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Even if your carpet needs a new facelift, it could do without a new shade of lipstick. If your favorite gloss flies out of your hand and spills onto your rug, it could ruin a good day. Yet, you can find out how to get lipstick out of a carpet in a few simple steps.
Whether you were rushing in the morning to get to work on time and your open lipstick went tumbling out of your hands, dropping straight onto your white carpet, or your children were playing with your make-up, you will most likely feel panicked when you see the blotchy stain.
If your lipstick matches your carpet shade, you may not be too concerned right away. Yet, if your carpet is lavishly white, you could start panicking over how to get red lipstick out of the carpet.
Lipstick is designed to stick to your lips, and it is strong enough to last through the day. While this is good for your look, it isn’t good for those mistakes where it ends up on the carpet. Luckily, there are simple home remedies for you to try and clean the stain with.
If these don’t work and your lipstick brand is honest about its promise of lasting for up to 12 hours, you may need to buy a cleaning solution. Goo Gone will work well in this case.
However, these simple home remedies should work to clean up the oily stain, so don’t panic. Make sure you don’t try to mop up the spill with toilet paper in a frantic panic. This may cause the lipstick to push deeper into the carpet. Take a deep breath and follow these cleaning techniques.
- Preparations To Remove Lipstick From A Carpet
- Home Solutions For Getting Lipstick Out Of A Carpet
- How To Remove Lipstick From A Carpet Using Hydrogen Peroxide
- A Commercial Cleaning Product To Clean Lipstick Out Of A Carpet
- Extra Tips To Prolong The Lifespan Of Your Carpet
- How To Get Lipstick Out Of Carpet FAQs
- The Last Smear
Preparations To Remove Lipstick From A Carpet
You should have most of these items on hand ready to help you clean up the messy spill in a few quick and easy steps. There are a few methods to try just in case one doesn’t work for your specific carpet.
What You Will Need To Get Lipstick Out Of A Carpet
- A plastic spoon or blunt plastic knife
- Clean white cloth or a paper towel
- Nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol
- White vinegar
- Laundry detergent (check that there is no bleach in the ingredients)
- Cleaning gloves
- Warm water
- Goo Gone
Always take care when using any sort of chemicals on your carpet, even if it is a household product. The fibers in your carpet may not respond well to certain substances.
Always conduct a spot test by dabbing a small amount of the solution onto a hidden spot of the carpet. Leave this for a few minutes to see if it damages the carpet in any way.
If there are no marks from this, blot it up with a dry cloth and wipe the area with some laundry detergent and warm water to prevent the chemicals from sitting on your carpet for longer than necessary.
Once you are sure the solution is fine for your carpet, then you can get working on the stained area without worrying about making the problem worse.
Home Solutions For Getting Lipstick Out Of A Carpet
The sooner you start cleaning up the sticky mess of lipstick, the easier it will be to remove the stain. Remember to be very gentle when you are getting to work because you don’t want to push the lipstick deeper into those fibers.
The Nail Polish Remover Method
Nail polish remover is a miracle worker when it comes to removing tough stains from your carpet. When the stain is from your children drawing all over with your lipstick, it can save the day too.
The first step to saving your carpet from having permanent makeup applied to it is to carefully remove any large pieces of lipstick.
If the lipstick has any bits broken off it on the carpet, you need to carefully pick up as many of these pieces as you can. Use a spoon or the blunt end of a knife to gently do this, but ensure you don’t push the lipstick into the carpet.
You can use the cleaning gloves to prevent getting the lipstick all over your hands so you don’t accidentally make more of a mess.
You want to have all the chunks off before applying any chemicals to the spot as this will make it harder for the solution to work.
Once the pieces are all picked up, pour a small amount of the nail polish remover or rubbing alcohol over the stain, as long as you have tested it on a small spot on the carpet beforehand.
Let this sit for five minutes while the chemical breaks down the greasy lipstick. After the time is up, gently blot the stain using a dry cloth or some paper towels.
