A Highly Effective Way to Get Playdough out of Carpet (Promise!)

Every caregiver appreciates activities and toys that keep children constructively occupied. When that activity captures their attention for extended periods of time and keeps them quiet to boot, that’s activity gold. Playdough is one of these activities. Its bright colors, satisfying texture, and endless opportunities for creativity make it an ideal open-ended activity that children almost universally love. Set up is relatively fast, but cleanup can range from a few minutes long and easy to a hair-pulling disaster when it gets squished into carpet. 

Not only is the playdough sticky, making it hard to fully extract from carpet fibers, but it can also leave behind stains. On top of this, if you look up how to get playdough out of carpet, you’re met with several different options, which, when you’re worried about your own carpet, can feel more overwhelming than helpful. Which method will work? Which should you try first?

Here are a few straightforward, foolproof ways to get playdough out of carpet: 

Ideally, you’ll notice any playdough that’s dropped onto the carpet before it’s dried because, as with any mess, dealing with it while it’s still fresh will give you the best results. Gently pick up any playdough that’s dropped onto the carpet, being careful not to squish it into the carpet fibers. With any luck, you’ll be able to get it all up and off of the carpet. 

If any playdough remains stuck to the fibers of the carpet, allow it to dry fully. This will take several hours at least. If you can, let the playdough dry overnight. If you don’t have time to let the playdough dry naturally, you can speed up the process with ice or a can of compressed air. 

Once the playdough is dry, move on to the next solution. 

Once the playdough is dry, or if you find dried playdough stuck to your carpet, loosen what you can with a stiff-bristled brush or a butter knife. Take special care not to damage the carpet fibers. Continue until the playdough loosens, and you can remove it. If playdough stains remain, move on to the next section.

After physically removing the dried playdough from your carpet fibers, you may need to address lingering stains. Here’s what to do:

1. Dampen a rag with distilled white vinegar or rubbing alcohol. Press the rag into the stain. 
2. Allow the vinegar or alcohol to penetrate for about 15 minutes at least. Be careful not to scrub the stain, as this could spread it further into surrounding carpet fibers.
3. Use a rag dampened with cool water to rinse the carpet and then blot with another clean, dry rag.
4. Repeat until stains are lifted. 

If you have an upholstery cleaner, use that to clean the vinegar or alcohol out of the carpet. 

If you’d rather skip the DIY solutions and grab an effective kid-friendly stain remover, try Folex or Kids ‘n’ Pets All Purpose Stain Remover.

Once you’ve cleaned up a playdough mess, you’ll be very interested in how to prevent them in the future. And if you’re lucky enough to never have had to clean playdough out of your carpet, read on for how to prevent playdough messes in the first place. 

If you can, store playdough away from children so they can only play with it with your knowledge. When they do play with it, try to have them use it in the kitchen or in another room with hard floors. If this isn’t feasible, consider laying down a mess mat or something similar under their play area. Lastly, keep an eye on them while they’re playing with playdough in case they bring it into a room with carpet or so that if it drops on the carpet you can pick it up before it squishes into the carpet fibers.