Nail polish is one of the worst things to spill on carpeting. Thankfully there are some handy household items that make cleaning up less of a chore; chances are you already have most of them under your counter! One important thing to remember is to never try these without first testing them on another portion of less-seen carpet to ensure they will not bleach/discolor your carpet. Never scrub at a stain, always dab or blot, making it less likely to set further in the carpet.
Nail Polish Remover (Non-Acetone based) -
• Nail polish remover is something you probably already have if you're painting your nails. In order to remove the polish before it becomes a stain: simply pour a little nail polish remover onto a clean dish rag or paper towel and blot/dab at the nail polish.
• Continue dabbing, consistently folding the rag/towel so as not to dab more on, until the stain is gone.
• Rinse by dabbing the area with cold water in a clean cloth.
Window Cleaner -
• Window cleaner is another household item that can be easily used to remove nail polish from a carpet or rug. With window cleaner you will want to spray directly upon the stain, and let it sit for about ten (10) seconds.
• After allowing it to sit you will want to take a clean paper towel or wash rag and dab at the stain until it disappears.
• Rinse by dabbing the area with cold water in a clean cloth.
Hair Spray –
• Hair spray is another alternative to clean nail polish out of carpeting. You will want to keep the area moist by adding a little warm water.
• Then spray the stain for about ten to fifteen seconds and let sit.
• Dab the nail polish until gone!
• Rinse by blotting/dabbing the area with cold water in a clean cloth.
Rubbing Alcohol –
• Rubbing alcohol has similar chemicals that nail polish remover has, so it has pretty much the same effect.
• Simply pour a little onto a cloth or directly onto the stain and then blot/dab until it disappears!
• Rinse the area by dabbing with cold water in a clean cloth.
Hydrogen Peroxide –
• Hydrogen peroxide is not recommended for anything other than white or very light carpeting as it does have a slight bleaching effect.
• Simply pour a little onto a cloth or paper towel.
• Dab at the affected area.
• Rinse by dabbing with cold water in a clean cloth.
If the stain has already dried it can be more difficult to clean. In that case:
• Soak the area with warm water to loosen the nail polish.
• After the area becomes moist again, use nail polish remover and/or rubbing alcohol and soak the area.
• Scrub with toothbrush, attempting to go bottom to top. We want to try to peel the polish off the strands of carpet/rug. This is one of the few times where scrubbing is recommended!
• Repeat until the stain is gone.
• When you get the stain off, rinse by blotting with a rag and cold water. Vacuum to make sure that all of it is out.