How to Get Dish Soap Out of Carpet

It seems almost counterintuitive, but one of the products you use to get things clean can prove problematic when it splatters on your carpet.

What appears even odder is that dish soap ranks high among the everyday household products used to remove carpet stains.

At the end of the day, pondering life’s little ironies won’t get that unsightly dish soap out of your carpet.

It’s far more practical to know how to remove these types of stains before an incident occurs. But if you or someone in your household accidentally made a spill and you are searching the Internet on how to get dish soap out of carpet right now, these are effective methods using other ordinary household materials.

How to get soapy dishwater out of carpeting

If you have recently spilled soapy dishwater on your carpet, it may bring you some solace to know that this happens more than you might expect.

You are not alone in this carpet cleaning emergency, which is one of the reasons the following the steps laid out in an article. So, relax and gather the materials you will need to restore your carpet to normal.

Materials:

1. Clean white or light-colored towels
2. Warm water
3. White vinegar
4. Wet vacuum
5. Portable fan
6. A bucket of warm water

Steps for a Wet Spill

1. Use a dry towel to soak up liquid beginning at the spill’s perimeter.
2. Press the dry towel firmly and slowly work your way around the edges
3. As the outer edges dry up, start working your way toward the center.
4. Wring cloth into the bucket of warm water and repeat process

Using a wet vacuum can speed up the process. After extracting excess dish soap, turn on the portable fan and open the windows to dry the carpet. This step ensures that moisture dissipates, preventing any mold and mildew formation.

Steps for a Dry Spill

1. Pour an ample amount of white vinegar directly on the dried dishwater spill
2. Let the white vinegar stand for 10 minutes
3. Moisten a thick white towel with warm water
4. Use the cloth to soak up vinegar and stain beginning at the spill’s perimeter
5. Press the sheet firmly and slowly work your way around the edges
6. As the outer edges are soaked up, work your way toward the center
7. Wring towel into the bucket of warm water as needed
8. Repeat process

Use a shop-vac to dry impacted carpet

If you don’t happen to own a shop or “wet vac,” it’s entirely likely you can rent one for the afternoon at a hardware retailer or local rental equipment shop.

The key to wet vac success is to use it when the impacted carpet is wet.

Materials: 

1. Shop-vac
2. cold water

Steps:

1. Vacuum impacted carpet area
2. Moisten the area with cold water
3. Vacuum up water
4. Repeat the process as needed

One of the pro tips to keep in mind is not to douse the spot with an excessive amount of cold water. It’s essential to contain the stain as much as possible.

How to get concentrated dish soap out of carpet

Before you were tasked with removing concentrated dishwashing soap from your carpet, it seemed unimaginable the two could come together.

Dish soap is typically reserved for kitchens and rarely travels over the carpet when open. But the cosmos is a strange place, and now soft carpet and helpful dish soap have formed a perfect storm.

Before your carpet becomes discolored, it’s essential that you promptly deal with this issue.

These are materials and steps that can prevent permanent damage.

Materials:

1. Absorbent kitty litter
2. Thick white cloth or light-colored towels
3. Shop-vac
4. Household vacuum
5. Warm water
6. Spray bottle

Steps:

1. Immediately pour kitty litter over the dish soap spill. Kitty litter is considered highly absorbent and will promptly soak up wet materials such as dish soap. The sooner you apply the product, the better the result.
2. Once the kitty litter has absorbed as much of the dishwashing liquid as it can use the dustpan and a thick white towel or cloth to move the remove the loose material, it’s important not to apply pressure and grid the kitty litter into the carpet. A gentle brushing motion with the cloth or towel is advisable. Repeat this process as needed.
3. Fill a clean spray container with warm water. Apply water to the impacted carpet area. You do not necessarily want to drench the stain. The carpet should be wet enough to blot up any water but not soaking wet, so it doesn’t spread further or create suds.
4. Using a dry towel, blot up as much warm water as possible. Be sure not to rub or push down hard on the dish soap because this can drive it deeper into the material. If the spill appears thick, consider wetting it again and repeating the process.
5. A shop vac can be a powerful tool for removing liquids and tiny particles from carpets and flooring materials. To remove the dish soap stain, wet the area with warm water again. Use a vacuum attachment that suits the size of the spill. Attachments tend to improve the sucking force in these instances. If you still see discoloration after a first pass, repeat the wetting and vacuuming process as needed.

Once you feel satisfied that the process has run its course and the dish soap has been effectively removed from your carpet, let it dry at least overnight without foot traffic.

If it is completely dry the next day, use your regular household vacuum and clean the entire carpet.

This will enable you to see whether any discoloration lingers. If so, you may require a professional carpet cleaning service.

Does dish soap stain carpet?

Yes, it will stain carpet as dishwashing soap contain dyes that can permeate on the carpet fibers. It’s essential to act fast when dealing with it. A wet/dry vacuum will help remove soap residue and cut down the extraction time.

What happens if you leave soap on carpet?

Moisture and carpet are a terrible combination as it results in mold and mildew. The chemical content of soap weakens the carpet fibers and cause extensive damage if it isn’t removed. It is also another source of moisture that will attract mold and further damage.

How to get soap residue out of carpet?

Just in case the worst happens, and you fail to notice the dishwashing soap on the carpet, don’t panic, cleaning soap residue is doable. However, you’ll need a carpet cleaning for the task. If you have one, good for you, but otherwise renting is a cost-effective alternative for one-off tasks.

Fill the carpet cleaner with carpet cleaning solution plus a quarter-cup of vinegar then go over the stained area in slow, methodical passes. Repeat the process until the stain is no longer visible.

Open the windows and fans to let the air circulate and speed up the drying time.