Rosie on the House: Speed is important when removing paint

Answer: I am so happy that you were inspired by the paint topic last month.

I checked with Arizona Painting Company, a Rosie Certified Partner, about how to clean up such spills. They offer the following advice:

You can clean paint from any material in most cases, ensuring that your project does not result in the loss of valuable carpet or furniture. It is important that you act quickly to remove any spills, otherwise, it is much more difficult to remove paint.

Remove the excess paint as soon as possible. A putty knife is an ideal tool for the job, but if you don’t have one, use a similar implement.

For fresh spills, you can give yourself more time by using water to saturate the affected area. Don’t worry when you start soaking the area and the paint begins to spread. This is a result of the paint becoming diluted by a benign chemical — water. You may have a larger surface mess to deal with, but you are well on your way toward remedying the situation.

If you don’t get to a spill right away, you are working against the clock. Letting the paint dry makes it much more difficult to remove, which I assume at this point may be your case.

To remove dried paint, use a utility knife or needle nose pliers to remove paint chunks. Vacuum the carpet to remove excess debris. If the paint is water-based, also known as latex, do the following:

Pour hot water over the stain to moisten the area

Add a bit of mild dish soap to the wet spot

Scrub the area with a stiff-bristled scrub brush until the water and dish soap mix into a light lather

Scrub until the paint dissolves

Run a wet/dry vacuum or shop vac over the area. Do not use your regular household vacuum on wet or damp carpet. Not only can you cause a short, but you can also be electrocuted. Use a wet/dry vac or shop vac for wet and damp areas.

You may need to repeat this process a few times.

If the stain is oil-based paint, you are better off calling a professional carpet cleaning service.

Prevention is the best cure. If you have wall-to-wall carpet in a room, protecting them from spills is by far the best option. If you can lift the carpet without damaging it, do so. You do not necessarily have to take the carpet out of the room completely.

Moving the carpet away from the area that is being painted should provide enough protection from spills — especially if you also use a non-porous drop cloth to cover the carpet. If the carpet is secured with tacks or glue, covering the entire surface is the next best option for protecting your carpet.

Make sure that any covering is secured so that you do not pull it away when walking around the room. You can use strong masking tape to secure your protective drop cloth so that the flooring is completely covered in case of spills and splatters.

There are other ways to avoid spills. When you are dealing with paint, it is always important to ensure that lids are tightly sealed. When you take the lid off the can, use a can opening key, not a screwdriver. Make sure the paint is placed somewhere safe where it will not cause damage to carpets or furniture.

Never leave paint cans anywhere in the room where the likelihood of a spillage occurring is increased. If you can keep the paint can on an easily cleaned surface, all the better. Ideally, everything remaining in the room should be covered to ensure maximum protection from spills.

The Rosie on the House eStore has a few items such as the HANDy Paint Pail, FlipTray, HANDy Craft Cup, and Paint N’Store Paint Can Lid that will reduce the risk of accidental spills.