When your creative juices are flowing, the last thing you want to worry about is making a mess. But whether you’re writing or creating art, it’s good to know that if you do spill ink on your carpet, you’re not going to be left with a permanent stain. Here’s how to get an ink stain out of your carpet.
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Water-based Ink
Water-based ink is one of the easiest types of ink to remove. All you need is some dishwashing liquid, water and paper towels.
1. Mix together equal parts dishwashing liquid and warm water until well combined.
2. Pour the mixture onto the stain.
3. Gently pat with paper towel to absorb the water.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the stain has vanished.
Ballpoint ink
Large ballpoint ink stains aren’t so common, but if you have kids you might find yourself with a new piece of art on your carpet. Fortunately, ballpoint ink is pretty easy to remove with carpet stain remover.
1. Spray the stain remover on the stain, following the directions on the can.
2. Make sure you spray too close to the carpet, or you might damage the fibers. About a foot away is a good distance.
3. Use a dry cloth and a dabbing motion, work from the outside to the inside of the stain to clean up the carpet remover.
4. As the cloth becomes wet, move to a dry section of cloth. You might need to use more than one cloth.
5. Usually it only takes one application to remove the stain, but if not repeat steps 1-3 until the stain is gone.
6. Once all of the ink is gone, use a clean cloth soaked in water to remove any remaining carpet cleaner.
7. Leave to air dry.
Another option is to use lacquer hairspray:
1. Mix equal parts of lacquer hairspray and water.
2. Pour the mixture onto the stain.
3. Using a white cloth, scrub the solution into the stain. You will have to scrub quite hard.
4. Once the stain is removed, use a clean cloth and water to remove any remaining mixture. You will have to work quickly, as the mixture could damage the carpet fibers.
Alcohol-based and permanent marker ink
A lot of people think removing alcohol-based and permanent marker ink is difficult, but all you need is a spray bottle and some isopropyl alcohol, also called rubbing alcohol. Make sure the isopropyl alcohol is 93 percent concentration, which is widely available.
1. Fill a spray bottle with isopropyl alcohol.
2. Hold the spray bottle about a foot away from the stain and spray until the stain is saturated.
3. Using a clean, dry white cloth, begin dabbing the stain, working from the outside in.
4. As the cloth gets wet, move to a new part of cloth. You may need more than one cloth.
5. Spray on more alcohol as needed.
6. Once the stain is gone, clean up any remaining alcohol from the carpet using a clean white cloth and water.
7. Leave to air dry.
Printer ink
If you’ve ever spilt an ink or toner cartridge, you’ll know they can be a nightmare to clean up. Fortunately, if you get onto it quickly and work carefully, you should be able to get the stains out.
Ink cartridges
Ink cartridges are filled with a liquid solution that gets printed onto the page. If you have a leaking ink cartridge, the first thing you need to do is stop the leak. Put it in a plastic bag and seal it, then put it aside. It’s better for the environment if you can recycle it, so check with your local authorities how to recycle ink cartridges. Then gather up some clean cloths and some isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, and possibly some hydrogen peroxide, and start cleaning.
1. Dab the stain with a clean, dry cloth to remove as much of the ink as possible.
2. Wet another cloth with some rubbing alcohol and dab onto the stain, working from the outside in.
3. If this doesn’t get the stain out, repeat step 2 with hydrogen peroxide.
4. Once the stain is removed, wet another clean cloth and dab the area to remove any remaining cleaner.
5. Leave to air dry.
Toner
If you spill a toner cartridge, it’s easy for the fine powder to get ground into your carpet. It’s really important to make sure you never press or scrub toner powder, as this will make it harder to remove. Follow these steps to clean it up:
1. Use a vacuum cleaner to get rid of as much toner powder as possible. If you can get hold of a specialised toner vacuum cleaner, now would be the perfect time to use it.
2. Place dishwashing liquid on a damp cloth, and use it to clean up any leftover toner, working from the outside in.
3. Once the stain is completely gone, use a clean, damp cloth to remove any remaining dishwashing liquid.
4. Leave to air dry.
Conclusion
It can be scary when you get an ink stain on your carpet, but follow the steps above and you should be able to remove them in most cases. The most important things to remember are, the quicker you start cleaning up a stain, the easier it will come out, and always remember to dab from the outside in!