Lipstick is fabulous when it’s on your lips. But when your toddler decides to draw with your Daring Red lippy all over the carpet it’s a complete disaster!
But does it have to be? No.
Follow our methods below and you’ll have your carpet back to its former glory in no time at all. Sadly, we can’t really save your lipstick, but at least your carpet will be spotless!
Tips Before You Start…
Before you start trying to get lipstick out of your carpet you should consider the following points:
- Act fast! – Don’t waste time worrying over the lipstick marks, start getting rid of them immediately.
- Always test your solution out on a small section of carpet or on the back of the carpet – this applies to home remedies and to off-the-shelf products.
- Wear gloves.
- Follow the instructions on the back of a product.
- Keep kids and animals away from the area.
- Make sure you can use products on your carpet.
- Don’t walk through the lipstick stain.
- Dry off your carpet once you’ve finished cleaning the stain – some hoovers have a drying feature, but you can just dab at the area with paper towels.
- Dab don’t scrub!
When using products, whether they are homemade remedies or bought from a shop, there is always a chance that they could react badly with the fibres in a carpet. This means that a carpet might change colour/shade. All methods mentioned below should be used with care.
How to Clean Lipstick from Carpet – The Methods
Method 1: Rubbing alcohol
When you’ve got a lovely greasy lipstick stain on your carpet you need some rubbing alcohol like this Cleona isopropyl alcohol on Amazon.co.uk. This kind of alcohol is great at removing tough stains, plus it has loads of other uses, so it’s handy to have it around the house.
What you need:
- Spoon
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Sponge
- Paper towels
Follow these steps to get lipstick out of the carpet:
- Get a spoon and gently scrape away any excess lipstick – you can sometimes find clumps of lipstick on the surface of the carpet that have not sunk into the fibres.
- Squirt or pour the rubbing alcohol onto the stained area – don’t go overboard with the rubbing alcohol.
- Dab at the area with a sponge – don’t rub vigorously at the area, that’ll make things worse.
- Wipe away any excess lipstick/alcohol with a paper towel.
If your lipstick has been embedded into the carpet, you might have to repeat this method a few times just to make sure that the stain comes out.
If you have a carpet cleaner, you may want to run over this area once the stain has been visibly fully removed.
Method 2: White vinegar and washing up liquid
For this to work you should only use white vinegar, because other kinds of vinegar might end up staining your carpet further, which is not what we want!
What you need:
- White vinegar
- Washing up liquid
- Spoons
- Spray bottle
- Warm water
- Paper towels
- Sponge
Here’s what you need to do to get lipstick out of your carpet:
- Use a spoon to scoop up any extra lipstick from the surface of the carpet. Careful not to smear it further.
- In a spray bottle mix a teaspoon of white vinegar with 2 cups of warm water.
- Add in 2 drops of washing up liquid – don’t squirt loads in because you’ll get too many bubbles.
- Stir the mixture – no shaking.
- Pop a few squirts of the mixture onto the stained area and wait about 15 minutes for it to work it’s magic.
- While you wait, prepare some paper towels.
- Then start dabbing at the area with the paper towel – this will soak up the lipstick.
- You can repeat these steps, but don’t go overboard as you could ruin the carpet.
- When the lipstick has been removed, get a clean damp sponge and pick up any soapy leftovers.
- Never scrub the carpet!
Open a window to get rid of the smell of vinegar and maybe grab your favourite Febreze to freshen things up quicker.
Method 3: Nail varnish remover (acetone)
Nail varnish remover is great for removing lippy from the carpet, but you should only use the acetone kind. If you use other types you will damage your carpet.
What you need:
- Nail varnish remover
- Spoon
- Cotton cloth
- Paper towels
- Sponge
Follow these steps to get lipstick out of your carpet:
- Scrape away any excess lipstick from the carpet.
- Grab a clean cotton cloth.
- Pour some nail varnish remover onto the cotton cloth – start off with a small amount.
- Dab at the lipstick stain.
- Wait about 5 minutes – the nail varnish remover will start to break down the lipstick.
- Use some paper towels to dab at the stained area.
- You can repeat these steps if you need to.
- When the lipstick has been removed, get a clean damp cloth or sponge and pick up any leftovers.
Nail varnish remover can be quite potent, so you need to open a window and keep your room ventilated when you’re working with this method.
Method 4: Specialised carpet cleaning products
Specialised carpet cleaners are a good alternative, but they sometimes work better after you’ve tried out a home remedy. Check your local supermarket or shop online to find the best product for the job.
Here are some popular products that you may want to consider using:
- HG Spot & Stain Spray Cleaner – See on Amazon.co.uk
- Dr. Beckmann 2 X Carpet Stain Remover – See on Amazon.co.uk
- Vanish Carpet Cleaner – See on Amazon.co.uk
- Vanish Oxi Action Carpet Stain Remover Powder – See on Amazon.co.uk
There are a vast number of products available, but some will give you better results than others, so check reviews and make sure you get the right product for the job.
You should always read the label on a product before you use it on any surface. And when you try the product out, it should be tested on a small patch of carpet first – ideally in an area that isn’t seen e.g. under a cabinet, bed or sofa.
Method 5: Professional help
It’s highly unlikely that you will need a professional to help you clean away a general lipstick stain. But, in the event that you do need professional support, there are various cleaning companies who can help you.
Always:
- Ask yourself if this method is absolutely necessary
- Do your research
- Choose a reputable firm
- Ask questions
Professionals can help you to remove tough lipstick stains on expensive/unique carpets, and stains that are too big to handle.
Conclusion
Getting lipstick on your carpet is never a good thing, but the problem can be fixed pretty quickly. Plus, sorting the problem out won’t cost you too much either.
Drop us a comment if you’ve got your own home remedy that we haven’t mentioned here.
FAQs
Can I use hairspray?
Yes, you can! Follow the steps above for ‘Nail Varnish Remover’. You might find that hairspray works better on very new lipstick stains, rather than older tougher ones.
Will bicarbonate of soda work?
This is also another option. You need to create a paste from the bicarb, and you have to spread this over the stain. You have to be careful not to leave the mix on the carpet for too long because it may lighten the fibres. At the end, you must wipe away the paste and dab the area with a damp cloth.
What about hydrogen peroxide?
Hydrogen peroxide can be used, but it must be used with caution. This product is very strong and isn’t always suitable for carpets. You also have to be careful not to bleach your carpet.
If you plan on using this you need to choose a product that is 3% hydrogen peroxide. Simply apply a few drops of hydrogen peroxide to a clean cloth, then dab this onto the lipstick stain. Wait about an hour, then you can dab at the area with a paper towel to take away any excess fluid. Don’t worry if there isn’t much fluid because it will have dried off.
In the UK you might have difficulty getting hold of this product. So, it might be best to stick with the methods above.
Bethan has a passion for exploring, reading, cooking and gardening! When she’s not creating culinary delights for her family, she’s concocting potions to keep her house clean!
