How To Get Nail Polish Out Of Carpet?
Painting our nails is a fun exercise, and one that we very rarely take enough care with. In an ideal world we would do it over the bathroom sink, or at least with some sort of protection spread out under where we are painting – but the reality is, most of us do it on the sofa while watching TV, or in the bedroom in the middle of getting ready to go out! It is all too easy to spill things, as we all know, and unlike a glass of water, nail polish does not simply dry out. How to get nail polish out of carpet, I hear you cry? Well read on, and let’s find out!
How To Get Nail Polish Out Of Carpet
You may panic when you spill nail varnish – especially if you spilled a particularly vibrant colour, and even more if you spilled it onto a pale carpet!
Nail varnish is sticky, usually brightly coloured, and it can dry and harden to rock solid very quickly. But, there is actually no need to tear your hair out if you spill your favourite colour on something other than your nails. It is surprisingly easy to remove nail polish from a carpet, and to remove the stain so that you’d never know anything happened.
It is not as simple as just grabbing a piece of kitchen towel and mopping at the spill – in fact, expensive carpets have been ruined by less – but if you stick to the methods below and apply a little patience and a spot of elbow grease, you can fix the spill. And, you can prevent the need to replace an entire carpet or the desire to buy a fancy rug to cover the stain – because there won’t be a stain if you remove the spill effectively. Read on…
Getting nail polish out of carpet is not the quickest job there is, and you will have to be patient – but keep following the steps below, and don’t give up until the stain is completely removed. It WILL be completely removed, but it may take some time!
This type of stain is best cleaned up as soon as you notice that it has happened – it will be harder to remove nail polish if it has set and hardened. However, it is still possible to remove a nail polish spill even if you don’t notice it until the next morning.
What you will need to get nail polish out of carpet:
- Cold water
- Hairspray
- Rubbing alcohol
- Toothbrush or small scrubbing brush
- Non-acetone nail polish remover
- Clean white cloth
- Wet/dry vacuum
- Dull knife
What you’ll do:
- If the stain has dried and set, start by scraping it with the knife to remove as much if the nail polish as possible.
- If it is wet, blot the excess with a paper towel until you have got the majority of it off.
Whether wet or dry, follow the below steps to remove it completely:
- Now, wet the stain with cold water, then spray hairspray over the stain (don’t be stingy with the hairspray!) Follow this up with a good splash of rubbing alcohol.
- Scrub this mixture into the stain using your toothbrush or small brush for about a minute, pouring over more cold water as you go.
- Pour over the nail polish remover and continue to scrub at the stain.
- Next take your clean cloth and dab at the stain (don’t rub it, as this can spread the colour further).
- Switch to a clean section of the cloth so that you can remove more of the stain – this also enables you to keep an eye on the progress and how much of the stain is being removed.
- Use a wet/dry vacuum around the stain, to suck up excess moisture. If you do not have a wet/dry vacuum you can soak up the liquid using an absorbent cleaning cloth.
- Keep repeating the above steps until the stain is gone. It will take some time, but it will be worth it in the end when you see the whole stain disappear before your very eyes!
If you would like a video tutorial, here is a visual guide on how to get nail polish out of carpet:
- Read also: How To Get Blood Out Of Carpet?
Spilling nail varnish on the floor fills most of us with serious dismay. However, it doesn’t have to spell disaster, or the need to replace your entire carpet. Now you know how to get nail polish out of carpet, you can save both your night out and your carpet. Just try not to spill it again!