6 Tricks To Get Nail Polish Out Of Carpet

• A few things: Best to catch the nail polish stain while it’s fresh. And don’t freak out. Whatever you do, don’t rub it in. The key to getting nail polish out of carpet is to blot, blot and blot.

• So before you even attempt to remove the stain with any product, grab a rag or some paper towels (or, if it’s a lot of nail polish, you can scoop up the liquid with a plastic spoon) and gently dab at the spot until most of the excess nail polish is gone and you’re just left with a mark on the carpet.

• If it does happen to be a dried nail polish stain (oops!), try scraping at it with a knife. We’d go with a sharp paring knife or something similar. Mind your fingers. Use a vacuum attachment to suck up the hard, dried nail polish bits before proceeding.

• Now behold, our choose-you-own-adventure guide for cleaning nail polish out of your carpet. Select which technique works best for you, depending on what sort of cleaning supplies you’ve got on hand—or pantry items to use as DIY cleaning solutions—the type of carpet and how bad the spill is.

6 techniques for removing nail polish from carpet

1. Use White Vinegar To Clean the Carpet

• Soak the offending nail polish stain with a generous amount of white vinegar. Yes, this is going to smell super weird. Vinegar and nail polish, blech.
• Lay a vinegar-soaked rag on top of the stain. Yep, more vinegar.
• Let the whole deal sit for about 10 minutes.
• Blot the stain with the vinegar-soaked rag.
• Scrub (yes, it’s okay to do it now) the mark with a clean, damp rag. If you’re super offended by the smell, try mixing a drop of dish soap like Dawn with warm water and dab at the (former!) stain, then rinse with clean water.
• If you’re still miffed by the odorous vinegar/nail polish combo, hit the spot with some Febreze Fabric Spray, which comes in a variety of fresh scents that aren’t vinegar or nail polish.
• Let the spot air dry completely.

2. Mix It Up With A Baking Soda & Ginger Ale Stain Remover

• Dump some baking soda onto the nail polish stain, covering it completely.
• Soak the spot with ginger ale.
• Let the solution sit for about 10 minutes.
• Blot the stain with a clean, damp rag until the stain is gone.
• Let the spot air dry completely.
• Vacuum up any baking soda residue that’s left over.

3. Repurpose Ready-Made Cleaning Products to Spot Treat

• Several store-bought cleaning products are known for getting nail polish out of carpet and can be used to spot treat the stain. As with all widely available cleaning products, be sure to follow the directions on the label. Most require a clean rinse to finish with a damp rag.
  • Window cleaner with ammonia
  • Adhesive remover
  • Dry cleaning solvent

4. CAREFULLY Use A Bit Nail Polish Remover

• (So obvious, right?!)

• Okay, so first be sure to test this method on a discreet section of carpet or rug (think the corner or under a strategically placed piece of furniture) because it could cause discoloration.
• Nail polish remover works best on fresh stains.
• It’s important that you’re using non-acetone or dye-free nail polish remover.
• Nail polish remover works best to remove polish from light or white carpet.
• Soak a rag with nail polish remover, and blot or dab at the nail polish stain until it comes off.
• Be sure not to totally soak the carpet with the nail polish remover. Only apply it directly to the stain.
• Blot, don’t scrub.
• If you don’t have nail polish remover (and might we ask what’re you even doing painting your nails without nail polish remover nearby? Bold move. #respect), you can substitute rubbing alcohol and follow the same guidelines.

5. Nail Polish Can’t Stand-Up To Hairspray.

(You know you’ve got an old bottle of it lying around somewhere.)

• First, make sure your hairspray has a high alcohol content, which will be most effective when removing the nail polish from the carpet. Alcohol-free hairspray won’t work on stains—it’ll just make your nail-polish-soaked carpet even stickier.
• Hairspray actually works best on already dried stains. Before applying the hairspray, be sure to do the knife trick to scrape off as much dried nail polish as possible and vacuum up the dried bits.
• Wet the nail polish stain with cold water.
• Spray about 10–15 pumps of hairspray. Yes, that’s a lot of hairspray!
• Add a tiny bit of rubbing alcohol to the stain, in addition to the hairspray.
• Use a soft-bristled brush (an old toothbrush would work well) and scrub (yes, scrub!) the stain with cold water.
• Let the spot air dry completely.

6. Shag carpet? Cut Out That Nail Polish Stain.

• Yeah, we’re serious. If you spilled nail polish onto your shag rug, chances are the carpet strands are long enough that you could just take a little off the top without making any noticeable bald spots.
• So blot up as much nail polish as you can, and then take some sharp scissors and gently snip the stained strands right off the rug. We’re pretty certain no one will ever know the difference.

7. Bonus: Remove Nail Polish For Good With Dish Soap And Warm Water