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Playing beauty salon and giving yourself an at-home dye job is fun, but it's not so amusing when you realize you've dripped that dye all over your carpet. Don't get in a tizzy and start ripping up the rug. Try cleaning the hair dye off the carpet yourself. Before you know it you'll be back to admiring your new hair hue, with your stained carpet woes far behind you.
Vinegar Solution
1.
Mix up your cleaning solution. Combine 1 tbsp. of bleach-free dish soap and 1 tbsp. of white vinegar in a bowl. Stir in 2 cups of warm water.
2.
Dip a white rag into the cleaning solution and blot it onto the hair dye stain. Blot a few times with the rag and cleaning solution, then blot with a dry rag until the dye isn't lifting from the carpet anymore.
3.
Blot the spot a few times with another white rag dipped in cold water. Soak up the water with a dry rag.
4.
Grab some rubbing alcohol and sponge it onto the hair dye spot with a clean white rag. Just like you did before, blot with the alcohol-soaked rag, then with a dry rag until the dye is no longer lifting from the carpet.
5.
Blot with a clean rag and cold water, then with a dry rag to absorb the moisture.
Ammonia Solution
1.
Pull out the big dogs if the stubborn stain keeps sticking around. Mix 1 tbsp. of ammonia with 1 tsp. of bleach-free dish soap. Stir in 2 cups of warm water.
2.
Sponge the ammonia mixture onto the spot with a clean white rag. Let it sit for 30 minutes, but blot it every five minutes with a clean rag and more of the ammonia solution to keep the stained area saturated.
3.
Rinse the carpet with a rag and cold water, then blot with a dry rag to absorb the moisture.
Try hydrogen peroxide on a hair dye stain as a last resort -- peroxide may discolor your carpet. Drip a few drops of hydrogen peroxide on the stained carpet fibers and leave it there for 24 hours to dry. Repeat as necessary until the dye spot is gone.
If the cleaning changes the carpet's color, try filling it in with a felt-tip marker of a similar shade.
Work in a well-ventilated area when using ammonia. Never mix ammonia and bleach, or products containing these ingredients. The fumes can be dangerous.