Most make-up — foundation, lipstick, mascara — is oil- and wax-based, so it behaves like a grease stain with strong colour added. The real shot we did (above) shows how well it can come up. A little surgical spirit handles the colour.
BEFORE
AFTER
👆 A real make-up stain we lifted from a carpet — drag to see the before & after.
Lift any excess with the edge of a spoon — don't smear it wider. Powder make-up should be vacuumed, never wiped (wiping pushes it in).
- Clean white cloths
- Washing-up liquid
- Surgical spirit (rubbing alcohol)
- Bicarbonate of soda
- Cool water
Step by step (carpet)
- Lift the excess with a spoon; vacuum any loose powder.
- Loosen the grease with a squirt of washing-up liquid in a little cool water; dab and blot.
- Tackle the colour by dabbing a cloth lightly dampened with surgical spirit onto stubborn pigment — blot, don't rub.
- Rinse with a clean damp cloth and press dry.
- Absorb the last with bicarbonate of soda if a greasy shadow remains, then vacuum.
Surgical spirit is great on lipstick and mascara, but it's a solvent — always test a hidden patch first, especially on coloured or delicate fibres.
By surface
🛋️ Sofas & upholstery
Make-up loves a sofa arm. Check the cushion's cleaning code first: W or W/S means the method above is fine used sparingly; S means solvent-clean only, so leave that to a professional. Use less water than on carpet and blot, don't soak.
🧶 Wool & delicate rugs
Use cool water and a gentle touch — wool can ‘brown’ if over-wet and some rug dyes run. Test a hidden corner first, and for an antique, hand-knotted or silk rug, don't gamble — leave it to us.
🛏️ Mattresses
You can't rinse a mattress, so go light: blot, treat sparingly, then use bicarbonate of soda to absorb the rest. Never soak it — trapped moisture leads to mould and smells.
✅ Do
- Lift/vacuum the excess first
- Test surgical spirit on a hidden patch
- Blot, don't rub
- Work from the outside in
🚫 Don't
- Wipe powder make-up (it pushes in)
- Soak solvent into the backing
- Use bleach
- Over-wet the area
Tried it and the make-up mark is still there — or it's a wool rug, a mattress or something you'd hate to ruin? Don't keep scrubbing; that's how a stain turns permanent. We can often draw out what's left with professional hot-water extraction, and we'll tell you honestly what we expect to get up before we start. Watford family business, 25 years, fully insured — the quote's free.
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