Don’t get your day ruined if you have accidentally spilled laundry detergent on your carpet; want to find out how to get laundry detergent out of the carpet? We got you!
Spills and stains on carpets are common in households with kids and pets, but there are always some effective DIY methods that you can use to clean your carpets, no matter what the stain is.
Let us explore various DIY methods to render a carpet clean of laundry detergent stains!
Can Laundry Detergent Stain The Carpet?
Yes, laundry detergent can stain your carpets. Such stains are likely to occur in areas around the laundry room. The stain could be caused by an accidental spill or drips from clothes.
However, the good news is detergent stains are not permanent or as hard to remove a wine stain or coffee stain from a carpet.
The key is to act on the spill as quickly as possible.
How To Get Laundry Detergent Out Of Carpet?
Here are simple yet effective ways in which you can get laundry detergent out of carpet:
Wet/Dry Vaccum
What you’ll need:
- Spray bottle
- Hot water
- Wet/Dry vacuum cleaner
1. To remove laundry detergent from the carpet, fill a spray bottle with hot water.
2. Now spray the stained area with this hot water and run the wet/dry vacuum on the damp spot.
3. Repeat the process till the detergent stain is gone from the carpet. You might also have to rub a cloth in case the stain is too stubborn.
Vinegar
Vinegar is a great agent that can help in breaking and removing the detergent suds from carpet, and the best part is it is readily available in most households. And do not worry you can use vinegar on carpet!
What you’ll need:
- Vinegar
- Water
- Dry towel
1. Mix one cup of vinegar in one gallon of water to create a mixture.
2. Now dip the dry cloth into the mixture and wring it onto the detergent stain.
3. Let the mixture soak onto the stain and then blot it with a dry towel.
4. Repeat the steps as needed.
How To Get Liquid Detergent Out Of Carpet?
In case you have spilled liquid detergent on your carpet, then here are a few effective methods to help you get rid of it:
Kitty Litter or Salt
This method takes the longest time to get rid of detergent from the carpet, but if you do not have a vacuum, then you can use this method instead:
What you’ll need:
- Kitty Litter or Salt
- Towels
1. Sprinkle a generous amount of kitty litter or salt onto the detergent stain and cover it completely. Make sure you do this as soon as you have spilled the liquid detergent.
2. Now, allow the kitty litter or salt to absorb the liquid for a few minutes. Once it has absorbed maximum liquid detergent, scoop the kitty litter or salt out and throw it away.
3. Now, take a fresh towel and dab it onto the stained area to absorb the remaining detergent.
4. For the last step, dampen the area with plain water and blot it with a fresh towel, and if you have a carpet cleaner or a dry/wet vacuum, then run it over the stain to get rid of it completely.
Carpet or Steam Cleaner
If you have a steam or carpet cleaner at your home, then it could be very useful in getting rid of liquid detergent from your carpet.
What you’ll need:
- Steam/Carpet cleaner
- Carpet cleaning solution
1. For better results, start with any one of the above-mentioned methods first. Liquid detergent can seep very deep into the carpet, so combining methods can be very effective in getting rid of detergent stains.
2. Fill the steam cleaner with a cleaning solution and fill the water compartment to the line as well.
3. Now, simply run the steam or carpet cleaner on the stain as needed or till you feel the carpet texture has become normal again.
How To Get Detergent Stain Out Of Carpet?
Detergent stains can ruin the look of your precious carpet if not acted upon immediately. Thankfully, there are ways in which you can save your carpet from looking like a horror story.
Rubbing Alcohol
Ton remove stains or remains of detergent from the carpet, you can use rubbing alcohol as well.
What you’ll need:
- Rubbing alcohol
- Clean towels
- Scooper
- Gloves
- Salt/cat litter
1. Start by scooping the laundry detergent from the carpet using a scooper or spoon.
2. Once you have scooped the excess liquid, take a dry cloth and blot the area to absorb as remaining much liquid as possible.
3. Once the liquid is removed, sprinkle salt or kitty litter over the area generously and leave it for 15 minutes.
4. Now vacuum the area to get rid of the salt or kitty litter.
5. Next, pour rubbing alcohol over the stain and allow it to sit for 15 minutes.
6. After 15 minutes, blot the excess with a dry towel to absorb all the moisture. Continue the above steps if the stain is still present. And follow it up with a final vacuuming to have a clean carpet.
