How to Get Pastel Out of Carpet

'Autumn Chill'                9x12         pastel           ©Karen Margulis
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The red and violet pastels were fast and furious this week.  Every once in awhile a pastel would take flight. Has this happened to you?  You are happily painting and all of the sudden the pastel just flies out of your fingers and lands on the floor....usually in pieces. A sad event and a messy one.

I have a new discovery that will take care of the pastel mess on the carpet.  And it only cost a dollar.  Yes I have been to the Dollar Tree again!  It is called LA's Totally Awesome Cleaner (as seen on TV) and I was skeptical. Would it live up to it's name?

A dark violet pastel crushed into my carpet!

Yes It was Awesome!  It took care of the ground in violet pastel as well as some leftover red and yellow that I wasn't able to get completely out with other carpet cleaners. It bills itself as an all purpose concentrated cleaner, degreaser and spot remover. It is meant to be diluted but I sprayed it full strength on the pastel spots. It took two treatments...spray and wipe up with baby wipes.  The spots were gone!

I read about this cleaner on a facebook thread on cleaning up oil paint messes. This cleaner was recommended and I thought if it worked for dried oil paint it should work for pastel!  I even tried it on an old black acrylic paint stain on my carpet and it just melted the paint. The carpet was fine. Totally Awesome!

TIP: When cleaning up a pastel mess always vacuum with the hose to get up most of the dust. You want to get as much of the loose pigment up as you can otherwise you just turn it into more paint when you wet it. Suck up the dust first then treat the remaining stain. 

LA Awesome Cleaner to te rescue!

All clean!!