How To Remove Nail Polish Stains On Carpet And Upholstery

Red nail polish spill on white carpet.

How to remove nail polish stains on carpet and upholstery. Fingernail polish stains mucking up your carpet or couch? Most manufacturers put a stain-resistant finish on carpets and furniture, but it can only do so much.

Here's how to remove nail polish stains the easy way. You'll need:

  • Mineral spirits;
  • 3 clean rags or cloths;
  • warm and cool water, in separate bowls;
  • a few squirts of hand dishwashing liquid.

How To Remove Nail Polish Stains - Soften First With Mineral Spirits

Soften the polish first with a cleaning solution gentler than straight acetone - mineral spirits. Gently blot the stained area of the carpet or couch with a cloth saturated with the mineral spirits, rewetting as needed.

Be sure to move to a clean area of the cloth once the polish begins transferring from the stained area.

Blot the Stain with Dishwashing Liquid

Blot any remaining polish with a mixture of 1 cup warm water and 1 teaspoon of mild hand dish-washing liquid. Use a clean towel or rag here, and continue until the stain on carpet or couch is lifted, repeating as needed.

How To Remove Nail Polish Stains - Blot-Rinse the Stained Area with Cool Water

You'll now need to remove the cleaning solution(s) from the carpet or couch. Using a clean rag dipped in a bowl of cool water, blot - don't rub - the water into the fibers of your carpet or upholstery. 

Repeat using a clean part of the rag until there is no further transfer or the sudsy solution onto the cloth.

How To Remove Nail Polish Stains - Repeat As Needed

A polish stain can be removed if you take the time to get the polish entirely out of the fabric or carpet fibers, which often means try, try, try again.

Patience and perseverance will pay off big here - so keep at it for at least several tries. You'll be glad you did.


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