Hydrogen Peroxide
In case you do not have rubbing alcohol, then you can try switching it with hydrogen peroxide instead to get rid of detergent stains from the carpet.
Just make sure you wear gloves and a mask while using hydrogen peroxide, as it can irritate your skin.
What you’ll need:
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Clean towels
- Scooper
- Gloves
- Salt/cat litter
1. Repeat all the steps used in the rubbing alcohol method, and instead of pouring rubbing alcohol in the fifth step, pour a small amount of hydrogen peroxide instead.
2. Repeat the remaining steps as above, and voila, you have stain-free carpet!
How To Clean Detergent From Hard Floors?
Spilling dry or liquid detergent on the carpet is still uncommon as compared to spilling it onto the floors. If you have accidentally spilled detergent on your hard floors, then here are some ways to handle the situation:
For Liquid Detergent
What you’ll need:
- Clean rags
- Mop
- Water
- Dry towel
1. Liquid soap makes the floor slippery and damp, which can lead to accidents. Hence, do not wait and wipe the liquid soap off the floor as soon as you spill it.
2. Now mop the floor by dipping it into clean water. Continue to mop till no detergent remains on the floor.
3. For the last step, take a dry cloth and rub it over the floor to ensure any soapy residue is completely off the floor. And voila, you have clean floors.
For Powder Detergent
What you’ll need:
- Dustbin scoop
- Vacuum cleaner
1. Remember you do not want to make a mess by running a vacuum cleaner or a broom over the spilled detergent powder. So first, take a dustbin scoop and scoop as much powder detergent off the floors as you can.
2. Now take a vacuum cleaner and clean away the leftover powder vacuum from your floor. Do not let water come in touch with the detergent to avoid a bigger mess.
Preventing Future Spills
No one likes to make and clean mess in their homes, especially not the kind that ruins the carpet completely. So to avoid future spills on your carpet, here are some useful tips for you:
- Make sure you store the detergent in a place that is not likely for someone to get bumped onto.
- Store detergent on lower cabinets instead of storing them higher. This will allow you to access the detergent easily.
- Do not leave the detergent on the washing machine, as the machine’s movement can cause it to spill.
- Empty and transfer the contents of the detergent box into a sealable container. This will help in preventing future spills.
When To Call A Professional?
Treating a detergent stain on a carpet is not that difficult.
However, if you do not have the time or patience or simply do not want to risk your precious carpet with DIY methods, then you can call a carpet cleaning professional instead.
You can also call a professional after you have tried the DIY methods and, unfortunately, nothing has worked for you for an unprecedented reason.
There are anyways many benefits of getting carpets cleaned professionally.
Carpet cleaning professionals usually charge by the room, so you can expect to pay between $25 to $75 per room, depending on where you live.
How To Get Laundry Detergent Out Of Carpet: Wrap Up
Spills and accidents on carpets happen all the time.
Thankfully, removing laundry detergent from the carpet is quite easy as compared to paint stains or grease stains.
For simpler stains, you can use plain water and cloth, and for stubborn stains, you can use the salt/kitty litter method or rubbing alcohol method, among others, as mentioned above.
We hope this guide on how to get laundry detergent out of the carpet was useful to you.
How To Get Laundry Detergent Out Of Carpet: FAQs
Can laundry detergent hurt the carpet?
Detergents do not necessarily hurt your carpet; a lot depends on the fabric of your carpet and the nature of the detergent.
If you treat the spill quickly and do not allow it to dry, then your carpet is going to be alright. It might be a problem, however, to get rid of dry detergent stains from the carpet.
How to clean laundry detergent residue from carpet?
For powder detergents, you can simply use a broom and dust pan to get rid of the detergent residue. And for liquid detergent residue, you can use a dry cloth to blot the area as much as possible.
Also, be careful while introducing water, as it can lead to the formation of foam which can be tedious to remove.
Can detergent stains be removed from the carpet?
Yes, detergent stains can be removed from the carpet easily. You can refer to any of the methods shared in the guide above.
Daleyza knows a lot about carpets! She has worked with carpets for over 7 years and can help with things like putting them in, keeping them clean, and replacing them. She really likes carpets and spends most of her time learning about new ways to work with them. When she’s not learning about carpets, she enjoys reading books. She’s really good at helping people choose the right carpet for their homes and making sure they’re happy with it. If you want to know more about carpets, Daleyza is the person to talk to!