How To Remove Paint Stains From Carpet

If you've been redecorating your Adelaide home and spilled a few drops of paint on the carpet don't worry as in most cases it can be successfully removed without leaving a trace! While drop sheets should always be used to cover carpeted areas during painting, accidents can occur and we've seen our fair share, so follow this simple guide to remove paint from carpet. The first thing to note is that paint will not be removed by any type of regular carpet cleaning process - stripping paint from carpet is a manual process that is done by hand and is not included in a standard carpet cleaning service charge. Perhaps your previously immaculate carpets are now looking like this?

Essential Supplies

* Oil Type Paint Remover. The brand we use is Stelco and you can find it at specialist cleaning equipment stores. We get ours from DC Supplies in Thebarton, South Australia.

* No-Rinse Neutralizing Agent. Virtually impossible to find for consumers, we can supply you with a bottle straight from the Australian Carpet Cleaning Institute.

* Cloths to absorb the paint. We recommend microfiber cloths from Supercheap Auto / Costco / Bunnings stores throughout Adelaide.

* Protective gloves (Bunnings).

* Respirator Mask (Bunnings - prefer twin filter).

It's very important that you take precautions to ensure that none of the oil type paint remover touches your skin and that the mask is fitted correctly to prevent you inhaling any toxic fumes. Unfortunately stripping paint from carpet involves the use of toxic chemicals so care must be taken through every step of the paint stripping process for your safety and that of your family.

Step By Step

* First put on your gloves and respirator mask. After fitting your respirator mask, use your fingers to pinch the mask at the sides of your nose while inhaling a deep breath - this will suck the mask further into your face giving you a much tighter seal. Open any nearby windows to allow a continuous supply of fresh air while you are working and help dissipate any smells from the paint remover.

* Now that you've got your safety gear on we are ready to start. If dealing with only a minor amount of paint you can often apply a small amount of the oil type paint remover directly to the area and give it a gentle rub back & forth using a clean section of a microfiber cloth. This will cause small amounts of paint to quickly go from dry to liquid and be absorbed onto the microfiber cloth.

* For large amounts of paint the first step is to apply a generous amount of the oil type paint remover on to a clean section of the cloth so it is soaked and large enough to cover the area. Then hold down the wet part of the cloth for a minute over the paint while gently applying a small amount of pressure with your hands.

* After the minute is over repeat the same procedure using a fresh part of the cloth (or a new cloth if your current one has been completely used). After the second or third repetition you'll see the paint start to turn into liquid and begin transferring over onto the cloth.

* Continue applying oil type paint remover to fresh parts of the cloth and holding it down until all the paint has transferred over. Once it has started to become liquid you can also gently blot it with the cloth and the heel of your palm to speed up the absorption process.

* After all the paint is off, spray the No-Rinse Neutralizing Agent over the entire area where you applied the oil type paint remover. This will neutralize any toxic chemicals from the paint remover, rendering them inert. A "No-Rinse" agent should be used as this means it won't leave behind any sticky residue and hence the treated area won't re-soil faster than the rest of the carpet. Alternatively have your carpets professionally cleaned by our carpet cleaning in Adelaide service.

If you've followed all the steps correctly you should now have carpet free of paint as well as any chemical residues used during the paint stripping process.