How to Remove Nail Polish from the Floor

Co-authored by David Liu and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: December 13, 2021 References

Painting your nails is super fun! But no matter how careful you are, there’s always a chance that you could spill a drop or two of nail polish onto the floor. Cleaning it up can be a challenge, especially if it’s been there for a while. Fortunately, you can use a few household cleaning products to clean up spilled nail polish and get your floor back to its original condition.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Hardwood Floors

1
Let the polish sit for 20 to 30 minutes until it’s dry. If you just spilled your nail polish, your first instinct might be to grab a towel and wipe it up right away. However, that can rub the color into the grain of the wood, making it harder to get out. Wait for it to get completely dry before you start cleaning up.^{[1]
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- If you spilled a whole bottle of nail polish, you can gently dab up the excess with a paper towel to make it dry faster.
2
Scrape up the hardened polish with a plastic putty knife. Grab a plastic putty knife and hold it against the edge of the nail polish spill, keeping it level with the floor. Gently push the putty knife into the spill, being careful not to gouge it into the wood. Scrape up the majority of the nail polish with your putty knife to get most of the spill off the floor.^{[2]
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- Keep the putty knife level with the floor the entire time to avoid scratching or gouging the wood.
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3
Soak the area with rubbing alcohol for 5 minutes. Grab a paper towel and dip the end into some rubbing alcohol. Gently pat the rubbing alcohol onto any leftover nail polish on the floor and let it soak for about 5 minutes.^{[3]
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- If you don’t have rubbing alcohol, you can use hairspray instead.
- Never use nail polish remover on wood floors. It can remove the wood stain and discolor your floors.
4
Scrub the alcohol into the polish with a toothbrush. Grab a hard bristled toothbrush and use that to scrub the alcohol into the nail polish in a circular motion. You can dip the toothbrush into more rubbing alcohol if you need to.^{[4]
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- Rubbing alcohol gently breaks down nail polish without harming the stain or color of your wood floor.
5
Wipe up the rubbing alcohol with an old towel. Once all the nail polish is gone, grab an old cloth towel and use it to wipe up any remaining alcohol. The rest of the alcohol will evaporate in just a few minutes, so you don’t have to worry if there’s any left over.^{[5]
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- If you don’t have an old towel, you can use a paper towel instead.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Carpeted Floors

1
Leave the polish to dry for 20 to 30 minutes. Rubbing wet nail polish on carpet can spread the color around and make the cleanup process harder. Instead, let the nail polish dry until it’s hard.^{[6]
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2
Trim the carpet with scissors if it’s a small stain. If you only spilled a small drop of nail polish on the carpet, grab a pair of scissors and carefully cut off the top strands of carpet. You should only do this if the spill is super small, as cutting too much carpet off can make a noticeable patch in your flooring.^{[7]
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- You can also use this method to get nail polish off of plush rugs or pillows.
3
Pour a capful of nail polish remover onto the spill.^{[8]
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Expert Source

David Liu
Residential Cleaning Expert
Expert Interview. 3 November 2021.} If your spill is too large to cut off your carpet, pour out about 1 capful of nail polish remover to fully saturate the area. Try to keep the remover on the nail polish only so that it doesn’t spread the nail polish to other areas of the carpet.^{[9]
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- You can use nail polish remover with or without acetone to clean your carpet.
4
Spray stain remover onto the area, then let it sit for 1 to 2 minutes. Hold a spray bottle of stain remover about 6 inches (15 cm) away from the nail polish, then spritz it lightly on top of the nail polish remover. Let both removers sit on the stain for a few minutes to soak it and loosen up the nail polish.^{[10]
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- You can use carpet stain remover or stain remover for clothing.
5
Dip a toothbrush in water and use it to scrub the stain. Find a new, clean toothbrush and get it wet in the sink. Use the toothbrush to gently scrub at the nail polish, running it under water every few minutes. Use a paper towel to dab the area gently each time you rinse your toothbrush.^{[11]
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- If your carpet is light-colored or you spilled a lot of nail polish, you may not be able to remove it fully.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Linoleum and Vinyl Floors

1
Wipe the nail polish up with a paper towel if it’s still liquid. If you just spilled your nail polish, grab a paper towel and wipe up the nail polish before it gets dry. Try to wipe it up in one sweeping motion to avoid pressing the polish further into the grain of the floor. If you work fast enough, you may be able to get all of the nail polish off the floor before it stains.^{[12]
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- If you get the majority of the nail polish off the floor but there’s still a few dry streaks, you can move on to using acetone-free nail polish remover.
2
Dab acetone-free nail polish remover onto the nail poish if it’s dry. If the stain is already dry, gently dab a few drops of acetone-free nail polish remover onto a paper towel, then apply it to the nail polish. Make sure the remover is acetone-free, as normal nail polish remover can discolor vinyl and linoleum.^{[13]
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- You can find acetone-free nail polish remover at most beauty supply stores. It will specify on the front of the bottle that it’s acetone-free.
3
Wipe the nail polish up with a paper towel. Working quickly, wipe the nail polish and the remover up with a paper towel to get rid of the stain. Try not to scrub or rub the nail polish, as that could rub it further into the floor.^{[14]
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- If the nail polish remover isn’t working, you can try rubbing alcohol instead.
4
Clean the area with dish soap and water once you’re done.^{[15]
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Expert Source

David Liu
Residential Cleaning Expert
Expert Interview. 3 November 2021.} Squeeze 1 to 2 drops of dish soap onto a wet sponge and use that to clean up your floor. You can dry it with an old towel or let the floor air dry on its own. Be careful, as linoleum and vinyl are very slippery when they’re wet.^{[16]
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- Make sure you rinse off all the soap from the floor before you let it dry, or it could leave streaks.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Ceramic, Porcelain, and Cement Floors

1
Wipe the nail polish up with a paper towel if it’s still wet. If the nail polish is still wet, take a paper towel and gently dab it onto the area, picking up as much nail polish as you can in one fluid motion. Try not to leave the paper towel on top of the nail polish, or the nail polish could dry with the paper towel on top of it.^{[17]
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- If you can get all of the nail polish off with just a paper towel, you won’t need to use any nail polish remover.
- Avoid rubbing the paper towel on top of the polish, as that can stain your floor.
2
Dab nail polish remover onto the spilled polish. Pour a few drops of nail polish remover onto a paper towel and blot it onto the nail polish stain. Gently swipe upwards with the towel, trying to pick up as much nail polish as you can with each swipe.^{[18]
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- The faster you clean up the nail poish, the less chance there is that it will stain your floor.
3
Rinse the area with water to get rid of the nail polish remover. Grab another towel and saturate it with warm water from your sink, then use it to wipe down the entire area that you just cleaned. Be careful, since this can make your floor super slippery.^{[19]
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- If you’d like to, you can use a little bit of soap to clean your floor as well as wipe it down.
4
Wipe up the water with a towel. Use another clean towel to wipe the entire area dry to avoid slipping or falling. If there’s any smell of nail polish remover in the room, open the windows to let the area ventilate for a few minutes until the smell is gone.^{[20]
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- It may take your floor a little bit longer to dry, so be sure to warn your family or loved ones as they walk around the area.

Warnings

Acetone based nail polish remover can discolor hardwood, linoleum, and vinyl flooring.^{[21]
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