Once the stain is cleaned up, wash the area with some laundry detergent and warm water to remove the nail polish remover from the carpet fibers.
The White Vinegar Method
White vinegar is a powerful cleaning agent for your home because it contains acetic acid, which works to break down dirt, grime, and grease from multiple surfaces.
Your carpet is no different and this nifty household product can easily blot away your unwanted lipstick stain. However, make sure you only use white vinegar as the other variations contain colorants that could cause more stains.
Don’t forget to scrape up as much of the lipstick pieces as you can before you try the vinegar method.
Pour a bit of vinegar onto a white cloth before blotting at the lipstick stain. Hold the cloth down for a little while to allow the chemicals to start working their magic.
Once you have blotted the stain up, rinse the carpet with some laundry detergent and warm water to clean up any excess vinegar.
If the stain doesn’t come off immediately, try this a few times and leave the vinegar on the stain for a few minutes after blotting it up.
The only side effect of this method is the strong vinegar smell that may linger for a while after cleaning. However, being an inexpensive and toxin-free cleaning solution, the smell won’t end up being so bad.
If it does bother you, you can use any household freshener to help air out the area or you can use apple cider vinegar since it doesn’t have such a strong smell. However, you will need to dilute it with water before cleaning the carpet.
How To Remove Lipstick From A Carpet Using Hydrogen Peroxide
Once you have used the above methods to clean away the lipstick stain as much as possible, you could still be left with a slight stain on the carpet. If your carpet is light and not too dark, you can go one step further.
Using hydrogen peroxide will help remove the last tough bits of the stain to hide the faint color left behind.
Before you apply any hydrogen peroxide, make sure you have cleaned away the other solution—the nail polish remover or the white vinegar—with laundry detergent and water. If the chemicals mix with hydrogen peroxide, it can cause a toxic chemical.
This is more likely when you mix large quantities of the solutions but it is always better to be extra careful and take note of what cleaning solutions should not be mixed together.
When you are certain the area is clean, use a clean white cloth to gently dab some hydrogen peroxide onto the stain. Don’t pour the liquid directly onto the carpet as you may end up pouring too much.
Once the carpet fibers are slightly wet with the cleaning solution, leave it to sit for at least an hour before checking if it has worked. There is no need to clean up the solution, but if you do want to take the extra step, you can mop up the solution with some water.
Always check to make sure your carpet isn’t too wet after your cleaning methods as this could damage your carpet and your flooring. If the carpet does feel too wet, you can take extra steps to dry your carpet.
A Commercial Cleaning Product To Clean Lipstick Out Of A Carpet
If you have tried all the home remedies and that tough makeup stain is just not budging, you may need to purchase a product to help you with the cleaning.
Luckily, the product I am recommending is a firm favorite of mine because it works on a whole range of spills, stains, and sticky substances. It also works on several surfaces including carpets, so you don’t have to worry about damaging your carpet fibers.
Goo Gone Original
Goo Gone is a handy product to have in your home, especially if you have young children. It works by cleaning up sticky residues from several different surfaces.
It will even work on makeup stains, especially lipstick. This is due to the greasy ingredients that make up your favorite lipstick.
It is safe to use on different surfaces, including hard surfaces, fabrics, and carpets, making it a versatile cleaning product that you should have on hand in your home.
For any of the tougher stains, all you need to do is pour some Goo Gone onto a clean white cloth. Make sure you have tried to clean up as much of the lipstick with a spoon first.
Leave the Goo Gone on the stain for up to 10 minutes before gently wiping it off with a dry white cloth. If you haven’t reached the desired results yet, try it out again for another 10 minutes.
The solution to all of your greasy home messes is right here and you can’t go wrong keeping a bottle or two on standby for the next spill or playtime with your children.
Not only will it help with spills and messes from children, but you can also use it to remove glue and other crafting accessories from surfaces and clean away those sticky residues off new glasses and mugs.
