How to Get Ash Out of Carpet Without Vacuuming

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: July 8, 2022 References

If you accidentally dropped your ash tray or your cat knocked the incense holder off of your end table, you might be wondering how to get all of that ash out of the carpet. If you don’t have a vacuum, this may seem like a tough task. The good news is that you should be able to get the vast majority of that ash (and its aroma) up out of the carpet. However, you’re probably going to have to borrow or buy a vacuum at some point to get all of the particles out. Regardless, we’ll walk you through everything you need to do to get your carpet back into tiptop shape.

1

Spoon up any large chunks of ash.

If you spilled a large amount of ash, scoop up as much as you can. The more ash you can lift out before you need to get it wet, the better. Grab a spoon and get down on your knees near the ash—do your best not to rub, touch, or spread the ash around. Carefully spoon up as much of the ash as you can and dump it into a cup or small container for disposal.^{[1]
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- This is only worth doing if you have small piles of ash on the ground. If the ash is evenly distributed or you’ve got a carpet with a thin pile, this may make things worse.
- Don’t dig the spoon into the carpet. Run the bowl of the spoon over the surface of the fibers so that you don’t rub them in even further.
- Put the ash into plastic bags and seal them to avoid spreading debris.^{[2]
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2

Try picking residue up with a lint roller.

If the ash is evenly spread out, run a lint roller over the carpet. If you have a cat or dog, you probably have one of these laying around already. Grab a lint roller and gently run it over the ash. Don’t press down hard to avoid rubbing the ash in, and move the roller slowly to carefully lift the pieces out. Discard each lint sheet once you’ve covered it in a layer of ash, and continue doing this if you’re successfully lifting any ash up.^{[3]
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- This may not do much depending on how thick the fibers in your carpet are. If you feel like you aren’t picking much ash up, move on.
- Do not press down hard with the lint roller. You might accidentally break the ash up and work it into the fiber if you push too hard.

3

Absorb as much ash as you can with a damp sponge.

Grab a damp sponge or clean cloth and blot the carpet gently.^{[4]
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Research source} Whenever you pick up a large amount of ash, squeeze the sponge or cloth out over a sink or trash bin and load it back up with a little more water. Keeping the sponge or cloth clean is paramount if you want to avoid spreading the ash. Also, do not wipe or rub the cloth horizontally against the carpet. Instead, dab up and down to pick the ash up.
- Continue doing this until you’re only left with the ashy residue in the carpet.
- You can use soapy water if you prefer, but your goal here is to pick the ash up. You’ll deodorize/clean it later.

4

Let the carpet air dry.

Drying the carpet by hand will push the ash into the fibers, so wait. Give it a few hours and let the carpet air out. If the ash is in a highly-traveled area, set a coffee table over it to keep folks from walking on it and pushing the ash in any further.^{[5]
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- You may be tempted to turn some fans on, but it’s actually better if you don’t blow ash into the air if you want to remove it. It’s easier to keep all of the ash in one place. On top of that, breathing ash can damage and irritate your lungs, so it’s safer to leave it where it is.

5

Sprinkle baking soda over any remaining ash.

Once the carpet is dry, cover the ash in a thin layer of baking soda. This will not only deodorize that ashy aroma, but it will also absorb some of the stain and residue that’s likely still there. Cover the entire ashy area in a thin layer of baking soda.^{[6]
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- You can use cornstarch instead of baking soda if you prefer. You could also use a commercial carpet cleaning powder.^{[7]
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6

Let the baking soda sit for 1 hour.

This will give the baking soda time to soak up that ashy odor. The longer that you leave the baking soda in place, the more effective it will be. Wait at least 1 hour at minimum, though. Again, if it’s a highly-traveled area, put a table or chair over the carpet to keep people from walking over it.^{[8]
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- If you can get your hands on a vacuum, go do it now. You’ve got to wait at least 1 hour for the baking soda anyway, and it will make things a lot easier if you can vacuum it up.

7

Wipe up as much as you can.

Use a clean cloth, hand broom and dust pan, or lint roller. This is normally where you’d need a vacuum. Use whatever you have at your disposal to get up as much of the baking soda and remaining ash as you can without getting it wet. You can even lay strips of packing tape into the carpet to lift the residue out if you need to. Remove as much of the ash and soda as you can.
- If you can still see visible chunks of ash, try to be gentle. If you’ve got a thin layer of ash and baking soda though, use a little bit of force.
- Use a blotting motion whenever possible here, but you’re probably going to have to do a little bit of wiping and that’s okay. Just try not to spread the ash out too much.

8

Sponge the area with damp cloth again.

Grab a clean, damp sponge and start blotting the area. Baking soda clumps up when it gets wet and there should still be some baking soda residue in the carpet, so lifting out the remaining ash should be easy. Blot the area repeatedly and squeeze out your sponge as needed. Continue to blot the area until the ash stain is entirely gone.
- You can repeat this process with the baking soda and damp cloth as needed until the stain and odor is entirely gone.

9

Vacuum the carpet at some point if possible.

Even if you don’t have a vacuum now, borrow or buy one if you can. It’s exceptionally tricky to remove every ash particle without a vacuum, and even if your carpet looks clean after your initial cleanings, there are likely still ash particles in the fibers. Either buy a vacuum or borrow a friend’s (a vacuum with a HEPA filter is ideal^{[9]
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- If you don’t mind having a nearly invisible layer of ash residue left behind, feel free to leave the carpet as is. If it isn’t visible to the naked eye, it may not matter a lot to you.

10

Shake the carpet out if it isn’t fixed to the floor.

If you happen to have a small rug covered in ash, shake it out. Take the rug outside, close your eyes, and swing the rug back and forth away from you. You can also beat the rug to knock the ash out if necessary. Regardless, this should get rid of the ash no problem.^{[10]
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Research source} If there’s still a little stain in the area where the ash used to be, use a damp sponge to lift it out.
- Once you shake the ash out, you’re good to go. If you see any residue or you want to get rid of any lingering odors, sprinkle the baking soda over the area, let it sit for at least one hour, then shake the rug out again.
- If the rug is washable, throw it in the washing machine and air dry it out.