How To Clean Live Primers Out Of Carpet (Prime Your Wall, Not Your Carpet)

Live primer is important for anyone who’s painting a wall, ceiling, or entire room. The primer prepares the surfaces for you to lay down paint and get the place looking the way you want!

However, if you’re not careful, you can easily spill primer on your carpets. This can leave some nasty stains that can be tough to clean up. 

If you spill live primer on your floor, you can get it up with ammonia, paper towels, and of course steam cleaning. 

Step One: Dab Away the Worst of the Disaster

You’ve just spilled primer on your carpet – oh no! It’s time to act fast. As with most things, the sooner you get to work cleaning up the live primer, the easier it will be for you to get the stain out of your carpet. 

To get to work, grab a few old paper towels and start dabbing at the disaster zone. Keyword: paper towels or something you can dispose of. Live primers are made of harsh chemicals, so it’s important you don’t use towels that you’ll reuse later. 

Remember, we’re dabbing the stain here. Even though you’ll naturally want to scrub at the spot, don’t. Scrubbing will only spread the primer around and make your job more difficult. 

Now, just keep dabbing and dabbing… once you notice the stain is no longer damp, you’re ready to move on. 

We know, we know. You still see a big ugly stain on the carpet. But don’t panic! We’re going to tackle that next.

Step Two: Use Ammonia on the Stain

With the stain staring you in the face, we’re pretty sure you’re more than ready to get rid of it. To start, apply a bit of ammonia to an old rag and blot it onto the carpet. Make sure not to saturate the carpet with ammonia. 

The key to this phase of the cleaning process is to ensure that you don’t soak the carpet cleaner into the floor. 

Doing so can allow the cleaner to get to the carpet’s backing, which can be hard to dry out and can allow mold and mildew to build up. Plus, it can give off toxic fumes that are hard to rid from your home. 

After you dampen the floor with the ammonia, allow it to sit for a few minutes. From here you’ll be ready to move on to the next step. 

Pro Tip: ammonia is a harsh chemical so before you pour it willy-nilly all over the stain, test a tucked away corner of the carpet where no one will notice. This will show you whether or not the ammonia will damage the carpet’s fibers. If it damages the tucked away spot, no one will notice anyway and you can try a different carpet cleaner. A similar process can be followed for cleaning carpets with bleach.

Step Three: Did We Say Dab?

Next, take a clean washcloth or rag and blot out the stain. You can use either a spoon or your fingers to work the stain and make it easier for you to remove. 

If you notice that the stain persists, spray a bit more carpet cleaner and repeat the process. Once you’ve got the stain up, blot the area with a bit of cool water until the stain is completely gone. 

Step Four: Last But NEVER Least, Steam Clean

After applying all these harsh chemicals to the floor it’s a good idea to completely clean the carpet using a steam cleaner. This helps ensure that there’s nothing lingering in your carpet’s fibers and ensures that your room is free from harmful fumes. 

Fill your steam cleaner’s tank with water. You can apply a carpet shampoo or dish liquid to the tank as well if you link. 

Then, work from one corner of the room to the other. Make sure you don’t step on the areas that you’ve already steam cleaned. 

After you’ve gone over the entire room, allow the floor to completely dry. This usually takes about eight hours. 

For more information, check out our guide to steam clean carpets.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Do You Get Primer Out of a Carpet?

You can use a touch of ammonia to get primer out of a carpet. For the most part, a commercial carpet cleaner is the right choice for getting live primer out of your carpets. Remember to steam clean afterward so that you remove toxic chemicals from the floor. 

How Do You Get Zinsser Primer Out of a Carpet?

Regardless of the type of primer you get on your carpet, the method is the same. You’ll blot the primer, test the carpet, add a carpet cleaner, and steam clean the carpet.