Remove permanent hair dye from carpeting

Video: How to remove old dried permanent hair dye stains from carpet with baking soda

Content

To step
Method 1 of 3: Remove new stains
Method 2 of 3: Remove old stains
Method 3 of 3: Remove stubborn stains
Tips
Warnings
Necessities
Remove new stains
Remove old stains
Remove stubborn stains

The new hair dye you have chosen is beautiful, but that stain on the carpet where you spilled hair dye is not. Fortunately, permanent hair dye is quite easy to remove from carpeting if you get started quickly. Even if you don't discover a stain until it has dried, you can still remove it to make your carpet look like new again. It may then take a little more effort. You can buy a store-bought carpet cleaner to remove hair dye, but you can also make your own cleaning mixture with some simple household products.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Remove new stains

Absorb as much moisture as possible with a clean cloth. Before removing the spilled hair dye, apply pressure with a clean cloth to absorb as much moisture as possible and allow the area to dry out. Fold the cloth and push it again until you can no longer see any moisture on the carpet.
- Do not rub or scrub the carpet as this will enlarge the stain and cause the hair dye to penetrate deeper into the carpet. The stain is then more difficult to remove. You also run the risk of damaging the carpet fibers.
In a shallow bowl, combine liquid dish soap, white vinegar, and water. Use 15ml of dish soap, 15ml of white vinegar and 500ml of water to make a cleaning mixture. Stir the liquid to mix the ingredients.
- With the above amounts, you should have enough cleaning solution to remove the stain. However, if you have spilled more hair dye, you better prepare more.
Dip a clean white cloth into the mixture and dab the stain several times. Dampen the cloth and press it onto the stain. Remove the cloth and push it back onto the stain. Continue to dip the cloth into the mixture and press on the stain and watch the hair dye come out of the carpet and soak into the cloth.
- If you use a white cloth, you don't have to worry about the cloth sticking to your carpet. You can also see the removed hair dye more easily.
- Be careful not to rub the mixture into the carpet, as you can damage the carpet fibers and cause the hair dye to penetrate even deeper into the carpet, making the stain more difficult to remove.
Rinse the affected area with cold water. When you no longer see any hair dye in the carpet, pour some water on the area to rinse the mixture from the fibers. Then dab with your cloth or a dry sponge.
- You may need to pour more water on the carpet to rinse the area. You can know this yourself. If the carpet still smells like vinegar, it is a good idea to rinse the area again.
Dry the carpet with cold air or a sponge. Dab up all the water. Now you can simply let the carpet air dry. This shouldn't take too long. If the stain is in a high-traffic area and you want the carpet to dry faster, you can dab the area with a dry sponge to absorb more of the moisture.
- You can also have a fan blow on the damp carpet.

Method 2 of 3: Remove old stains

Soak the stain with dish soap and vinegar. In a shallow bowl, mix 15 ml dish soap, 15 ml vinegar and 500 ml water. Soak a cloth or sponge in the mixture and squeeze it over the stain to wet the carpet.
- You can also pour the mixture over the stain to slowly wet it. This may work better if the stain is large.
Blot the stain with a clean white cloth every five minutes for half an hour. Set a clock to half an hour. Every five minutes, take your white cloth and blot the stain. If the carpet starts to dry, you can squeeze some more of the cleaning mixture on it.
- Dabbing the stain allows the cleaning mixture to penetrate deeper into the carpet fibers. However, do not scrub as this may damage the carpet.
Rinse the stain with cold water. When half an hour has passed, pour cold water on the stain to rinse away the residue of the cleaning solution. Use a sponge or a clean cloth to absorb the moisture. The stain may still be visible, but at least it should be less noticeable.
- If you can't see much difference, you can treat the stain with the cleaning solution for an additional half hour to get more hair dye out of the carpet.
Dab the remnants of the stain with rubbing alcohol. Use a clean white cloth or cotton swab (depending on the size of the stain) to dab rubbing alcohol on the stain. Gently pat the stain until it disappears.
- It may take more effort to remove a stain that has penetrated deep into the carpet, so expect to dab several times. However, if rubbing alcohol doesn't seem to remove the stain, you may need to use a different method to remove the stain.
Rinse the area with cold water to remove the rubbing alcohol residue. Pour a little water on the area to rinse away the rubbing alcohol residue. Absorb the moisture with a clean, dry cloth or sponge.
- If you have only treated a small area with a cotton swab, you may not need to pour water on the area to rinse it. Just squeeze some water from a sponge or cloth.
Blot with a cloth or sponge to get the moisture out of the carpet. Use a dry sponge or a dry white cloth to soak up the excess moisture in the carpet. The carpet will still be damp after this, but you can just let it air dry.
- Place a fan on the floor so that it blows on the carpet if you want the area to dry faster.

