How To Remove Liquid Laundry Detergent From Carpet

Oops! Liquid laundry detergent just spilled all over the carpet. A drop or two isn't a big deal, but if half the bottle spilled, it's time for speedy action. The best way to get the liquid detergent out of the carpet starts with physically scooping and blotting as much as you can.

For a large spill, fast action is crucial, as it's the best way to prevent the detergent from soaking through the carpet. Grab whatever's handy, such as a plastic cup, the detergent bottle's lid, or the scoop that comes with some dry laundry detergents, and scoop up as much liquid as possible. Deposit the liquid into a bowl or bucket, as you may be able to salvage some of it if it's still clean and free from debris or carpet lint.

Continue scooping until nothing much comes up and then blot. Fold several paper towels or an old, absorbent towel and place them over the spill. Step on the towels for 10 seconds or so and then lift the towels off the spot. Repeat with fresh paper towels until no more liquid transfers over to the paper. At this point, you've removed most of the liquid detergent.

Wipe the area with a damp, lint-free cloth to help remove any liquid detergent near the surface of the carpet. This helps even for minor spills, as otherwise, the detergent attracts dirt and could make that area of the carpet look dirtier than the surrounding areas in a short time, especially if people frequently walk atop the site of the spill.

Spray hot tap water over the affected area and then run your hand over the spot until suds appear. Continue until there's a nice foam atop the carpet, as this means you've mixed the water and the liquid detergent. Run a wet/dry vacuum cleaner over the area to remove most of the moisture.

Wait several minutes, which offers a little time for any remaining detergent to separate from the carpet fibers. Vacuum the area again with the wet/dry vac. To ensure as much detergent comes out as possible, feel free to wet the area again and follow up with the vacuum cleaner.

The wetting-and-vacuuming method is a great option for spills you find after the fact, when the detergent is already starting to dry on the carpet. In this case, you may be able to scrape and scoop some of the hardening detergent with a plastic spoon before wetting the area with hot water. Run your hands over the carpet after wetting it to allow the detergent and water to mix and then use the wet/dry vacuum cleaner on the area.

A small amount of any liquid soap or detergent tends to stay within the carpet even after vacuuming since there's no way to throw the carpet in the washing machine or wash and rinse it in a sink. For larger spills in particular, a carpet steam cleaner is a great way to remove any lingering laundry detergent from deep within the carpet fibers. Rent one if you don't have one already and steam clean the carpet using the cleaning solution recommended for that specific device. This is the perfect opportunity to steam clean the entire room. Speed up the carpet-drying process by opening windows and turning on a ceiling fan or a portable fan in the room.