How To Remove Jello Stains From Carpet 

Jello is quite a wobbly substance, and at times it can wobble its way off of your spoon onto your floor.

Not a biggie if you have a hardwood floor, but can be a biggie if you have a carpet or rug, especially a white or light-colored one.

The dyes in jello can be a considerable concern when considering how to remove jello stains from carpet.

Continue reading below to learn one of the best methods to remove jello stains from the carpet.

What You’ll Need

Now that you’ve grabbed all of the essential materials, continue reading for step-by-step instructions on how to remove jello stains from carpet.

1. Remove Excess Jello From Carpet

Once the jello has spilled onto the carpet, act fast and remove as much of the jello as possible.

Try to scrape it up with a spoon or other utensil.

When removing it, be sure not to press more jello into the carpet fibers.

Doing this may cause more issues in removing the jello stains from the carpet. 

2. Blot With Cleaning Solution

Blot the jello stain on the carpet with a clean cloth using a cleaning solution.

If you do not have a carpet cleaning solution on hand, you can create a cleaning solution.

Add about ½ a teaspoon of liquid dish soap and one cup of warm water.

You will want to wait until the cleaning solution cools before applying it to the jello stain.

Only use cold water and liquids on the jello stain. 

3. Blot With Cloth

Take another clean cloth and blot the jello stain.

You should notice the color from the jello beginning to be removed from the carpet. 

4. Blot With White Vinegar 

Using a cloth soaked with white vinegar, blot the jello stain again on the carpet.

Be sure that the white vinegar penetrates the fibers of the carpet. 

5. Blot With Clean Cloth Again 

Blot the jello stain again with a clean cloth.

More of the jello stain should be gone while blotting the stain. 

6. Apply Water With Sponge 

Using a sponge, apply water to the jello stain.

This should begin to remove the last of the jello stain but also remove the cleaning solution and white vinegar from the carpet.

7. Blot With Clean Cloth 

Using a final clean cloth, blot the carpet again.

There should be nothing but water coming out of the carpet at this point.

If any jello stain is still coming off the carpet when blotting, you need to repeat some earlier steps.

Only once there is no more stain coming up from the carpet, and the jello stain has been completely removed should you continue to the next step.

8. Layer Paper Towels And Weights

At this point, there is no more jello stain remaining on the carpet.

Now your carpet is wet from being rinsed with the water.

To avoid your carpet being damp and getting mildewy, layer some paper towels on top of the wet spot where the jello stain used to be.

Using some heavy flat items, like books, layer on top of the paper towels so that the carpet has continuous pressure.

Doing this should help to remove any remaining moisture from the carpet.

You can leave this overnight or during the day, periodically checking the paper towels to see if they need to be replaced or if the spot has completely dried.

If you are concerned about damaging the books, consider using wax or parchment paper between the paper towels and books. 

Video Instructions

  • Step 1 (:12) — Remove excess jello from the carpet
  • Step 2 (:16) – Blot with cleaning solution
  • Step 3 (:18) – Blot with a clean cloth
  • Step 4 (:21) – Blot with white vinegar
  • Step 5 (:25) – Blot with a clean cloth again
  • Step 6 (:28) – Apply water with a sponge
  • Step 7 (:31) – Blot with a clean cloth
  • Step 8 (:35) – Layer paper towels and weights

FAQ

Are Jello Stains Permanent?

Jello stains can most certainly become permanent.

Depending on the color, the chances can be higher.

Red jello, for example, is very likely to stain surfaces and fabrics, such as carpets, permanently.

This is why it is essential to act immediately once the jello has spilled on the carpet.

It would help if you also considered whether or not the jello dye is natural or synthetic, as that will impact the degree of difficulty to remove and the likelihood to become permanent.

In addition to the steps above, you can initially treat the jello stain with cold water as this will stop or slow the stain from setting into the carpet fibers.

If you use warm or hot water rather than cold water, you will cook the protein into the carpet fibers. 

What Are Other Ways To Remove Jello Stains From Carpet?

You can use some other household items to remove jello stains from your carpet if the steps above do not work for you.

You can use a mixture of oxygen bleach and cool water according to the proportion guidelines on your oxygen bleach’s directions.

You can softly scrub with a soft scrub brush.

You can let it sit for about an hour before rising it by blotting it with a clean cloth.

Ammonia can work similarly to oxygen bleach.

You can apply a small amount of ammonia to the stain and blot it with clean cloths.

Continue to blot with ammonia and clean cloths, adding more ammonia or switching cloths. 

Are There Faster Ways To Dry The Wet Carpet Spot?

Depending on the location of the carpet, there are different ways you can speed up the drying process.

You can open windows and use fans to speed it up.

If there are no windows in the area, you can still use a fan, dehumidifier, or the room’s air conditioning.

The purpose of this is to decrease the chances of mildew and mold growing on your carpet. 

How Do You Get Jello Stains Off Your Skin?

If you happen to find a jello stain on your skin, simply pour a couple of drops of rubbing alcohol onto a cloth, q-tip, or cotton ball and gently rub over the stain.

If the jello stain is near the eyes or mouth or if it is on a child’s body, use hand sanitizer in place of the rubbing alcohol.

Keep doing this process every couple of hours until the stain has been completely removed.