Tips on what to do if something goes wrong during your salon-at-home escapade.
"They advised me to save money on a mani-pedi. They claimed that painting your nails was simple". Even so, the following situation has arisen: A bright shade of nail polish has been spilled on your carpet or, worse yet, a priceless area rug.
A stain tragedy can strike on any floor covering, whether it's a vintage-inspired runner on wood, a plush carpet perfect for lounging, or pet-friendly fabrics that can withstand a lot of wear and tear. This nail polish-emergency protocol can help you keep your at-home salon experiences to a minimum by cleaning up any spills quickly and thoroughly.
Help! What should my first step be?
Use of a paper towel
Relax. Don’t be alarmed. Use a paper towel to gently remove any remaining nail polish, being careful not to smudge the stain or spread the polish to a larger area.
Use of a tool
If the polish has already dried, gently scrape it off with a butter knife or similar tool. Try to triage the situation as much as possible before bringing in the cleaning supplies.
Can you use vinegar or baking soda to remove nail polish?
Vinegar and baking soda, two pantry staples, have been known to come in handy in these situations.
Removing nail polish by vinegar
If you’re going to use vinegar, make sure to soak a paper towel in vinegar before placing it on top of the stained area. Then gently blot and scrub the stain until it disappears after about 10 minutes of sitting.
Removing nail polish by baking soda
If you’re going to use baking soda to remove the stain, be sure to use a generous amount to cover the colour completely. Then, pour ginger ale over the affected area and allow it to soak for 10 minutes. Using a soft scrubber and some water or a damp cloth, remove any remaining stain.
Use of household cleaners
Also, everyday household cleaners like Goo Gone and Windex have been known to help, but test them first in a hidden spot to see how they affect your rug or carpet’s material.
My carpet has a stain; can I get rid of it with nail polish remover?
The short answer is yes, but you should follow a few additional guidelines to get the best results before using Cutex and cotton balls.
- Before using any cleaning method on the entire carpet or rug, test a small hidden area first. You should change your cleaning solution if your rug becomes discoloured or if you notice that the rug’s colouring rubs off on the cleaning cloth.
- A small amount of nail polish remover on white or light carpets can be very effective; however, make sure the bottle you use is labelled non-acetone and dye-free before applying the remover.
- Gently dab the stain with the remover-soaked cloth or paper towel, careful not to spread the colour to previously unaffected areas.
- Continue doing this until you see results. (Wait! There’s a catch! If the stain has not yet dried completely, a polish remover will work best.)
- Those with darker carpets should exercise extra caution when using nail polish remover because it has the potential to drastically alter the colour of a dark rug dye, as opposed to a lighter one.
- If you’re worried about leaving a mark, use rubbing alcohol, hairspray, or dish soap instead.
What’s that I hear? Did you mention hairspray?
Although you are correct, keep in mind that this solution only works on stains already dried.
- Douse the stain in cold water and apply 10 to 15 pumps of hairspray. Rubbing alcohol, only a few drops, should be added (about three tiny splashes or more depending on the size of the stain).
- Scrub the area with a brush or cleaning tool, adding cold water as you go.
Dish soap is an option.
An emergency solution that includes warm water and dish soap (so that there are only very few suds) can be effective when used alone, but it works best when combined with one of the other options.
For example, use a dish soap solution to clean the area after dabbing away the nail polish with remover. This will neutralize the remover’s strong scent.
What if nothing else works?
It’s high time to enlist the help of experts. When hiring our carpet cleaning service in Luton, be sure to tell us about the any stains you may be worried about, whether they be tea stains, shoe polish stains, nail polish stain or those of another nature. We have a number of specialist cleaning solutions to treat them .