Best Ways to Remove Makeup from Carpet
Using makeup is, of course, a great thing to do if you want to boost your self-confidence. Used wisely, makeup can enhance your natural beauty and it can make you feel better. However, makeup can very easily get on your carpets, upholstery and rugs. We all know carpet cleaning, rug cleaning and upholstery cleaning are difficult even without having to clean up difficult stains – but when house cleaning means that you have to get rid of lipstick and eye shadow stains, it can all get much more difficult.
So, how do you do this? How do you go through your home cleaning and take care of the makeup stains on the carpet? Here are some tips to help you out:
1. If you have any kind of spray for removing spots and if you know you can use it on your type of carpet, you can simply use the instructions on the label (spray, wait for a certain number of minutes and then blot everything with clean paper towels of clean cloths and then rinse with a clean cloth dampened in water). Press a clean paper towel or cloth on top of the stain and place a heavy book on top of it. Leave it for a few hours, remove it, allow everything to air dry and then vacuum the carpet to restore its texture.
2. Lipstick can be removed by blotting paint remover or rubbing alcohol on top of the stain and then using dry cleaning fluid to blot the stain away again. However, make sure that these products are suitable for the fabric your carpets are made from (for instance, the solutions mentioned above are safe for wool carpets).
3. Mascara and eyeliner can be removed by blotting a solution made out of a quarter of a cup of mild liquid dishwashing detergent with one cup of water. Again, you have to make sure this is suitable for your type of carpet and you also have to make sure you blot everything (not scrub, because this will push the stain further into the fabric of the carpet).
4. Liquid foundation can be removed with hydrogen peroxide (the 3% type) or with dry cleaning products. However, if you know your carpet is sensitive (for instance if you have an antique carpet), you might want to call in the cleaning service because they use professional cleaners for this kind of stains.
5. Powdered makeup (such as blush, powder and eye shadow for example) can be removed with a few drops of mild dishwashing detergent dissolved in one cup of water. Use clean pieces of cloth to blot everything, rinse using a clean, dampened cloth and then allow everything to air dry. Again, use your vacuum once everything is completely dried off to restore the texture of the carpet’s fibres.
6. Last, but not least, nail polish can be removed using nail polish remover. However, you should use acetone-free nail polish remover and you should make sure this is alright for your carpet.
7. If you are not very certain as to what products can be used on your type of carpet without damaging its texture or colours, you can test your solution out on a small, unnoticeable area of the carpet. This way, you will be able to see if the colours there come out (and if they do, your solution is definitely not suitable for your carpet’s fabric).
8. If you really don’t know how to remove a stain and if you don’t want to ruin your carpet (especially if it’s antique or very expensive), it might be much better to call in the cleaning contractors because they will definitely know what to do – and their fee will definitely pay off.