Method 3 of 3: Remove stubborn stains

In a shallow bowl, make a mixture of ammonia and dish soap. Mix 5 ml dish soap, 15 ml ammonia and 500 ml warm water. It may be a good idea to put on a mask if you are bothered by the fumes from the ammonia.
- Prepare the mixture in a well-ventilated area so that you are less bothered by the fumes.
- Do not add any other chemicals to this mixture, especially bleach. Mixing bleach with ammonia creates a poisonous gas that can be fatal.
Apply the mixture to a small area to see if it will damage your carpet. Find a small, inconspicuous area on your carpet where it won't show if the carpet is damaged. Dip a cotton swab in the ammonia and dish soap mixture and apply it to the area. If it burns and damages the fibers of your carpet, do not use this mixture to try and remove the stain.
- Ammonia works well to remove hair dye, but damages wool. Since you probably don't know if your carpet contains wool, test the mixture first to see if it will damage your carpet. Better be safe than sorry.
Dab the mixture on the entire stain. Dip a clean white cloth into the mixture and dab the stubborn stain with it. Repeat until the stain is completely covered with the cleaning solution. Avoid pouring the mixture on the stain as too much ammonia can ruin your carpet.
- It's a good idea to wear plastic gloves to protect your hands from the ammonia.
Pat the mixture on the stain every five minutes for at least half an hour. Set a clock and treat the stain every five minutes. Dip the cloth in the mixture and re-wet the stain by dabbing it. You should see the hair dye coming out of the carpet. If the stain has not been removed after half an hour, you can continue for longer if it seems to be working.
- Every time you dab the mixture on the stain, check the condition of your carpet. If the carpet fibers in the area look damaged compared to the rest of the carpet, flush the ammonia out of the carpet before it becomes more damaged.
Rinse the carpet with cold water. Pour cold water on the carpet to rinse away the ammonia and blot the moisture with a clean, dry cloth. You will likely need to rinse the area several times.
- It can be difficult to tell if there is still ammonia in the carpet, but keep rinsing until you no longer smell ammonia.
Dry the carpet with a fan or dry cloth. Use a dry cloth or sponge to soak up the moisture in the carpet. After doing this, let a fan blow air on the area for at least an hour, or until the carpet feels completely dry.
- When the carpet is dry, check it. If the stain is gone, then you've been doing a good job. If the carpet is faded, you can use a fabric marker to touch up the area to make it less noticeable.
As a last resort, use a cotton swab and hydrogen peroxide. If there is still some hair dye in the carpet that you cannot remove and the stain is very noticeable, you can remove the stain with hydrogen peroxide. Dip a cotton swab in hydrogen peroxide and dab the stain with it. You may have to do this several times so that the entire stain gets wet.
- Hydrogen peroxide can also bleach your carpet, but if your carpet is white or light brown, it will be less noticeable than the stain.
Rinse the hydrogen peroxide from the carpet after a day. You may need to let the hydrogen peroxide soak in the stain for 24 hours to remove it completely. When you can no longer see the stain, rinse the area with cold water to remove any residue of hydrogen peroxide.
- Since you didn't use a lot of hydrogen peroxide, you probably don't need to use a lot of water for the rinse either. Use a dry sponge or cloth to absorb the moisture after rinsing.

Tips

Get started as soon as possible to remove the spilled hair dye as well as possible.
If the carpet is discolored or bleached after removing the hair dye, you can color it with a textile marker.
If it is an older, dried-on stain, the above remedies may not work. Try a commercial carpet cleaner or hire a carpet cleaning company.