How to Get Bleach Out of a Carpet

So, you’ve spilled bleach on your carpet and you’re wondering what to do?

Bleach doesn’t leave stains in the way that other substances do. Red wine, soy sauce, ketchup—all of these substances leave their colour behind. Therefore, when you come to clean them, you just need to lift the particles from the fibres of your carpet.

Bleach, on the other hand, works by removing colour from material fibres, making it difficult to reverse the stain it leaves behind, since it has stripped the material of its colour.

So, can a bleached carpet be fixed?

There are ways you can try to remove bleach from a carpet, but the best way to deal with bleach is damage control!

Read on to find out how to get bleach out of a carpet, whether it’s a recent spill or an old stain.

What to Do When the Stain Is Fresh

As soon as you drop bleach on your carpet, be sure to remove as much of it as possible. You should do this by blotting the area with a dry paper towel to absorb the bleach and stop it from spreading.

Do not scrub the area or you will cause the bleach to spread and penetrate further into the carpet fibres.

At this point, you can use a white vinegar solution to counteract the effects of the bleach. To do this, mix two tablespoons of vinegar with four cups of water,

It is very important that the solution is diluted because vinegar and bleach react to produce a toxic gas. This is why you should wear a mask, gloves and goggles if possible and keep a window open to ventilate the room.

Here is what to do next:

Apply this solution to the stained area.
Leave it to soak for around 5 minutes.
Remove the stain by rubbing it with a cloth.
Then rinse the stain with water and mop up any excess using a dry cloth or kitchen roll.

This method is not guaranteed to remove the bleach stain entirely but should reduce the effects of the bleach.

How to Get Old Bleach Stains Out of a Carpet

You may drip a little bleach onto your carpet without noticing and later find a discoloured patch.

In this case, it’s better to do damage control than try to remove the stain as it will have already set in.

To minimise the appearance of bleach stains, you can use carpet dye. For this you may need to consult a professional to help you reproduce the exact colour of your carpet and advise you how to apply it.

Luckily there are specialists who will be able to help you almost, if not fully, restore the carpet to its original colour.

If you don’t want to consult a specialist you could also try using a fabric pen to colour in the stain. However, you will rarely find one that exactly matches the colour of your carpet, so the patch may still be noticeable.

What NOT to Do With a Bleach Stain

There are several ideas floating around on the internet that are best avoided as they may prove to have no effect or even make the damage worse.

1. Don’t use crayons to restore the colour of your carpet.

This won’t damage your carpet but will end up being pointless in the long run as the crayon will be removed fairly quickly by foot traffic, vacuuming or carpet cleaners.

2. Don’t use paint or hair dye to re-colour your carpet

Using substances that are not destined for your carpet can damage it. Paint will cause the fibres to go stiff which will produce an effect that’s just as noticeable as the bleach.