Oil Paints can be hard to remove from your carpets. We’re here, as always to help with your carpet cleaning. Picture: Jody Morris (flickr)
Being creative has turned out to be a carpet cleaning nightmare again. This time, we have a major oil crisis on our hands, some of our oil paint has stained the carpet and we need to clean it up as quickly as possible so that it doesn’t dry out. As per usual, we’re always here with the most helpful solution!
Oil paint is one of the more tricky paints to get out of your carpet, this is because, when it dries, one of the only ways in which to get it out is by either buying or hiring a steam cleaner which can be very expensive!
1. Back to Blotting
As with a lot of the stains that we have covered in the series, the first thing you’ll need to do is blot the stain with either an old cloth or paper towels. This should get the vast majority of the top layer of the stain off and prevent the stain from becoming a lot more rooted within the fabric of the carpet. It’s important to blot (or dab!) rather than rub as this can spread the stain around which created more of a problem.
2. Sponge your way to victory – Part 1
First, get a small amount of dry-cleaning solvent and put it onto a sponge. Blot the stain with the sponge making sure not to be too rough as you may damage the carpet. It’s always important not to go overboard in your usage of chemicals on the carpet when it comes to these sorts of cleans unless you know that it won’t damage your carpet. In this case, too much dry-cleaning detergent can damage the carpet fibers and the dyes that make colour the carpet.
3. Just a teaspoon of neutral detergent makes the stain mess go down.
Fill a container with 240ml of lukewarm water and then mix a teaspoon of neutral detergent into it. This should create a solution that will take most of the rest of that pesky stain out, you will have to blot the mixture onto the stain using either paper towels or a cloth. A sponge can be used in this instance as well. Again, it’s important to dab not rub the stain as this may either damage your carpet or spread the stain around.
4. Sponge your way to victory – Part 2
By this point you should have mostly been able to banish most of the stain from the carpet. Your opponent, the stain, lies nearly defeated and it’s time to finish the job. Dab (or blot!) the stain with your trusty sponge and clean water. This should remove the rest of the stain from the carpet and clean up any cleaning chemicals that may be still present. Keep blotting until the stain is gone and you stand victorious.