Whether your kid got some ink on the carpet while drawing, or you stepped on a pen and broke it, you might end up with a bad-looking ink stain on your beautiful carpet. So, you’re probably wondering how to get ink out of the carpet. Getting ink out of the carpet certainly sounds like a difficult task. However, if you act fast and use the proper method to deep clean your carpet, you might save the day.
In today’s article, we’ll tell you all you need to know about how to get ink out of the carpet. Let’s dive in.
Before You Start
First and foremost, no matter what cleaning method you pick, it’s essential that you don’t smear the stain and spread it more. It would be best if you always blotted or rubbed the stain gently, like when removing paint out of a carpet. Otherwise, it’ll get messy, and you’ll have trouble cleaning the carpet.
Second, it’s crucial that you do a spot test before attempting to clean the stain. To elaborate, you can go to an unseen spot on your carpet, put one drop of ink on it, and test the method. If the method removed the small stain, you could use it on the actual stain. If it wasn’t successful, try another method until you find the right one.
Third, the cleaning method depends on the type of ink, as each type can be cleaned with a particular material better than the others.
So, you need to identify the type of ink that caused the stain before choosing the cleaning method. The most common types of ink include:
- Water-based ink
- Ballpoint ink
- Permanent ink
How to Get Ball Point Ink Out of Carpet
The secret weapon against ballpoint ink is alcohol-based hair spray, like lacquer. It doesn’t matter if it’s an expensive or cheap brand. Depending on the stain’s size, you’ll need one to two cans of lacquer.
The Tools and Materials You’ll Need
- Alcohol-based hair spray
- Napkins
- Clean towel or piece of cloth
- Vacuum
The Steps
First, it’s best to wear a face mask, as you’ll be spraying a lot of lacquer, which can harm your lungs. Additionally, it would be best if you kept the windows open all the time.
Second, you can follow these steps:
- Place the napkin on top of the stain.
- Spray the lacquer on the stained spot and press on the napkin to absorb the ink.
- Remove the napkin and use the towel to blot the area without smearing the ink around.
- Repeat the process until all the ink is gone.
- Vacuum the area and open the windows to remove the hair spray.
Find out more about 8 Ways to Clean Your Home Carpet
How to Get Water-Based Ink Out of the Carpet
Water-based ink stains aren’t difficult to clean. They’re called water-based because they contain ink dissolved in a water base. So, they don’t need an aggressive approach to get them out of your carpet. Typically, roller pens, gel pens, and washable markers contain water-based ink.
The Tools and Materials You’ll Need
You don’t need any special materials or tools. You can find all that you need lying around your household. Here’s a list of the things you’ll need:
- Dishwashing solution or laundry detergent
- A bowl of lukewarm water
- A clean towel
The Steps
It doesn’t get easier than this. However, it would help if you cleaned the stain as soon as possible. The more you wait on it, the ink will set in and become harder to remove.
Here are the steps that you need to follow:
- Add a drop of dishwashing solution or laundry detergent to the lukewarm water.
- Dab the towel in the solution and blot the ink stain without smearing around the ink.
- Keep dabbing the towel in the water and blotting the stain until the ink disappears.
Check out our guide on How to Remove Hair Dye Stains from Carpet
How to Get Permanent Ink Out of Carpet
A strong stain like that requires a strong stain remover. Hydrogen peroxide can do this job.
The Tools and Materials You’ll Need
Here’s a list of all the tools and materials you’ll need:
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Cotton towel
- Lukewarm water
The Steps
No need to worry, as the steps are simple. The following steps will guide you through the process:
- Pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide into the cotton towel.
- Blot the stain with the towel, and don’t smear the stain all over the area.
- Repeat the process until the stain disappears.
- Rinse the area with water and blot it dry.
Read more: Best Way to CleanCarpet by Hand
Alternative Solutions to Get Ink Out of Carpet
Don’t know what kind of ink is on your carpet? Some products might work with many types of ink.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol can work against most ink stains. If you’re unsure what type of ink stained your carpet or the previous steps didn’t help you, try rubbing alcohol. All you need to do is to grab a sponge and a bottle of rubbing alcohol or isopropyl alcohol. Then, pour some alcohol on the sponge and use the sponge to blot the stain.
WD-40
WD-40 is penetrating oil. It has endless uses. One of those uses is getting stains out of your carpet. So, you can spray a generous amount of WD-40 on the ink stain and blot it with a clean towel. You also don’t need to worry about WD-40 staining your carpet, as you can quickly rinse it with water.
Learn More About: How to Clean Your Mattress
FAQs
Do you have a question on your mind? Here’s a list of common questions regarding how to get ink out of carpet
Q. Can you use bleach to get ink out of the carpet?
Bleach is a powerful cleaning agent. However, it’s so powerful that it will remove the dye in your carpet. In other words, you can only use bleach on white carpets.
Q. What is the fastest way to get ink out of the carpet?
Rubbing alcohol is probably the fastest way to get ink out of the carpet. Besides, it’s available in every household.
Conclusion
Did you come across an ink stain on your carpet? Are you wondering how to get ink out of the carpet?
Don’t fret! You could get it out no matter what type of ink it was. To sum up, lacquer helps remove ballpoint ink stains, and hydrogen peroxide can eliminate permanent ink stains. Additionally, dishwashing soap, or laundry detergent, are great options to get water-based ink out of your carpet. If you want to learn how to remove nail polish out of a carpet, check out our comprehensive guide.
