How To Get Playdough Out of Carpet [In 6 Simple Steps]

You love your kids. You love their creativity and need for play. But do you really love Playdough? Especially when it sticks to your carpet? How exactly do you get Playdough out of your carpets? This is a question of the generations for parents who've been tackling their kids' messes.

You can get Playdough out of your carpet. It simply takes care and a bit of elbow grease. Here are the six steps to follow -

Pick up or vacuum up what you can.
You can even use a bit of fresh Playdough to dab up the still moist bits stuck to your carpet.
Once you've removed everything you can without scrubbing, then you'll want to allow the remaining Playdough to dry before you attempt to get the rest up.
Use a stiff brush to scrub up the dried bits.
Soften the remaining material with cold water and a rag.
Use a gentle dish or laundry soap for the toughest bits.

Don't worry, we've got great solutions for cleaning the Playdough out of your carpet as well as some helpful tools for the job. We'll also fill you in on the staining properties of Playdough and how you can fix any issues with Playdough in your clothes. Keep reading for all the details!

How To Clean Up Playdough From Your Carpet

So the Playdough is spilled and you're ready to clean it up. As we mentioned above, the very first step is to get up what you can by hand or with a vacuum. Any great globs you can get up first is less you'll have to worry with later.

If you're super fortunate and you've gotten to the spill while the clay is still pliable, you can often use another piece of playdough to dab up the still moist play material. It will adhere to itself, making clean up much easier.

We looked on the Hasbro website, the makers of Playdough and they had a pretty simple four-step solution to cleaning up the Playdough. The link is here. As we've said, first is get up the excess. Then you should let the Playdough dry completely before you attempt any more cleaning. Once it's totally dry, then you'll want to loosen it with a stiff brush.

This is a great brush set for the job from Oxo. The double sizes will allow you to get in tight spots and work on the tiniest flecks of dried Playdough.

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After you've gotten up the dried bits, if there's still a residual of Playdough, you may need to tackle what's left with some soap and water and a rag. The main thing is NOT to use hot water or any kind of cleaning solvent as they may interact with the material and leave residue behind.

Use a gentle soap like Woolite Fabric Soap and scrub gently to remove. If all of the Playdough doesn't come up on the first try then repeat the process until you've cleared it all from the carpet.

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How To Dissolve Playdough?

Whether you need to clean playdough off of toys or get some final dregs off of your carpet, what you really need is to dissolve the stuff. But how? According to Wikihow, your best bet to get that old dry playdough moist and pliable again is with water. Try adding a few drops at a time. If you need to totally dissolve it, then hot water will be your best bet, but know that there may be a risk of staining.

If you're not worried about the material it's adhered to, then you might try isopropyl rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, but know there are risks of staining or damaging whatever the playdough has adhered to.

How Do You Remove Dried Playdough?

As we've mentioned above the best way to tackle dried Playdough is with a good stiff brush. Loosening all the dried bits, then vacuuming them up is the best way to get rid of the crusty gunk left behind after a fun play session. It just takes a bit of good old-fashioned elbow grease and time to do it properly.

How To Get Playdough Out Of Clothes?

Much like our approach to getting it out of carpet, the same holds true for clothes, with a slightly different approach. The advantage of clothing is that you can pick the item up and soak it. The first step will be to pick off all the dried material. Soak your clothing article in a bowl with some liquid detergent on the spot where the playdough was stuck. Next, run it in your washing machine on a pre-soak for about 15 minutes to help the detergent permeate the soiled threads. Wash as usual. If the stain is still not gone, repeat the previous steps.

Tide Detergent has a great link here to removing Playdough stains.

You can also try this great stain remover from The Laundress if you prefer an all-natural product.

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Does Playdough Stain?

That is a question with a couple of answers. For the most part, commercially-made Playdough does not stain if it remains pliable. The problem comes when the material dries out and is moistened with water. Hot water, in particular, can cause some of the dyes to remain behind. Your best bet to not have stains is to clean it up quickly. Remember to use only cool water when loosening the material. If stains persist you can use hydrogen peroxide or isopropyl rubbing alcohol, but know that either can damage the latex backing of your carpet. So use it with care and in moderation.

Homemade playdough, depending on what is used for a colorant, can stain. So be sure to use appropriate dyes (see below) if you are making your own.

So your best bet if you're worried about stains, is to buy the original Play-Doh Brand.

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Or if you do want to make your own Playdough, then look to this excellent set of safe and stain-free colorants. They're an Amazon's Choice product and also a Whole Brain Child's Choice for 2019. It comes with twelve, .35 ounce bottles, in twelve different colors.

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Cleaning Up Playdough From Carpets And Clothing

Now that you've read through the article, you see that cleaning up a playdough mess is not impossible. It simply takes good timing (to catch it before it's totally dried out), the right tools (like our XOXO stiff cleaning brushes), and some good old-fashioned elbow grease. Be careful with solvents on carpets as they can damage the latex backing.

Remember to use cool water, not hot, and to get up as much of the excess as you can before scrubbing. Then when you do scrub, keep a gentle hand and not too much force so that you don't grind the remaining stain into the fibers.

And there you have it. Our great tips on cleaning Playdough from carpets and clothing. You'll have your home in tiptop shape again in no time. Thanks for reading!

For more great cleaning tips from Home Decor Bliss, check out our blog posts here: How To Clean A Shower Curtain - The Ultimate Guide and How to Get Wrinkles Out of Curtains [5 Methods For Beginners].