Extra Tips To Prolong The Lifespan Of Your Carpet
- Vacuum Your Carpet Often
- Invest In Area Rugs And Mats
- Periodically Rearrange The Furniture In Your Home
- Hire A Professional
Despite our best efforts when looking after our carpets, sometimes things go wrong and your carpet will suffer from general wear and tear as well. You can take some extra measures to prolong the life of your carpet with some simple care tips.
Even when you are not getting lipstick out of the carpet, you can make sure it is kept clean and well looked after, so when extra stains do occur, it doesn’t happen on top of an already dirty carpet.
Vacuum Your Carpet Often
This may be an obvious one but you would be surprised at how many people skip on vacuuming their carpets. You should be cleaning your carpet in this manner every week, especially if the carpet is situated in a high traffic area or if you have children and pets.
This regular cleaning will help prevent any dirt and dust from building up and causing cleaning problems later on. You can use a regular vacuum for this or try out a portable carpet cleaner for easy cleaning.
Invest In Area Rugs And Mats
Area rugs and mats are the perfect addition to your home and will help to protect your carpets from extra dirt. Place area rugs over your carpet in high traffic areas to protect the carpet from taking all the strain.
Place the mats at the points of entry into your home to remove excess dirt from people’s shoes as they walk in. If you want to take it a step further, you can request that everyone takes off their shoes when coming inside.
These are good measures to take when you have carpets covering your entire floor, especially in the main areas of your home.
Periodically Rearrange The Furniture In Your Home
Rearranging your furniture regularly will not only create pleasing aesthetics in your home but will also help prolong the life of your carpet.
When there is heavy furniture placed on carpets, it will compress the carpet and create unwanted dents in the carpet.
Not only will you have an uneven carpet, the area where the furniture is will start to look different from less cleaning attention and dust collections.
You don’t have to move your furniture around constantly, but look to rearrange it every six months or so.
Hire A Professional
To maintain your carpet and make sure you are cleaning it properly, you could also opt to hire professional cleaners a few times throughout the year.
They will be able to advise you on the best products for your carpets and conduct a thorough cleaning of your rugs. This deep clean will clear away all the stubborn dust, dirt, and grime to avoid build-ups.
How To Get Lipstick Out Of Carpet FAQs
- Is Hairspray Good For Removing Lipstick Stains?
- Will Water Help Remove Red Lipstick From A Carpet?
- How To Remove Lipstick From A Toddler’s Skin?
Is Hairspray Good For Removing Lipstick Stains?
Yes. Hairspray has been known to effectively wipe up lipstick stains on fabrics and carpets by spraying a small amount on the stain and leaving it for up to 15 minutes before dabbing it off. However, you should be careful by doing a spot test to make sure the chemicals don’t react negatively with the fabric.
Will Water Help Remove Red Lipstick From A Carpet?
Water is not a good option to clean a lipstick stain from your carpet. The greasiness of the makeup will cause the water to simply run off most of it. The water may also soak the stain deeper into the carpet. It is best to use white vinegar or a store-bought stain remover.
How To Remove Lipstick From A Toddler’s Skin?
If your carpet stain happened at the hands of a toddler, they may have the rest of your lipstick all over themselves. It is simple to remove the lipstick using baby oil and some baby wipes.
Pour a small amount of the oil on the wipe and gently blot away the lipstick; it will wipe off easily.
The Last Smear
Having lipstick drop onto your carpet doesn’t have to be the end of the world and you most likely have the solution sitting in your cupboards at home.
Trying out the household methods will help you use inexpensive methods to keep your carpet lush and stain-free while looking after the fibers in your carpet.
If you have tried the home remedies and they haven’t worked, you can try out the products to remove those tough stains.
Most importantly, there is no need to panic, and calmly approaching the situation is the best solution. You need to make sure you don’t push any of the lipstick deeper into the carpet before you have the cleaning solution applied.
Stay calm and let your children have some carefree fun knowing that you have the solution on hand if any mistakes do happen. That also goes for any slips when you are putting on your lipstick in a rush in the morning.
If you have any comments or first-hand experiences with lipstick stains on your carpet, please post them below or share your pictures via our social media.
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