It happens. Things fall, things get broken, and the consequence is often your carpet. Regardless of your color preference on makeup, spilled makeup will leave a noticeable stain most likely in a conspicuous spot (because that’s how it goes). Fortunately, you’re not the only one to ever experience this mishap and over time we’ve learned the cleaning methods that actually work, and a lot of solutions are simple at-home remedies. In this guide, we reveal 5 different types of makeup stains and 5 life hacks on how to get makeup out of your carpet.
Important Notes About Stains
You’ll hear this a lot, but, as with any stain, act fast!
- The longer you wait to clean up a stain, the harder it will be to remove. You don’t want to be facing irreparable damage.
- NEVER scrub stains, always blot. If you rub a stain, you’re just spreading the stain around and blending it into your carpet.
- Always work from the outside of the stain to prevent spreading.
- You may have to try several different cleaning solutions (hopefully this isn’t the case), therefore, always test your solution in an inconspicuous place so damage or discoloration isn’t the new problem.
- Avoid cleaning up spills with colored cloths as the color can be transferred to your carpet.
- To truly prevent your carpet from irreparable damage, call a carpet cleaning expert! Apex is on the other end of the phone to share suggestions and give advice on the best route for restoring the beauty of your carpet.
1. How To Get Mascara out of Carpet
You have a few options to choose from and we’ll start with the most common, eye makeup remover. If this ingredient doesn’t work, replace it with dishwashing liquid or any other ordinary cleaning liquid. You will need:
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- Eye Makeup Remover
- A clean, white microfiber cloth
- Cold Water
- Apply the makeup remover directly onto the cloth – NOT onto the carpet! The makeup remover will definitely reach the backing of your carpet, posing a bigger problem.
- Gently blot the stain from the outside to the inside until all the makeup has been transferred from your carpet to the cloth.
- If it hasn’t been removed, grab a clean cloth and repeat the process.
- Dampen a clean, white microfiber cloth with cold water to remove any excess mascara debris.
- Blot the area dry with a clean cloth.
2. How To Get Foundation out of Carpet
Foundation comes in both liquid and powder form, each posing a challenge to your carpet. I will cover removing the liquid foundation first and then dive into removing the powder foundation from your carpet. To remove the liquid foundation from your carpet, you will need:
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- A clean, white microfiber cloth (I’m going to be saying this a lot)
- 3% hydrogen peroxide – 3% is very important as any higher acts as a whitening agent and will whiten your carpet
- Cleaning gloves
- Spray bottle
- Gently absorb the foundation with the cloth by dabbing.
- Soak a section of your towel in hydrogen peroxide and wring it out.
- Continue gently dabbing with the hydrogen peroxide part of the towel and notice if the foundation is being transferred from your carpet to the cloth.
- Continue until it’s removed.
- Once removed, spray the area with clean water to dissolve the hydrogen peroxide from your carpet.
For stubborn stains:
- Pour peroxide directly onto the stain
- Cover it with a moist white cloth and place a hot iron on top
- Wait a few minutes and the stain should be removed. Be very careful not to let the hot iron touch your carpet directly.
3. How To Get Powder Makeup out of Carpet
This method is worth mentioning because it works for both pressed and loose powders. This includes foundation, eyeshadow, and blush. This is another recipe that one ingredient can be replaced, depending on what works for your carpet. Hydrogen peroxide can be replaced with any ordinary cleaning liquid. You will need:
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- A butter knife or spoon
- 3% hydrogen peroxide
- A clean, white microfiber cloth
- Clean water
- Place a clean paper towel next to the spill and carefully scrape all the powder you can from the carpet onto the paper towel with a butter knife or spoon.
- Soak part of the cloth in hydrogen peroxide, then wring out. If hydrogen peroxide doesn’t work for you, mix 1/4 teaspoon cleaning liquid and 1 cup of clean water together and soak the clean cloth in the solution, then wring out.
- Blot clean.
- Then, blog dry with clean cloth.
- If using hydrogen peroxide, remember to blot with a damp clean cloth to dissolve the hydrogen peroxide.
4. How To Get Lipstick out of Carpet
Lipstick is a great challenge because it contains oil. However, over the years, Apex has been able to conquer the how to’s of getting makeup out of your carpet. You will need:
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- A clean, white microfiber cloth
- Rubbing alcohol or paint remover (if you have a wool carpet, replace with a dry cleaning agent)
- Cleaning gloves
- 1/4 teaspoon cleaning liquid and 1 cup clean water mixture
- If there’s excess lipstick on the carpet, scoop it up with a spoon and throw it away.
- Soak your clean cloth in either rubbing alcohol or paint remover and wring so it is damp.
- Dab the lipstick from the outside to the inside.
- Continue dabbing the lipstick stain until it is all transferred onto the cloth.
- Once gone, with a new clean cloth, soak in the cleaning liquid and water solution, wring to damp, and dab the area to clean up any rubbing alcohol or paint remover.
5. How To Get Nail Polish out of Carpet
Spilling nail polish onto carpet is very similar to spilling paint. What you will need:
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- Nail Polish Remover
- A clean, white microfiber cloth
- 1/4 teaspoon liquid cleaning product and 1 cup clean water mixture
- Apply nail polish remover directly to your cloth.
- Start dabbing the nail polish, focusing only on the stain.
- Don’t be discouraged if this takes a while, nail polish will become thinner before being completely removed. However, be careful not to overdo the nail polish remover as it can damage the sealant in the carpet.
- When the stain has been lifted, soak a clean cloth in the liquid cleaning and clean water mixture, then wring until damp.
- Dab the affected area until nail polish remover has been cleaned up.
- Finally, dap the affected area with a damp clean cloth to remove the cleaning solution.
How To Get Makeup Out Of Carpet
You see, any stain can be tackled, except for the ones that cannot! If you’re experiencing a stain that just won’t quit, don’t hesitate to call a professional. Apex has the technology and years of know-how experience to get virtually any stain out of your carpet or upholstery.
Additionally, if you are looking for some guidance, give us a call!