How to Clean Paint Spills from a Carpet
It only takes an un-secure lid to result in a spill that could potentially destroy a carpet. If you counted all the different scenarios that could end in catastrophe, you would probably never lift a paintbrush again.
However, spills on a carpet are not the end of the world. You can clean paint from any material in most cases, ensuring that your project does not result in the loss of valuable carpet or furniture. It is important that you act quickly to remove any spills, otherwise, it is much more difficult to remove paint.
Protecting Carpets
Before we discuss removing paint from a carpet, it is important to remember that prevention is the best cure. If you have wall-to-wall carpets in a room, protecting them from spills is by far the best option. If you can lift the carpet without damaging it, do so. You do not necessarily have to take the carpet out of the room completely.
Moving the carpet away from the area that is being painted should provide enough protection from spills – especially if you also use a non-porous drop cloth to cover the carpet. If the carpet is secured using tacks or glue, covering the entire surface is the next best option for protecting your carpet.
Make sure that any covering is secured so that you do not pull it away when walking around the room. You can use strong masking tape to secure your protective drop cloth so that the flooring is completely covered in case of spills and splatters.
Cleaning Paint from Carpet
First things, first: If you do spill paint on a carpet, it is important to remove the excess as soon as possible. A putty knife is an ideal tool for the job, but if you don’t have one, use a similar implement. You are working against the clock as letting the paint dry makes it much more difficult to remove.
You can give yourself more time by using water to saturate the affected area. Don’t worry when you start soaking the area and the paint begins to spread. This is a result of the paint becoming diluted by a benign chemical – water. You may have a larger surface mess to deal with, but you are well on your way towards remedying the situation.
Vacuum Power
If you want to get ahead of paint drying in your carpet, use the most powerful cleaning tool in your home. The vacuum is ideal for sucking up watered-down paint. If you have one, turn it up to full and go to work on your carpet. This is a work-in-progress so keep your vacuum cleaner on hand for the next step.
You will have to re-soak the carpet several times before you start seeing results. With each new soaking, you will need to use a bristled brush on the affected area to work the paint out of the carpet. Make sure to suck up the watered-down paint after each scrubbing to gradually remove the stain from the carpet.
Avoid Paint Spillages
We have already discussed using a protective covering to prevent paint spills on your carpets. However, there are other ways to avoid spills. When you are dealing with paint, it is always important to ensure that lids are tightly sealed. When you take the lid off the can, make sure it is placed somewhere safe where it will not cause damage to carpets or furniture.
Never leave paint cans anywhere in the room where the likelihood of a spillage occurring is increased. If you can keep the paint can on an easily cleaned surface, all the better. Ideally, everything remaining in the room should be covered to ensure maximum protection from spills.
Hire a Professional
Let’s face it, people make mistakes. However, when you hire a professional who has made all those mistakes already and learned from them, your carpets are in much better hands. A professional will know how to protect your furniture and flooring when painting each room. The extra cost of hiring a professional is worth it when you end up with a perfect finish and unblemished carpets.
It is also worth taking into account that a professional painter knows how to avoid overloading paint brushes or rollers, which is one of the main causes of paint spilling on carpet. Painting involves a lot of experience and technique. Trusting your project to a professional may save you money in the long run and significantly reduce your stress levels.
Speak to the experts at the Arizona Painting Company if you have had a bad experience with paint spilling on your carpets in the past. Our team knows how to keep your furniture and carpets safe and in good shape.