Removing Toothpaste Stains
By Steve Gillman
Whether or not you can get toothpaste stains out of carpet
has to do with the type of toothpaste that was spilled, how long
the spill has been there, and the type of carpeting. An old stain
from a highly-colored toothpaste might be permanent. If so, see
the link further down for advice on what to do. Meanwhile, here
are some things to try first.
If it is a fresh spill, try not to spread it by rubbing the
spot. Instead scoop out the toothpaste from two sides using two
spoon or two pieces of cardboard. If it is dried, break it up
and scrape it out with a dull knife or the edge of a spoon. The
move on to the next steps...
Make a cleaning solution of two ounces of clear household
ammonia in four ounces of water. Apply this to the stain with
a spray bottle if the stain is large, or by careful dripping
on smaller stains. After working it into the fibers gently for
a few seconds, blot it up with clean white cotton rags or paper
towels that have no colors added. Repeat this process until you
have used up the solution.
Use dish soap in warm water - four or five drops to a cup
- to clean the spot more and to remove the ammonia. Spray it
or drip it onto the spot and blot it up, then repeat.Once all
of the ammonia is removed, rinse and blot the area repeatedly
with plain tap water to remove any remaining soap residue.
If there is still any discoloration in the carpet, the toothpaste
stains might be permanent. You can repeat the whole procedure
one more time to be sure. Even if you can't remove all of the
stain you might lighten it substantially.
If the stain contained any bright colors it can be helpful
to dry the spot very quickly when you are done. This stops any
dyes that are deeper in the carpet fibers from migrating to the
top where they will be visible again. Press clean paper towels
onto the spot until you get no more moisture in this way. Then
place a fan where it can blow on the spot for a few hours.
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