After getting a tattoo, heed your artist’s advice: keep the dressing on your freshly tattooed body part—although the wrap can fall off sometimes.
When the dressing slips off, the residual ink can drop on your floor, leading to a carpet stain. Since tattoo ink is permanent, you may be wondering how to remove the color.
So, how do you do that?
Begin by absorbing the ink using an unstained cloth, then add denatured alcohol on the stained part of the carpet. Allow the alcohol to settle for five minutes, then proceed with patting the carpet till it dries up.
Alternatively, you can get rid of tattoo ink from the carpet using a combination of baking soda and ginger ale.
In this post, you’ll discover several ways to remove tattoo ink from your carpet. You should note that the first action after the carpet is stained would be to dab the ink instantly after it spills. If you delay, the stain may be permanent, regardless of the method, you apply.
5+ Ultimate Ways To Get Tattoo Ink Out of The Carpet
1. Use Baking Soda
Baking soda, a natural cleaning remedy, is an excellent choice if you don’t desire harsh chemicals for carpet stain removal. This is the best way to remove the ink urgently when it’s wet. It works well with the diet ginger ale since the baking soda backs the rug sticky while the ginger ale renders its productivity.
- Run warm water into the pot. Use a kitchen towel to dampen the water lightly; this will dilute the ink, after which you can use a towel to soak the water.
- Pour a good amount of baking soda on the rug. Allow the baking soda to sit for five minutes.
- Add some diet ginger ale to the baking soda, then use a toothbrush to scrub until you achieve a paste-like effect.
- In the meantime, use a paper towel to blot extra liquid.
- At this point, the ink should start dissolving. Drizzle cold water and use a towel to blot and soak up the surplus.
- Sprinkle water again and get rid of the remaining particles of ginger ale and baking soda.
- Finally, dry out the rug in the most appropriate way to eliminate the odor.
2. Try OxiClean
The advantage of OxiClean is that it has non-bleaching constituents that are powerful—therefore, you can use it to clean out stains and dirt from just about anything in your house.
It’s safe for synthetic and natural fibers, including white and colored rugs or carpets. OxiClean contains products that eliminate stains from concrete, tile, and grout.
Read through the guidelines on the bucket side prior to using the stain remover because the procedures may be slightly different from the instructions below:
- Use water to mix—add a single scoop of OxiClean to every 16 water ounces up to the fill line. Ensure you take your time to clean up the excess ink prior to using the product, or else it won’t give great results.
- Use the product. Apply only enough to saturate the spot and allow it to stay for 5 minutes. Don’t let the blend dry on your rug.
- Clean the stain—blot the area using a cold, wet cloth to get rid of the OxiClean residue.
- Redo the steps until the stain is clear.
- Rinse the rug once the stain is removed. Use some cold water to clean your carpet, then take a clean rag and blot the section until it dries up.
3. Take Advantage of a Nail Polish Remover
One of the components in a nail polish remover is acetone, which works well on tattoo ink and ballpoint ink. Most stain colors should vanish off almost immediately after applying the nail polish remover.
Don’t use too much polish remover on the rug as high amounts may destroy the fabric. Be gentle when applying the remover.
In the beginning, pour some polish remover spills on the rug and allow it to work on the ink. You can leave the nail polish remover (acetone-based) for a minute, after which you should rinse off the rug with a clean cloth and remove the ink stain.
4. Rub Alcohol
Nail polish remover eliminates semi-permanent tattoo ink. As for permanent ink, you should apply to rubbing alcohol to remove the stain. Rubbing alcohol is a very effective cleaning product that can eliminate most stains.
- Blot the stained area using a white cloth rinsed in warm water. Use the cloth to wipe off the extra ink.
- Apply rubbing alcohol on the spot after soaking most of the stain using the cloth.
- Pour some rubbing alcohol and leave it for ten minutes to act on the stain.
- Blot the carpet and then remove the rubbing alcohol using a clean paper towel. The stain will start fading away.
- In case the permanent ink isn’t eliminated by a single application, repeat the steps above until the stain disappears.
5. Use a Hairspray
As unusual as it may sound, hairspray can come in handy when you want to remove tattoos and other inks. Hairspray is particularly effective in removing ink stains from ballpoint pens. However, don’t use hairspray on ink stains inside your dryer.
- In a properly ventilated area, spray a generous amount of hairspray. Have a firm grip on the hairspray and apply about 1/2 or 1/4 of the bottle’s content on the stain.
- Let the stain sit for about ten minutes. After ten minutes have elapsed, you will observe that the ink stain has been detached from the carpet fibers by the spray. At this point, the stain will start dissolving.
- Get a folded paper towel and start blotting it. You will obviously be tempted to scrub the stain off. However, it is advisable that you do not scrub as it will likely spread the stain further on your carpet.
- Once the stain is gone, let your carpet dry. Use a broom or vacuum to remove any remnant particles of the hairspray. This step is essential, especially if your carpet is synthetic. Vacuuming helps prevent the hairspray particles from bonding with your carpet fibers.
Can You Use Hydrogen Peroxide To Clean The Carpet?
Yes. Using hydrogen peroxide to clean carpet stains is easy. Apply 3% hydrogen peroxide on any splatter. Let the hydrogen peroxide for some time, then use a sponge or cloth to remove it.
If you are hesitant to use hydrogen peroxide for stain removal, remember that various stain removal products are available on the market.
Most of these stain removal products usually contain sodium percarbonate, which is hydrogen peroxide in powder form. Some of these cleaners have “oxy” or “oxi,” which is the short form of oxygen.
The Peroxide in these cleaners is usually broken down into oxygen and water. The oxygen usually oxidizes the stains.
Can You Get Tattoo Inks Out of Clothes?
Yes. Using a strong stain removal product is one of the surest ways of getting rid of tattoo ink stains on carpets and clothes. Many commercial and household stain removal products are available on the market. These products usually isolate the ink from the fabric.
Time is a factor when you are using these products. However, resist the temptation to just run the fabric through the washer and dryer. Turn on your washing machine after applying the solvent to your cloth generously.
Before you take your clothes for drying cleaning, ensure that you’ve gotten rid of the stain. Select the perfect stain remover solvent for this purpose.
Can You Get Tattoo Ink Out of The Couch?
Yes. Take one tablespoon of white vinegar and a tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap and mix them with two cups of water(warm).
Blot the stain with the cleaning solution on a cloth. Use a different dry cloth to dab on the stain until you get rid of the stain. Pour some clean cold water on the spot, and do not sit on the couch till it dries.
Another method you can use is applying a small quantity of rubbing alcohol on one of the cleaning cloths.
Dab on the stain gently using the cloth. Ensure that you do not blot the stain too hard as you risk spreading the stain further. You might need to add more rubbing alcohol as you clean. Alcohol is effective in stain removal as it can disintegrate the oil found in the permanent markers.
Keep on dabbing on the area till you get rid of the stain. After the stain is gone, rinse the area and dry it using a dry towel.
Conclusion
If your carpet gets stained with tattoo ink, it is imperative that you start working on it immediately. As soon as you notice the excess ink, you need to start removing the excess ink.
Denatured alcohol is the most effective solvent to remove the stain. Nevertheless, there are other effective methods that you can also use.
Before working on a stain using any stain removal product, ensure you test it first on an inconspicuous area on your carpet. Testing will ensure that you eliminate the risk of damaging your carpet.