Printers have certainly made our life easier. Be it personal endeavors or office projects, documents are an indispensable part to carry them out.
Without printers, we would have to pass hours to type in each line of every document.
But this blessing can sometimes be a temporary curse. It is a common accident to spill out the printer ink. If this ink lands on the carpet, it can lead to permanent stains if not taken care of immediately.
So here we are with four methods to deal with such situations. Keep reading to find out details of how to remove printer ink from carpet.
Different Methods To Remove Printer Ink From Carpet
1. Lubricant And Soap
Requirements:
- WD-40 or Triflow lubricant
- Soap
- Warm water
- Vacuum cleaner (optional)
Test on a small patch
If you have a lubricant spray laying around in the house, you can use it to get rid of the printer ink stain on your carpet. The most ideal lubricant for this purpose would be Triflow or WD-40.
Before applying it all over the inked surface, try the lubricant out on a little portion to see how it turns out.
This is an important precaution since the materials of some lubricants can cause a bigger problem by staining the carpet permanently!
So if you are sure that the lubricant can be removed without leaving an even tougher mark, you can continue using it for erasing the ink stains. Out of the two lubricants we suggested, WD-40 has a higher chance of passing this test.
Wipe down
After you are done with the lubricant, use a soap and warm water to make some soapy water. Take a bit of this liquid on the sponge and start wiping down the stained portion with it. This should remove both the ink and the lubricant.
If you are feeling too lazy to prepare the soapy water, you can also use carpet cleaner for this phase.
Rinse
Now it’s time to remove excess soapy residue left on the carpet. You will need to get some clean and warm water for rinsing it off.
Keep an eye on the outline of the stain while doing this since it is a common mistake to not pay attention to the edges. Make sure that every part of the stain is rinsed well with the water.
Dry
Pat yourself on the back for completing the job! You are done with the hardest part of scrubbing and rinsing! Now it’s time to just let the carpet be and dry up properly.
If possible, check the effectiveness by running your fingers through the fibers. Use a vacuum cleaner to accelerate the drying process.
2. Rubbing Alcohol
Requirements:
- Clean cloth
- Rubbing alcohol
- More than a liter of water
- ¼ cup of vinegar
- Vacuum cleaner (optional)
Rush
Don’t wait too long to take measures once you observe the printer ink spilling on the carpet.
Get yourself a clean cloth and the bottle of rubbing alcohol. Take some of it on one corner of the cloth.
Blot
Start blotting on the stain with gentle dabs so that the wet cloth corner manages to absorb the ink. Remember than scrubbing will make the stain even worse.
An effective way to go about it is to begin at the edge and slowly go in clockwise motion towards the center. This way, the ink stays within the stain parameters.
Wait
Continue dabbing the wet washcloth on the stained portion. If it dries up too quickly, take some more rubbing alcohol on the cloth.
Keep at it for half an hour or longer since the alcohol will take that much time to work its magic. The rubbing alcohol essentially eats up the ink and leaves the carpet as good as new later!
Rinse
So much dabbing can definitely cause some damage to your carpet. In order to prevent that undesirable outcome, mix up ¼ cup of vinegar with 1-liter warm water.
Rinse the surface with this solution since it will counter the dryness caused by rubbing alcohol. Then clean with water again and leave it to dry!
3. Detergent, Ammonia, Vinegar
Requirements:
- 1 tsp or 5g liquid detergent
- 1 tbsp or 15g ammonia
- 2 or more cups of water
- 2 clean clothes
- Vinegar
- 2 spray bottles
Detergent Mixture
At first, prepare the detergent solution by mixing 1 cup of water and the amount of detergent given above. Pour this mixture into a clean and empty spray bottle.
Apply enough of it to the stained portion so that this spot becomes wet. You can use any detergent you want. We recommend the brands of Dawn and Joy.
Blot
Take the first clean cloth and start blotting the stain with it. As we mentioned previously, remember to not scrub since doing so will only settle the ink further into the carpet fibers. So make the blots in gentle dabbing motions.
Ammonia Solution
Now it’s time to move to the ammonia solution. Mix a tablespoon of ammonia with half a cup of water.
This solution should also be in a spray bottle. Spray it on the stained spot and use the second clean cloth to blot this area.
Water and Vinegar
Make your third solution of this process by blending vinegar and water in a 1:1 ratio. Use this mixture to blot the spot again.
The mark will look like it has almost entirely left the stained area at this point.
Reapply Detergent
If there is any residual left from all the solutions you just applied on the carpet, you can use the detergent solution to get rid of it.
This is an important step since the carpet must be free from all the ammonia it has just been treated with. Otherwise, those chemicals can damage your carpet even more.
Rinse and Dry
Once you are done with cleaning up the carpet spot, rinse it well with clean water. If required, blot it for this phase as well. Then let it sit this way for a while and dry up.
Then come back for some checkup later and run your fingers through it to feel its texture. If it seems wrong or not good enough, use vacuum on it.
4. Shaving Cream
For the toughest marks which have not reacted well enough to any of the methods mentioned above, use shaving cream.
Just spread a small amount of it on the stained area and rinse well with water. Some foam may form which is not a bad sign. Use vacuum for drying up and removing the residual.
How To Keep Printer Ink From Spilling?
Now that you have got rid of printer stains on the carpet, it’s time to take some precautions to prevent such situations from happening again.
The ink from your printer can spill out while changing its cartridge. So start taking some extra measures to keep your carpet safe during this replacement.
Use a plastic bag to place the cartridge in. Pull the covering strip first and then insert or remove the cartridge while still holding it in the plastic bag.
Conclusion
Knowing how to remove printer ink from carpet in different ways may come in handy the next time you face this incident.
Remember to not waste too much time in deciding on the most effective solution.
The longer you let the ink stay untreated, the deeper it will get inside carpet fibers.
Maintain a flawless interior in your office or home by taking the necessary precautions to avoid such spills.
Keep necessary items like plastic bags, rubbing alcohol, clean clothes and bowls close by to take action as soon as possible.
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