It’s weird to think that laundry detergent is designed to lift stains from your clothes, but it will leave a mark if you spill some on the carpet. It’s always a pale-colored carpet, too!
Laundry detergent can leave an ingrained mark on carpets and textiles if you spill it with a residue that permanently alters the carpet fibers and color. Fortunately, help is at hand.
This guide examines the different ways to remove stains from a carpet after a soap spill. We’ll also consider some new alternatives to this traditional wash day product that protect your skin, the planet, and your home.
Will Laundry Detergent Come Out of Carpet?
Removing laundry detergent spills from the carpet is possible, but not without some effort.
Unfortunately, laundry detergent is, by its very nature, a highly concentrated, viscous soap. It’s designed to stick to fabric and textile fibers in your washer. Without water to dilute it, you’ll be left with a sticky, gooey mess on the floor.
Hopefully, you’ll realize you’ve had a spillage, as quick action makes removing it much more manageable. After a while, the detergent will dry and may leave a permanent stain.
You’ll know from using them that many laundry detergents are blue or green. The colour is created by dyes, and they’re hard to shift from your pale-colored carpet.
Some laundry detergents also contain bleach or surfactants.
A surfactant is a surface-acting agent, a chemical compound added to different commercial products to alter a liquid's behavior.
Surfactants in laundry detergents reduce the soap's surface tension, allowing it to spread out and wet the surface area it comes into contact with. This is desirable for laundry but not so good for carpets.
Surfactants and bleach can alter the dye in your carpet, so even if you remove the detergent spill, you’ll still be left with a color change.
The bottom line is that removing laundry detergent from a carpet is possible, but you’ll need to use the proper methods and products. We show you five ways to make that detergent stain disappear.
5 Ways To Get Laundry Detergent Out of Carpet
1. Wet/Dry Vacuum
Find a plastic spray bottle and fill it with very hot water from the kettle. Spray the stain with the water until the carpet is wet and the detergent mark is evenly covered.
Run a wet/dry vacuum over the carpet to remove most of the water.
You’ll be left with a damp carpet, but wait a few minutes for the water's heat to lift the detergent. Then, repeat the process until you’ve completely removed the detergent.
If the vacuum cannot remove the last of the detergent, you can also blot the carpet with a clean, dry cloth or towel. This is helpful for long or shag pile carpets.
Don’t have a vacuum to hand? Don’t panic; there are other options.
2. Use Kitty Litter
Using kitty litter is a bit laborious, but it does work, especially if you don’t have a vacuum available. However, this method only works on a wet detergent spill before it dries.
Kitty litter of the silica gel or crystal variety is made from silica dioxide sand and is highly absorbent.
Pour a heap of kitty litter onto the stain to cover it with a thick layer. Allow the litter to absorb the detergent for around 10-15 minutes, and then remove it with a scoop and discard it.
Use paper towels, flannels, or clean, dry dishtowels to absorb any residue.
If you have one available, you can combine this method of removing detergent with a vacuum. Once the kitty litter is removed, a carpet cleaner or vacuum can help lift any hard-to-reach soap.
If you don’t have a cat or a vacuum, don’t worry! We have some more effective home remedies to share.
3. White Vinegar and a Sponge
Mix white vinegar and hot water in a ratio of one gallon of water to one cup of white vinegar. Before you tackle that detergent stain, patch-test a small area of your carpet first.
White vinegar is an effective cleaner because of its acidity, which is not enough to damage your carpet. It’s mild and color-free, so it won’t replace one unwanted stain with another. It’s essential to use food-grade distilled white vinegar.
Soak a clean cloth or small towel in the liquid - you can also use a sponge - then squeeze the solution out of the towel or sponge onto the stain. Leave it to soak into the carpet.
Press a clean, dry towel firmly over the stain to blot the area.
Repeat this process two or three times until the stain lifts. Always use a clean cloth or towel to blot the stain. Otherwise, you’ll transfer detergent and dye back onto the carpet.
4. Use a Steam Cleaner or Carpet Cleaner
A cleaner can help lift a detergent stain. However, you should first use one of the methods already listed to remove as much of the detergent as possible.
Because detergent clings to carpet fibers, using a machine that can comb the carpet's pile will help lift the stain and restore the original texture and color, which can be hard to achieve by hand.
Follow the machine’s instructions regarding the appropriate cleaning solution and amount of water. The instruction booklet may have some handy hints for stubborn marks.
Run the cleaner over the stain several times until the color is restored and the carpet fibers feel normal.
5. Hire a professional cleaning company
Unless you get very lucky, you’ll have to wait for a commercial cleaning company, and that could take several days. However, if you’ve tried everything else and the stain still remains, they may have equipment and products to reduce or eliminate the detergent mark.
Preventing Future Laundry Detergent Spills
One of the best ways to avoid future detergent spills is to stop using it.
Laundry sheets are an easy and natural alternative to liquid detergents. They’re super easy and clean to use, with no risks of spills and no plastic jugs. They take up less space, too.
As well as avoiding nasty detergent spills, our laundry sheets are free of toxic chemicals, including parabens, phosphates, bleach, brighteners, and dyes.
You wouldn’t think you could get such powerful stain removal with something like a laundry sheet, but with Freddie, you can! Our laundry sheets are powerful, more environmentally considerate, and work in cold washes.
Our high-quality ingredients are sourced to be kinder to your skin and minimize impact on the planet. Here at Freddie, we’re committed to clean laundry, a cleaner planet, and definitely zero spills on your carpet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Laundry Detergent Stains Permanent?
It’s essential to treat any detergent stain properly. Otherwise, the dye in laundry detergents can leave a mark or faded area. If you tackle a laundry stain quickly and correctly, it doesn’t have to leave a permanent mark on your carpet. Dried detergent is definitely harder to shift than a fresh spill.
What Happens if Detergent Is Left in Carpet?
Thick or deep-pile carpets can be troublesome to remove sticky liquid detergent from. However, if you leave detergent behind, it will dry and affect the color and texture of the carpet fibers. The color may fade because of the dyes in the detergent, and that patch on the carpet will always feel stiff or brittle to the touch.
How Do You Remove Detergent Residue From Carpet?
Even effective stain removal can leave detergent residue deeper within the carpet fibers. Because laundry detergent spreads out when it comes into contact with textiles, you’ll need to work hard and repeat the cleaning process several times to shift deep-seated soap residue.
Final Thoughts
No one wants a detergent spill. However, if the worst happens, there are tried-and-true methods for removing liquid soap from your carpet so it doesn’t leave a permanent stain or faded area.
A better way forward for your home is to introduce laundry sheets and ditch plastic jugs and messy liquids. With Freddie laundry detergent sheets, you won’t have to worry about detergent spills. Enjoy exceptional cleaning power in your washer at all temperatures with an environmentally responsible product right down to the recyclable cardboard packaging.