Peanut butter is a staple in many households, but it can be a real nightmare if you accidentally spill some of the sticky goodness on your carpet. Luckily, there are several steps you can take to remove peanut butter stains from your carpet and have it look brand new again.
How to Get Peanut Butter Out of Carpet
Remove as much as possible
The first step to getting peanut butter out of the carpet is to use a spoon to remove as much of the spilled peanut butter from the carpet as possible. To do this, simply work the spoon under and around any clumps of peanut butter and then lift them off.
After you’ve scooped as much peanut butter out of the carpet as you can, use a sponge or cloth.
Blot with vinegar and water
If necessary, try blotting the spot with a mixture of vinegar and warm water to further remove the stain. Vinegar is one of our favorite stain removers because it’s natural, cheap, and effective! It also has many other benefits:
- Vinegar is a natural disinfectant that can eliminate germs on your carpet or upholstery.
- If you don’t have time to wash your clothes right away, soak them in a mixture of water and vinegar overnight instead of washing them immediately afterward; this will help prevent body oils from getting into your clothing (and onto your carpet). You can use vinegar as an effective fabric softener by adding it to your laundry wash load before running it through the machine.
Apply a solution of water and laundry detergent
Once the peanut butter residue has been removed with vinegar, you can finish by applying a solution of water and laundry detergent to break down any remaining oil.
Use a sponge or cloth to apply warm water to the affected area. Then use laundry detergent as well as another clean cloth or sponge to blot it into the carpet. This will help lift any remaining traces of oil from your carpeting.
Blot with a clean cloth until completely dry.
- Blot (don’t rub) the stain with a clean, dry cloth until it is completely dry.
Vacuum the area after it’s dry.
Vacuum the area after it’s dry.
If you have a good vacuum cleaner, vacuum the area before it’s dry.
Repeat if necessary
If you still have trouble removing the stain, try repeating steps 2 through 6 until it is gone. Don’t give up if you don’t see immediate results. If you do see results, stop! If not… well… keep trying until it’s gone.
Other Method To Get Peanut Butter Out of Carpet
Use Baking Soda and Vinegar
The next step is to pour vinegar over the baking soda. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and then use a cloth to rub the stain. If you’re so inclined, you can use a vacuum cleaner to suck up all of that baking soda from your carpet afterward.
If that doesn’t work, try repeating this process again with something stronger than vinegar: white distilled vinegar is perfect for the job (just make sure you don’t spill any on yourself!).
Use Hydrogen Peroxide
If you want to get peanut butter out of the carpet, try using hydrogen peroxide.
- First, dilute 2 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide with 1 quart of warm water.
- Soak the stain in this solution for several hours. You can use a spray bottle to apply it if you have one handy (just make sure to dilute it).
- Letting the mixture sit overnight may be enough to do the trick, but if not then rinse with warm water afterward and vacuum up any residue left behind. If necessary repeat these steps until all traces of peanut butter are gone from your carpeting.
Use a Carpet Cleaner
This is the easiest method and will work on most stains. Just make sure you use a carpet cleaner that is designed to remove oil-based stains, such as Resolve. If you don’t have any of these on hand, try pouring some vinegar on top of peanut butter or other oily substances (like vegetable oil or motor oil) and let it sit for about 30 minutes before vacuuming up the mixture.
If your stain is still there after applying liquid detergent, try using something stronger like dish soap or laundry detergent in a spray bottle. Spray it directly onto the stain until there are no more bubbles left and let it sit for five minutes before blotting with clean water.
Use WD-40
WD-40 is a household cleaner that can be used to remove stains and grease from carpet. It is safe for use on most materials, including carpet, but it works best if you test out the product in an inconspicuous area first to see how well it works on your particular carpet and peanut butter stain.
Using WD-40 to remove peanut butter will require some patience since this method may take several applications over several days before all traces of the stain are removed.
Conclusion
The next time you spill peanut butter on your carpet, don’t worry! Just follow these steps to clean it up as quickly as possible.
