water based paint, or renting equipment isn't feasible, use a wet/dry shopvac and flush with small amounts of the appropriate solvent while sucking it up with the vacuum.