If you’re painting the walls or the trim in your home, it’s not uncommon for some paint to drip onto your laminate flooring. If you catch it early, you can use a damp rag to wipe it up. If you find the paint before it dries, you’ll likely be able to clean it off with just some water. However, it’s not uncommon for paint to dry before you notice that it has dripped onto your floor. Cleaning it up after it has dried is a little bit more complicated. Many people will suggest paint thinner or mineral spirits, but they are fairly caustic chemicals.

The fumes from paint thinner alone are quite dangerous. If you can avoid using it, you should. Here are a few safer alternatives to attempt before you resort to such powerful chemicals.

A Homemade Solution

You can mix a homemade solution fairly easily to clean dried paint off your floor. Before you apply the chemical, you should clean off the area with a broom or a vacuum. Remove anything that could possibly scratch the surface of your floor. Once you’ve cleaned off the surface and removed anything that might scratch it, you can apply your homemade cleaning solution.

The homemade cleaning solution consists of vinegar, water, rubbing alcohol, and dish soap. You should mix equal portions of water, rubbing alcohol, and vinegar. The next step is to add a few drops of dish soap to the solution and mix until soap suds begin to form. This mixture will usually lift any kind of paint. Water-based paints are lifted since the water and vinegar will dissolve them again. Any kind of oil-based paint should be removed due to the dish soap and rubbing alcohol.

Nail Polish Remover

If your homemade solution does not work to remove the paint completely, you should apply nail polish remover. An acetone nail polish remover will help to loosen the paint over time. You should apply the nail polish remover, let it sit for a few minutes, and then attempt to wipe off the paint. If it does not work the first time, do not worry. It might require a few tries to completely remove the paint. If those do not work, there are some other options to try.

Window Cleaner

Ammonia is a common ingredient in window cleaning sprays. It is also known to cut through many different kinds of paint ingredients. Ammonia cuts through sulfur and other ingredients that might be included in different kinds of paint. If you don’t have the ingredients for the homemade solution or if it did not work, you should attempt an ammonia window cleaner.

Wipe or vacuum the surface of the floor so as to remove anything that could scratch or damage the floor. When you’re done vacuuming or wiping, apply the window cleaner. Allow it to sit for a few minutes and then scrub the floor with a rag or a soft-bristled brush.

Whichever substance you use, make sure you use a rag or a soft-bristled brush so as not to scratch the floor. If all else fails, you can use paint thinner or mineral spirits. Test it on a very small spot first to see if it hurts the floor, and also make sure the room is very well ventilated.