How to Remove Wet Paint from Carpet
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5 min read
Spilling paint on carpet isn't the end of the world. Latex paints clean easily with soap and water, and oil-based paints dissolve with solvents.
Paint spruces up walls, cabinets and trim, but it doesn’t look so great slopped all over the carpet. First, don’t panic: Wet latex paint cleans up fairly easily with water and dishwashing soap. But if you spilled oil-based paint, forget the soap and water; instead, head for the solvent you use to clean your paintbrushes.
No matter what type of paint you spilled, work quickly to remove it, starting by soaking up the excess.
When vigorous painting or a dropped brush sent a few splatters flying on to your carpet, disregard the "work quickly" advice; instead, wait about 30 minutes for the paint to dry. Peel off the dried bits of paint with a pair of tweezers or, if that fails, snip off the tops of the affected carpet fibers with a pair of cuticle scissors.
Latex- and oil-based paint spills are easier to clean up when they're in a contained area. Surround the perimeter of the spill with old towels or something absorbent; sawdust or cat litter work well. If it's just a small spill, you can skip this, but if the spill is larger than your palm, this extra step will save you trouble later.
Grab a roll of paper towels and start sopping up the paint, using blotting motions. Do not scrub or move the paper towel across the carpet in any way. For larger spills, let the towels do the work for you at first. Detach two sheets from the roll and fold them over each other: Drop these on the paint; let the towels soak up the spill for several seconds; remove the towels and repeat. Repeat the procedure until you can see the carpet fibers; then, use gentle blotting motions to remove as much of the excess as you can.
