Think of this scenario. You just moved into a new house. You are so proud and happy to finally have a new home after working hard for many years. Your home is beautiful. New carpet throughout. Hardwood floors in your kitchen, dining room and entryways. Newly painted walls. Bright lighting throughout. Your first task after the kitchen, living room and bedrooms are set up, is to set up your office. Your printer is on a table next to your desk. You grab the new ink cartridge and give it a gentle shake before going to insert it into the printer when an unexpected crash scares you out of your wits! You drop the ink cartridge on the light beige carpet…. oh-oh…there is a black ink mark on your brand-new carpet! Your only thought is, how do I remove ink cartridge stains on carpet? Here are two solutions to try.
Two Solutions for Removing Ink Cartridge Stains on Carpet
As with any stain, treating it as soon as possible is paramount to successfully removing the stain.
Solution #1:
- If the ink is wet, sprinkle salt on the stained area. Leave it overnight. The salt should absorb the ink. Then vacuum the salt up.
- If the ink is dry, wet it and then sprinkle the area with salt.
Solution #2:
- Dry powdering ink can be vacuumed but keep your nozzle raised above the ink to prevent rubbing the ink into the carpet further.
- Apply a stain remover, like Resolve, rubbing alcohol with a potency of 70-90% or hydrogen peroxide to a clean, dry, old cloth – in other words, a rag you do not care about getting stained – or cotton ball.
- Gently dab at the ink with the alcohol. Do not rub, as it will spread the stain and make it worse. Do not pour stain remover or alcohol directly onto the stained carpet.
- Keep dabbing until the ink is no longer transferring to the rag or cotton ball. For a large area, you can wet vac any remaining stain remover or alcohol.
- With a new damp rag rinse area and allow to dry overnight.
Ink stains can be stubborn but remember the sooner you treat the stain the more likely you are to remove it from your carpet. Good luck!
