It’s time to brighten up your kid’s bedroom, so you decide to paint their walls red. You get 99% percent done when little Billy runs in and knocks over the paint can. Now you have a disastrous red carpet stain all over your carpet. Whatever the circumstances, if you have a paint stain on your carpet, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve outlined what to do depending on the type of paint spill you are dealing with, but first we’ll go over what to do in all instances.

You can’t let the paint dry, so you need to act quickly. Dried paint will permanently stain your carpet. You need to contain the spill by surrounding it with paper towels. You should blot up as much of the paint as possible while not rubbing it further into the carpet.

Before using any of the cleaning products recommended here, you should test them out on a small patch of the same carpet that can’t be seen normally. If the solution stains the carpet, we don’t recommend you use it to treat the stain.

Water-Based Paint

For stains involving water-based paint, blot up as much of the stain as possible at first. Continue the blotting process using a bit of vinegar. After that, blot with a mixture of dish soap and water. Don’t use too much water or the stain could start to spread.

Latex Paint

The first step for latex is to blot up as much of the paint as possible with paper towels. Use a solution of a teaspoon of a neutral detergent and one cup of water. Apply it to the stain and then blot it all up with more paper towels. Repeat these steps until the stain has disappeared.

Acrylic Paint

The recommended product to use for an acrylic paint stain is glycerin. Apply it to the stain and blot it up. Remove any of the remaining stain with rubbing alcohol. Finish the job by cleaning the area with a mild detergent and water, soaking that up with a sponge and then vacuuming the area dry.

Oil-Based Paint

For oil-based paint, you need to apply turpentine to the stain and blot it up with a paper towel. You’ll then need to blot the area with a cloth dipped in rubbing alcohol. This helps remove the turpentine. Finish up with a sponge soaked in a mixture of detergent and water.

If you’ve tried the steps outlined for your type of paint spill and you are still having problems, you should contact the ottawa carpet cleaning company Ja-Doc Inglis. They’ll use their knowledge and state-of-the-art equipment to make your carpet look like new.