How to Get Watermelon Out of Carpet (Both the Juice AND the Stain!)

Watermelon’s not nearly as fun when it ends up on your carpet as it is while you’re munching on it.

And that’s SO easy to happen, with all the dripping and splashing. You can almost always tell that someone’s been eating watermelon by the pink stains on their clothes. Or carpet, especially if it’s white!

But cleaning the mess is far from being a nightmare.

To get watermelon stains out of the carpet, you’ll need a bit of dishwashing detergent, a sponge, some ammonia, and optionally, a steam cleaner to get rid of the rotten smell.

Step 1: Clean Up the Melon

If there are pieces of fruit on the floor, you’ll need to pick these up and throw them away before you can move on to cleaning your carpet. Skip this step and they’ll just smear over the carpet as you clean it!

It’s a good idea to compost the watermelon you clean up. These chunks can actually serve as a natural fertilizer for your plants!

Now, suppose you dropped a whole watermelon and there’s pink liquid all over the place. After picking up the pieces, you’ll want to use a few paper towels. Apply them on the carpet without pressing down, and let them work their absorbing magic.

Step 2: Whip Up a DIY Cleaner

Watermelon isn’t oily, so you won’t need a god-knows-what to clean it.

All you need is two cups of warm water and one tablespoon of your humble dish soap. The latter’s role is merely to break down lycopene, the pigment that makes the watermelon pink.

Take a white rag and soak it in the solution. Use the rag to gently sponge the stain. Keep dabbing until you notice that the entire stain is gone. 

Step 3: If Your Carpet’s Still Pink…

Sometimes, your stains aren’t quite so simple to get rid of. In that case, you might need to use a tougher cleaning solution. 

To get rid of stubborn stains, mix one tablespoon of ammonia with two cups of warm water.

However, there are two things to note here.

First, do NOT mix ammonia with chlorine bleach. If you do it, your lungs are going to have a bad time.

Second, if you opt for ammonia, forget about the step #4 below. Even though very small amounts of ammonia are more irritating than dangerous when lifted up into the air, it’s still better not to take the risk.

With your new solution in hand, it’s time to soak a rag in the ammonia solution. Just like you did in the previous step, blot the stain using your ammonia solution until you notice that the stain is gone. 

… Or You Can Just Steam Clean

As I said above, consider steam only if you haven’t used ammonia or any other chemicals.

But why steam, you may ask.

Because steam cleaning helps get deep into the fibers of your carpet and pulls out any lingering particles. It won’t exactly kill lycopene, but it will push it into the surface so you can successfully attack it with dish soap or ammonia.

Another reason is that steam works great on organic stains, eliminating any chance of bad smells within a few days. Watermelon won’t smell nearly as nice when its particles begin to rot!

After you’ve cleaned the carpet, allow the room to dry for at least eight hours. It may take up to 24 hours for your carpet to fully dry, so be prepared to stay out of the room for the rest of the day and possibly the next. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Removes Watermelon Stains?

Watermelon stains, thankfully, aren’t too tough to get out of the carpet. You can usually lift them with a little bit of warm water and dish soap. If that doesn’t work, you can attack the stain with a bit of ammonia diluted in water. 

Do Watermelon Stains Come Out?

Watermelon stains are one of the easier types of stains to get out of your carpet. They’ll come out with a little bit of time and effort as well as a couple of simple household ingredients such as dish soap and ammonia. 

Does Watermelon Juice Stain Carpet?

If you spill watermelon juice on your carpet, it will leave a stain. On darker carpets, you might not notice the stain as the juice is a light color. However, the stain is there and it’s best to clean it up so that you don’t attract mice or other creepy crawlies. 

How Do You Get Bad Smells Out of Carpet

There are a couple of different methods you can use for getting bad smells out of the carpet. Using a vinegar spot treatment works quite well. You can also steam clean with essential oils to add a pleasant smell and deep clean your carpet at the same time.