You’ve decided on your new nail color of choice—a beautiful deep red or a plum that will match your date-night outfit.
Perhaps you have let your children have a slumber party with some makeovers and fun pampering. Painting your nails can be fun, therapeutic, and a much-needed dose of self-care.
Whatever your reason for whipping out the nail polish, there is always one thing on our minds—avoiding spilling it. Nail polish is notorious for causing stains.
I can’t tell you how many bedsheets I have lost to nail polish! One area we all want to avoid is our carpets.
But despite our best efforts, nail polish gets onto our carpets, and we all become our mothers.
Panic ensues; you begin desperately scrubbing, scratching your head for any old wives tales you might have heard about removing nail polish.
All fails, and you resign yourself to covering the stain with a rug or splashing out for a new carpet.
What if I told you that all is not lost? I’ve been in that situation too, and have found a way to save my carpets! That’s right; you can get nail polish out of your carpet!
But how? Well, for those wanting to know, just keep reading! Let’s look at: how to get nail polish out of carpet: use our fast and easy methods!
How to Get Nail Polish Out of Carpet
When looking at removing nail polish from carpets, two different types: fresh spills and dried nail polish spills.
We will look at methods for both types of nail polish spills to help save your carpets and your sanity!
How to Get Fresh Nail Polish Out of Carpet
The best way to remove fresh nail polish is to work quickly. Treating the stain before the polish dries will make your job easier and reduce the risk of damaging the carpet.
Below there are two methods that will help you remove the nail polish quickly.
Method 1: Quick Method
Once the polish hits the floor for those in a rush, you can use the following steps. To begin, use a dull knife or spoon and scrap as much polish off the carpet. A spoon is best for larger spills.
Once removed, use a dry paper towel to soak up the remaining nail polish. Pat the stained area and continue to do this to soak up as much polish as possible. Remember to change the cloth or use different areas of it.
Next, take some hairspray and spray the area with it. You can then pat the wet area with a clean rag or towel. You can repeat this process until the stain is completely gone.
If you have a light carpet, be sure that your hairspray has no tea tree oil and is not colored, as this can damage your carpet and change its color!
Method 2: Rubbing Alcohol
Does that not sound like the method for you? Try out our second method for removing nail polish.
First, cover the stained area with water and spray a liberal amount of hairspray onto the area. Remember to avoid hairspray with tea tree oil included.
Next, take a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol and place it onto the stain. Using a gentle brush to scrub the area. Scrub the carpet for about a minute, adding more water as needed until the stain releases from the carpet.
Repeat this process until the stain is removed and your carpet is returned to its former glory!
How to Get Dry Nail Polish Out of Carpet
Dried nail polish spills are more challenging to clean than fresh spills. Whether it was tipped and forgotten about or hidden by a child, you have found yourself stuck with a spill that needs cleaning.
So what can you do? Well, here are two methods that will help remove dried nail polish.
Method 1: Hairspray
To begin, scrap as much of the dried polish as possible from the carpet. If you have a dense carpet or a rug, a straight edge razor can be helpful when doing this. You can then use your vacuum to clean any excess nail polish chunks. Vacuuming now will prevent a larger mess later on.
Once the polish is removed, use hairspray and a few tablespoons of rubbing alcohol to spray the area down. If you have a light carpet, baking soda or salt can help to remove the stain. Also, the abrasive texture of these products can speed up the scrubbing process.
Once the mixture is on the stain, allow it to sit for a minute. Next, use a toothbrush or a gentle brush to scrub the area. Do this for a few minutes before patting the area gently with a cloth or paper towel. You can then check how much of the polish has been removed.
If necessary, repeat the process until the stain has been removed. Depending on the size of the stain, you might need to repeat the process a few times. Do you not have some of the items listed, why not try out our next method for removing dried nail polish?
Method 2: Window Cleaner
For our second method, you will begin the same way as the first method. Remove as much excess nail polish as possible with a dull knife or spoon if the stain is quite large.
Once the polish has been removed, you can vacuum the excess polish up. Alternatively, you can move them to one area and clean the pieces up later.
Next, take a standard window cleaner and place some on a wet sponge. Using the abrasive side of the damp sponge, you can scrub the stain. Be sure to rinse with warm water frequently while you work.
Once scrubbed, pat the area dry using a paper towel or cloth and check the stain. You can repeat the process until the stain has been removed from the carpet.
Can I use a portable cleaner?
For those after a quick solution, a portable carpet cleaning machine could be your saving grace! Using a carpet cleaning solution and some heat can help remove the toughest stains, including nail polish!
If you have a portable carpet cleaner, why not give it a whirl?
Final tips for nail polish spills!
Before you go, let’s have a little look at some tips that will help you when it comes to cleaning up a nail polish spill!
- Use acetone-free nail polish remover only! Be sure to check the label of your bottle carefully before use. Acetone-free nail polish remover is affordable and widely available; it’s always worth keeping a bottle at home!
- Avoid using a hairspray that contains tea tree oil. The oil can stain colored carpets, making your spill worse than before!
- Do not use products that contain bleach or hydrogen peroxide, especially on dark carpets. These will bleach the colors, leaving you with patches of light colors.
- Avoid rubbing any wet nail polish stains. Rubbing the polish will spread the stain across the carpet, leaving you with a larger stain to treat!
Final Word
And here we are, the end of the road. Hopefully, you have reached the end confident in tackling your nail polish stain, whether the bottle just tipped or the stain has been hiding under a strategically placed rug.
There are a few methods to remove nail polish from carpets, and I am sure there is one that will restore your carpet to its former glory!
Whether you continue using nail polish far away from the carpet or regularly find yourself cleaning up spilled nail polish, there is a method for everyone!
Happy nail painting and carpet cleaning!
