The Simplest Way How to Remove Acrylic Paint from Carpet

Oh no! Need to know how to remove acrylic paint from carpet? Here are the best tips and ideas to help you remove acrylic paint from carpet.

Having a paint spill on the carpet can be super stressful, but the following steps can help you clean as much paint as possible and get rid of those stubborn stains. The best news? You don’t even need a carpet cleaning machine or any hard cleaning agents to accomplish this!

I don’t know where we got these acrylic paints from, or how, in like the first month of us being in our new rental home, they ended up on the carpet, but so it was – purple acrylic paint on our carpet in our brand new rental house.

I was pretty mad as we’d really like to keep that rental deposit!

But, like most busy parents and homemakers, I didn’t get to the now dry acrylic paint on the carpet for several months, mostly because I was afraid it would be a pain in the butt to remove.

This is similar to when I needed to figure out how to get slime out of carpet!

I looked up some various recommendations on the internet (thank you 21st century technology!) and found several ideas on how to remove acrylic paint stains from carpet when dry.

Obviously, it’s easier and better to attack carpet stains when they are fresh and wet and not set and dry (especially if you are having to remove poop stains from carpet), but I didn’t even know when it happened… so… it wasn’t really an option. Plus, acrylic paint dries very fast.

The good news is that I’m pretty sure the acrylic paint we had was a washable acrylic paint designed for kids. I don’t know the specific brand, but I do know the paint came from one of those small round plastic containers of acrylic paint that come all connected in a row, like these.

So, they may have been washable from the beginning!

The good news is that acrylic paint is water-based, and not oil-based, and is typically not as much of a pain to remove from carpet.

I’m going to suggest that you try the first method first and then other ideas if it doesn’t work, even though I didn’t do that method first, simply because it’s the easiest if you don’t know exactly what type of paint in on your carpet.

How to Remove Acrylic Paint from Carpet

The simplest method to remove acrylic paint from carpet is to use soap and water. Yup! That’s it. Kind of similar to how water removes many common carpet stains!

Here’s what you’ll need for removing acrylic paint from carpet:

• butter knife
• vacuum
• empty clean bowl
• warm water
• a few drops of dishwashing liquid
• clean white rag
• carpet brush (optional, but recommended)
• extra towels or paper towels for blotting

Instructions for Removing Acrylic Paint from Carpet

1.First, gently scrap up any dry acrylic paint from carpet with a butter knife, running the blade horizontally against the carpet. You don’t want to damage the carpet fibers!

2. Vacuum up any big pieces of acrylic paint you got loose.

3. Fill your bowl with several cups of warm water.

4. Add a few drops of your favorite dish detergent (I like this one personally).

5. Swill around the dish soap so it’s mixed in the water.

6. Put in your clean white rag, ring it out and then start scrubbing the acrylic paint from carpet. Use a small circular motion to scrub the paint.

7. For extra cleaning power, and save your fingers from scrubbing, use a carpet brush dipped in the soapy water to scrub the acrylic paint from the carpet.

8. Repeat until the acrylic paint is removed from the carpet.

9. Rinse the area with clean, non-soapy water then blot dry the area with new towels or paper towels.

And that’s it! It’s seriously that easy. I was amazed and mad I didn’t do this method first.

If you are pretty sure the paint on your carpet is some type of acrylic paint, start with just soap and water.

If it doesn’t work, try the following method to remove acrylic paint from carpet, or a few other ideas I’ll mention after that.

How to Remove Dry Acrylic Paint from Carpet (Option 2)

For this method (which is the method I started with), you’ll need the following supplies:

• butter knife
• vacuum
• cotton balls
• GooGone
• Soapy water & rag

1.First, again, gently scrap up any dry acrylic paint from carpet with a butter knife, running the blade horizontally against the carpet. You don’t want to damage the carpet fibers!

2. Vacuum up any big pieces of acrylic paint you got loose.

3. Get out your bottle of Goo Gone and add a little to a cotton ball.

4. Start scrubbing the acrylic stain on your carpet with the Goo Gone infused cotton ball, going again in small circular motions.

5. Keep dipping and repeating and using new cotton balls as needed until the paint and stain are gone.

6. You might want to them take some of that soapy water of the first method and scrub the carpet with it, to remove any residue of the Goo Gone from the carpet as well.

7. Then blot to dry.

This method did work, but it took much longer to remove one small spot of the acrylic paint. So, if the first method doesn’t work, this one should.

Other Methods of Removing Acrylic Paint from Carpet

Other methods to remove acrylic paint from carpet involve:

• Isopropyl alcohol and glycerin
• Acetone (aka nail polish remover)
• White vinegar
• Carpet spot cleaner
• Steam cleaners

All of those methods again involve blotting and scrubbing and blotting some more, followed up perhaps by acetone and steam cleaners, etc.

Do these cleaning steps for the stained area only work for dried paint?

Yes, this is what I did. I saw the dry paint and then started cleaning the area. I’m also pretty sure that this was water-based paint, so this isn’t an option that is going to work for all types of paint, like oil paint or latex paint.

With a little elbow grease, I was able to clean the affected area with warm soapy water, making it a super simple process to do. I saved money by not having to rent a professional carpet cleaner, and I was able to literally have the best results doing it this way.

This might not be the best option for your paint remover area, but it is a cleaning method that has worked for me. For different types of paints, you will likely need to try a different cleaning process, and likely even a carpet steamer or a different home remedy. Using a soft-bristled brush does seem like it would be a good idea to use on the inconspicuous area, no matter what type of paint it is.

If you find wet paint. I would blot as much up carefully with a dry paper towel – don’t rub as this will spread the paint all over, making a bigger mess.

If you have other stains, check out these other how to clean posts:

• How to remove rust from carpet with vinegar
• How to remove baby poop stains from carpet
• How to get slime out of carpet
• How to remove dried set-in blood stains from clothes
• How to remove lip gloss stains from fabric
• How to remove yellow armpit stains
• How to remove baby poop stains on clothes
• How to remove pee stains and smell from mattress