How to Get Hair Dye Out of Your Carpet – 4 Effective Ways

Using hair dye to change the color of your hair and your appearance can be a fun process, but it can also be messy if you’re trying to do it yourself at home.

The dye product is designed to permanently color your hair, and this can mean it permanently changes the color of anything else it comes into contact with.

If you’ve accidentally gotten some hair dye on your carpet, don’t worry. It might not come out with just soap and water, but there are some other steps you can take to remove the product.

The method that you use to remove hair dye from your carpet may depend on what the carpet is made of.

There are different types of fibers, and you may have to try a couple of different methods to get the job done.

If you’re worried about how your rug will react, try a small amount of your cleaning solution on an inconspicuous area first. This is a good advice for anything that you put on your precious carpet.

Let’s now see 4 effective ways to clean your carpet from hair dye.

A Homemade Concoction of Soap, Vinegar and Alcohol

The first thing you want to do when you notice a hair dye stain is make a mixture of dish soap, white vinegar and rubbing alcohol.

Use about one to two tablespoons of each. You will then add two cups of water to the mixture.

Process

• -Use a clean cloth to apply the solution to the stain. You’ll want to blot the stain rather than scrub at it. Scrubbing generally makes the problem worse by working the dye further into the fibers of your carpet. You can also damage the carpet by rubbing it too much.
• -Let the solution soak into the stain until it’s pretty saturated, and let it sit for a few minutes.
• -Use a dry cloth to absorb any solution that is remaining.
• -Use another clean cloth and cold water to rinse the stain. You’ll blot the excess moisture up at the end.
• -If you notice that the stain is still there, you can reapply the product until you get the area completely clean. Let the spot air dry.

Using an Ammonia Solution for Dye Stain Removal

Ammonia can be used to strip hair dye from your carpet, but you need to be careful with this process.

Ammonia is a very strong substance, so always complete a test spot before proceeding.

Make sure that you have some windows and doors open to air out the smell of this product, which can be pretty irritating to the lungs.

Process

• -Create a mixture of equal parts ammonia and dish soap (one tablespoon each) with two cups of water. Mix everything together thoroughly.
• -Using a clean cloth, apply the solution to your hair dye stain. You want to dab the solution on liberally so the entire area is coated.
• -Leave the area saturated for at least 30 minutes, and add a little bit of solution to the stain every five minutes or so during that time frame.
• -Use cold water and a clean cloth to rinse the area well, and let it air dry.

Dish Soap and Hydrogen Peroxide

The purpose of the dish soap is to wash out any remaining dye that you can get off the carpet.

The hydrogen peroxide will be used to bleach out the stain a bit, so make sure you’re not using it on a dark colored carpet.

Process

• -Use a wet cloth and dish soap to lightly blot the stained area.
• -Use a little bit of water to remove the soap residue.
• -Apply hydrogen peroxide straight out of the bottle to the stained area. You should leave the peroxide on the spot for a couple of hours before rinsing it out.
• -You can reapply the peroxide to the spot, leaving it as long as 12 hours before rinsing it out.
• -Let the spot air dry.

Hair Spray and Astringent Stain Remover

Two products that you may already have in your beauty collection are hairspray and astringent.

You may be hesitant to start spraying your carpet with hairspray, but this can actually be a really effective way to remove hair dye.

The astringent will be used after the hairspray to get deep into the fibers.

Process

• -Spray your hairspray onto the stained area of your carpet. You want to make sure that you’ve covered the entire affected area.
• -Let the spray dry on the area for five minutes before proceeding.
• -Rise the spray out of the carpet with a clean cloth and cold water.
• -Apply astringent out of the bottle; do not dilute it. Let it sit for another five minutes.
• -Rinse the carpet one more time before assessing the stain. You can repeat as needed.
• -Pat the area dry with a clean towel.

Does it Matter if the Stain is New or Old?

It’s always helpful to remove a hair dye stain that is fresh. If it’s still a bit wet, this is even better.

This allows you to use your cleaning solutions in order to wash out those fibers thoroughly.

If you’ve applied dye and didn’t realize you got some on the rug until the next day, you can still remove the product.

You may need to reapply your solutions a few times before getting the result that you’re looking for.

An older stain is going to warrant the use of stronger chemicals and products. Don’t be afraid to try a couple of options to get the area completely clean.

Just make sure that you’ve rinsed the area well in between applications. You don’t want to damage your rug by combining all kinds of products at once. This could also be dangerous to your health.

Final Words

Keep in mind, hair dye on your carpet can be challenging to spot at first. A lot of products will be light in color to start out with.

They don’t look like much more than white gel when you apply it, but the color will start to change when it comes into contact with your hair (or carpet for that matter).

You may think you’ve removed a spot of dye on your rug, only to find out later on that you’re actually faced with a larger mess than you thought.

Don’t be afraid to call in a professional carpet cleaning company if the stain situation gets out of hand.

There’s still hope in getting the area clean without having to replace all of your carpet.

You can prevent hair dye from getting on your carpet by using a floor covering that can be discarded when you’re done coloring your hair.

Make sure that you also wipe down any other surfaces that may have gotten dye on them. This includes your countertops, walls, mirror, etc.