More than likely, the bulk of the paint will be on your plastic drop cloth. Take the drop cloth by the four corners and carry it out. Put it into a trash can or someplace outside where it won't harm anything, at least not permanently. Be sure there's nothing on your shoes because you don't want to compound the nightmare.

If there's pooled paint, scoop up as much as possible with your hands and dump it into the roller pan. With latex, use water. Lots of it. With alkyd paint, use lots of paint thinner (it's wise to stock up beforehand). Soak the spot repeatedly, massaging the water or thinner into the carpet and blotting it up with all the towels and rags to get out as much as you can. Finally, treat it with the cleaning machine.

Smaller spots probably won't require the carpet cleaner equipment, but the other steps will be necessary. If you discover drips or extremely small spots only after they have dried, you might be able to pinch them out with your fingernails or cut them out with a razor without doing noticeable damage to the carpet's appearance. Some "miracle" carpet spot removers may also handle small spots of alkyd paint.

To avoid huge spills on carpets, you may want to transfer paint from a big can to a smaller one before climbing a ladder. Store the big cans in a safe place, removing paint only as needed.

For spills on clothing and cleaning your skin, latex paint requires lots of water and scrubbing. With alkyd paint, don't use paint solvent. It's not good for your skin or your clothing. To clean alkyd from skin or clothing, use mechanic's hand cleaner, a solvent that handles paint, grease and motor oil.