Comments on How to Remove Latex Paint from Carpet

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

After using the liquid detergent and warm water (worked so-so) I took an all-purpose firm brush and did a thorough dry scrubbing in the affected area. This did a pretty good job.

While spraying water onto wet latex paint in your carpet, use a wet vacuum to pull the paint out of the fabric. Continue to spray the fabric with water as you vacuum. This method works every time. It is a good method for many kinds of stains, including pet accidents.

This is what worked for me! I had wet, green latex paint on a tan carpet. I highly recommend this method. Remove as much of the foreign material as possible by blotting with a white paper towel or scraping with a dull knife. Apply isopropyl rubbing alcohol to a clean white cloth, white paper towel or cotton ball. If the spot extends deep into the pile, use a blotting motion until the spot is removed or no color is transferred to the cloth. Do not allow the alcohol to penetrate into the backing as this will destroy the latex bond. If the spot is on the surface only, rub in one direction at a time. Never us a circular motion to remove spot as this may destroy the texture. Stop if the spot is removed. If not, go to the next step. Apply a small quantity of detergent solution to the spot. (To make the detergent solution mix 1/4 teaspoon of a hand dish washing detergent which does not contain lanolin or bleach with 1 quart of water; examples of safe detergents are Dawn and Joy.) Use a blotting motion to work the detergent into the affected area. If the spot is being removed, continue applying detergent and blotting with a white paper towel until the spot is removed. Rinse it with tap water using a spray bottle, and blot to remove excess moisture. Spray it lightly with water, but do not blot this time. Apply a pad of paper towels and a brick and allow it to dry. If there is still some stain on the carpet and blotting is not removing it, then moisten the tufts in the stained area with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let it stand for one (1) hour. Blot and repeat until the carpet is stain free. Light will cause peroxide to change back to water so no rinsing is necessary. Apply a pad of paper towels and weigh it down with brick.

Simply work a little nail polish remover into the paint (I used my wife's make up pads). The paint comes up immediately!

I first removed as much of the wet paint as possible with a dry cloth, then I mixed dishwashing soap with warm water and started blotting the stain. After I got as much out as I could, I sprayed on Krud Kutter (which I purchased at my local hardware store). That stuff is amazing. I just followed the directions on the bottle and got the paint out.

This is what worked for me! I had wet, green latex paint on a tan carpet. I highly recommend this method. Remove as much of the foreign material as possible by blotting with a white paper towel or scraping with a dull knife. Apply isopropyl rubbing alcohol to a clean white cloth, white paper towel or cotton ball. If the spot extends deep into the pile, use a blotting motion until the spot is removed or no color is transferred to the cloth. Do not allow the alcohol to penetrate into the backing as this will destroy the latex bond. If the spot is on the surface only, rub in one direction at a time. Never us a circular motion to remove spot as this may destroy the texture. Stop if the spot is removed. If not, go to the next step. Apply a small quantity of detergent solution to the spot. (To make the detergent solution mix 1/4 teaspoon of a hand dish washing detergent which does not contain lanolin or bleach with 1 quart of water; examples of safe detergents are Dawn and Joy.) Use a blotting motion to work the detergent into the affected area. If the spot is being removed, continue applying detergent and blotting with a white paper towel until the spot is removed. Rinse it with tap water using a spray bottle, and blot to remove excess moisture. Spray it lightly with water, but do not blot this time. Apply a pad of paper towels and a brick and allow it to dry. If there is still some stain on the carpet and blotting is not removing it, then moisten the tufts in the stained area with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let it stand for one (1) hour. Blot and repeat until the carpet is stain free. Light will cause peroxide to change back to water so no rinsing is necessary. Apply a pad of paper towels and weigh it down with brick.