How do I remove tar or similar black substance from carpet? It's from a shoe, not 100% sure it's tar.
Victoria from NSW, Australia
If the stain is not too deep I would carefully trim off the stained tips of the carpet with scissors and discard them. If the carpet is a sculpted kind that should be sufficient. However if it is a level pile kind, and the stain is small and in a not too conspicuous spot, then I would trim an equal amount of unstained carpet fibers from a hidden area of the carpet, such as under a piece of furniture that you likely won't move, or in a corner, and apply a bit of carpet or fabric glue to the spot (it's important to use one of these two types of glue b/c they are permanent when set and will not shed or come apart when cleaning) and evenly sprinkle the clean clippings onto the glue and brush with a stiff bristle brush to mimic the carpet pile.
For larger areas, you will need to see if you have any scrap carpet remnants lying around (if you are a renter check with the landlord and tell him/her you're just looking for something to make a matching door mat out of). You will have to cut out the stained piece of the carpet and then cut an identical patch from the remnant and glue it in with carpet glue. Done correctly, it will be indistinguishable from the rest of the carpet. (03/15/2007)
By debbie in SC
Acetone will remove just about anything there is. Test it first of course. (03/16/2007)
By Freddy Bee
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