Latex Paint On Your Carpet And Hardwood? Here's How To Remove It
After you have completed a painting project, or have had a professional painting crew paint an area of your home, you could very well find paint that has made its way onto your hardwood flooring or carpeting. So, how do you clean up the latex paint on your flooring without causing any further damage?
Removing Paint from Carpeting
Wet Paint
Paper towels are a necessity when trying to remove wet paint from your carpeting. Blot the area with a wad of paper towels to remove as much paint from the carpeting as possible.
Tip: To avoid spreading the paint to the surrounding carpeting, cover the surrounding carpet with duct tape. This way, the paint will spread onto the duct tape instead of the carpeting.
Once you have blotted up as much paint as you can, get a bucket with ice cold water and a clean sponge. Dab the area with the wet sponge, switching to clean paper towels to absorb some of the moisture and avoid oversaturating the carpeting. Continue working the spot until it has disappeared from the carpeting.
Dry Paint
After the paint has dried, use a dry toothbrush to chip the dried paint off of the carpeting. After you have chipped away as much paint as you can, use a little bit of acrylic paint remover dabbed on a clean cloth to begin working the stain out.
Mix a few drops of dish soap with warm water and use the toothbrush to begin scrubbing the paint. This will help to remove the rest of the paint and rinse the remaining paint remover from the carpet to avoid discoloration after it has dried.
Removing Paint from Hardwood Flooring
Fresh Paint
Wet paint can easily be removed from hardwood flooring with some wet paper towels and a little dish soap. Put a drop or two of dish soap on the area after you have wiped away the wet paint. Soak the paper towel with water and wash the area.
Dry Paint
Coat the dried paint with denatured alcohol and cover the area with a sheet of plastic wrap. Let the plastic remain in place for about twenty minutes. After twenty minutes have passed, lift the plastic and use wet paper towels to rinse the area.
If you cannot get the paint to come off yourself, talk with your painting contractor for assistance. He or she has likely been through the process enough times to know how to get it off quickly and without any damage to your carpeting and hardwood flooring. For more information, contact a company like APC Services.