How To Clean Shampoo Out Of Carpet | 4 easy-peasy steps

Have you ever purchased a brand new bottle of shampoo only to have the cap fly off as you’re putting it in your bathroom cupboard? Suddenly, you’ve got a pool of shampoo to clean up. 

The good news is that even though shampoo can make quite a mess, it won’t leave lasting damage on your floors. After all, the main ingredient in shampoo is water. You can easily clean it up with just a few quick steps. 

To get the shampoo out of your carpet, use a wet and dry vacuum and some paper towels to get rid of the spill. Then, allow the area to air dry completely. 

Step One: Scoop Up the Excess

If you spilled shampoo on your carpet you’ve likely got a puddle of the stuff sitting on your floor. Before you start scrubbing the carpet, you need to blot up as much of the spilled shampoo as you can. 

You can either scoop the shampoo up with a spoon or you can use a bowl to gather up the shampoo. Either way, be careful not to spread the shampoo around or push it deeper into the carpet.

If you’re dealing with a dried shampoo stain, use a butter knife or a paint scraper on the stain. This should help you loosen the shampoo that’s stuck to the carpet so that you can pick up the pieces and place them in the garbage.

Step Two: Blot, Blot, and Blot Some More

Next, it’s time to grab a clean paper towel and blot the area. This should absorb any remaining shampoo on the ground. 

Keep blotting at the stain for as long as you need to. Once you saturate one paper towel, grab a new one and continue blotting until that one’s saturated. 

Once the paper towels stop absorbing shampoo, you should notice that there’s not a lot of liquid left on the carpet. At this stage, you can move on to the next step. 

Step Three: Bust Out the Wet/Dry Vacuum

Once you get the worst of the shampoo up with blotting, you’ll want to go over the area with a wet/dry vacuum. This helps pull out any shampoo that’s lodged itself deep into the carpet’s fibers. 

Then, spray the carpet with a light amount of water. Go over the patch of carpet once again with the wet/dry vacuum. This should pull the remaining shampoo out of your carpet. 

Keep repeating this process until you no longer see shampoo. If you see suds coming out of your carpet, that’s an indicator that you’ve still got shampoo in the fibers and that you need to continue the process. 

If you’ve got an overwhelming amount of suds, you can sprinkle a little bit of table salt on the carpet. This will help stop the sudsing. You’ll vacuum up the salt as you suction the shampoo out of the carpet. 

Step Four: Dry and Steam Clean as Usual

Once you’ve got all the shampoo out of your carpet, blot the area dry using a few paper towels. This should pull the remaining moisture out of the carpet. 

If you want, you can go over the carpet with a dedicated carpet steam cleaner. Afterward, allow the carpet to fully air dry before walking on it again. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Happens If Soap Dries on Carpet?

The chemicals in the soap can cause the fibers of your carpet to weaken. That can leave lasting damage to your carpet. In addition, it can attract dirt and dust, creating filthy sections of your carpet that are difficult to clean. 

What Is the Fastest Way to Get Soap Out of Carpet?

The fastest way to get the soap out of carpet is to dilute it with water. You can use a wet/dry vacuum to get rid of shampoo or soap from your carpet. Just make sure to take your time and get all the chemicals up before calling it quits. 

Can You Use Hair Shampoo on Carpet?

Although in a pinch hair shampoo will work fine for cleaning up small stains and spills, this type of shampoo is very different from carpet shampoo. If you want to wash your carpet, you will not be able to use hair shampoo to do so. Instead, you’ll need to use a commercial carpet shampoo or homemade carpet shampoo.