Hair dye stains are a nightmare. You pour the whole bottle on your head and before you know it, you’ve created a big ol’ mess in your bathroom! If this has ever happened to you (or someone you know), don’t panic – we’re going to let you into our little secret of how to get hair dye out of your carpet fast!
If you’ve ever spilled a bottle of hair dye onto the carpet, you know how hard it is to clean up.
It’s not just about the colour that gets spilled on the floor, walls or counter top. The real problem is when that colour runs down onto other surfaces like carpets, rugs, towels and clothing.
That’s where things can really go wrong because getting hair dye out of these items can be very difficult indeed…
…but there IS hope for us all! This article will show you how to remove hair dye from almost any surface quickly and easily so that no one will even notice what happened!
By following these tips, and using products you’ll already have a home, anyone can save themselves hours upon hours of scrubbing at stubborn stains with absolutely no success. Read on!
Contents
- 1 Can hair dye be removed from a carpet?
- 2 How to get hair dye out of your carpet.
- 3 Things you can try
- 4 How do you get semi-permanent hair dye out of a carpet?
- 5 How do you get permanent hair dye out of the carpet?
- 6 Will acetone remove hair dye from your carpet?
- 7 How does baking soda remove hair dye from the carpet?
- 8 Does vinegar discolour carpets?
- 9 Parting words.
Can hair dye be removed from a carpet?
Do you have a pesky stain on your carpet that won’t go away?
Fortunately, it can be removed by using products you already have at home in your kitchen cupboards.
Hair dye can stain your carpet if not removed quickly. While it is difficult to remove the colour of dark hair dye, there are ways to get lighter colours out of your carpet, fast.
The key is to get as much of it off before it sets in.

How to get hair dye out of your carpet.
One way is by using soap and shampoo together.
This will make the dye more water soluble so that you can use a wet vacuum cleaner or blot up as much of the dye as possible with paper towels before washing it away with warm water and detergent.
- The first step is to apply a generous amount of dish soap and elbow grease, scrubbing with a brush or cloth until the stain starts coming up.
- Next, rinse everything off with water and dry the area as best as possible before applying more soap and repeating this process again if needed.
- Finally, use an old toothbrush to scrub at any remaining stubborn spots, then spray it with hairspray or another type of fixative. You can now enjoy your newly clean carpet!
Hairspray itself is also a quick and easy way to remove hair dye stains fast.
- Just spray the hairspray straight onto the hair dye from a few inches away and blot it with a white paper towel.
- Repeat this until the hair dye is removed and give the area a rinse with cold water afterwards.
If this doesn’t do the job, you can try a stronger solution below.
Things you can try
Hairspray
Soap and shampoo
White vinegar and washing up liquid
Ammonia and dishwashing soap.
Baking soda and water.
How do you get semi-permanent hair dye out of a carpet?
If your stain is more stubborn or made by a semi-permanent hair dye spillage, you can try to remove it with white vinegar and washing up liquid.
- For this, you’ll need to mix 2 cups of lukewarm water with 1 tablespoon liquid dishwashing detergent and one tablespoon of white vinegar.
- Using a clean cloth, sponge and blot the hair dye stain with the solution.
- Then with cold water, rinse the area and soak up the liquid with a dry sponge.
If the stain is still there, you can dab on some neat rubbing alcohol with a cloth. This method should remove the hair dye without changing the colour of your carpet!
If the stain is still there, move on to the next solution!
How do you get permanent hair dye out of the carpet?
It’s not an easy task to get permanent hair dye out of carpet, but luckily we’ve got you covered.
If white vinegar and washing up liquid doesn’t do the job. You can try using ammonia and dishwashing soap.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of ammonia and 1 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap in 2 cups warm water to make your magic formula.
- Apply this solution to the stained area with a clean cloth. Mae sure it’s saturated in the solution.
- Leave it for 30 mins to sink and work its magic.
- After 30 mins, take a new sponge and dab the hair dye stain with extra solution. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes more.
- You can keep repeating this process until the stains are totally gone.

Will acetone remove hair dye from your carpet?
Acetone is an organic compound that has a number of uses such as removing nail polish and cleaning up spills like ink or blood, but it also happens to remove dye from carpets too.
BE CAREFUL. The problem with this solution is that it can change the colour of your carpet. Acetone eats colour, but if you have a light carpet, it could work for you.
- Use a white cloth or white paper towel to dab the area with acetone.
- You need a white cloth as any other colour may end up transferring the colour to the carpet and making the whole thing worse!
- Dab it gently and wait in between to see how much of the colour fades. You don’t want to use any more acetone than you need to.
- When all the colour has been removed, rinse the area with cold water and dab it dry with a sponge.
How does baking soda remove hair dye from the carpet?
Baking soda is great at absorbing moisture; this includes water-based substances such as fruit juice, coffee and even hair dye spills.
- Start by sprinkling baking soda over the stain and giving it time to absorb some of the wetness – this will make it easier for later steps if needed.
- Then mix up hot water and salt/baking soda together until it forms a soluble paste.
- Apply this mixture to the affected area and leave it to sink in for at least one hour. You can leave it longer or even overnight for really stubborn stains.
- When the colour has vanished, simply vacuum up the solution and wipe any excess with a damp cloth.
Does vinegar discolour carpets?
Carpets are not immune to the effects of cleaning products, and vinegar is no exception.
The acidity in vinegar can cause discolouration over time. White vinegar when diluted is an effective stain remover. The clear liquid won’t discolour your carpets like other vinegars will.
We recommend using a different type of cleaner on your carpets if you want to avoid any potential damage or staining that could result from using this product.
Parting words.
When it comes to hair dye stains on carpets, time is of the essence. As soon as you spot the hair dye on your carpet, stop what you’re doing and get to work.
Make sure not to rub it in or pour more product onto an already stained area because this will only make things worse!
The best way is still a sponge with some dish soap and water- just scrub gently until all of the dye has been removed from your flooring.
You’ll be able to breathe easy knowing that your room isn’t going to look a mess anymore, too!
Good luck!