How easy is to clean up some of the paint drips and spills from different surfaces.

When a home owner is painting the interior of the house it is important to remember that not all surfaces can be cleaned off from spills of the paint.

Carpet.
One of the hardest places to clean is the carpet. When paint gets on the carpet it is almost impossible to take it off completely. The difficulty of cleaning up the paint drips off the carpet will depend on the type of the carpet, color of the carpet and color of the paint that is being used. On some carpets it is possible to clean a paint drip while it is still wet by using warm water and a rag. On others it is better to wait till the paint dries and try removing it with a drywall knife blade. Of course the best option is to make sure the spill never happens in the first place, by covering with plastic not only the immediate area, that is being painted, but also the path that will be used to leave the area. Such as way to the closest sink, or out of the house, thus giving the drips on the plastic some time to dry before trying to clean up the plastic after painting is completed.

Tile.
Tile is one of the easier places to clean. If the paint gets on the tile itself it can be cleaned before paint is dry with a wet rag, or after it has dried with a blade or even a finger nail. If the paint got on the grout between the tile it is important to clean it off as soon as possible. Usually it will take a couple of minutes before the damage is done and that is why it is important to have a wet rag handy.

Hardwood floors.
Hardwood floors just like the tile are very easy to clean, with a rag and hot water, as long as the paint doesn't get in between two pieces of wood.

Kitchen cabinets.
Kitchen cabinets usually have a fine finish that will be damaged if one tries to remove paint that is already dry, so cleaning up immediately after the paint drip is also important on cabinets.

Kitchen counter tops.
Most kitchen counter tops unlike cabinets are easy to clean of wet, or dry paint.

Trim or ceiling.
When one accidentally touches the trim or the ceiling while painting the walls, the paint will come off easy from the trim, as it is usually semi-gloss and a little harder from the ceiling, as flat paint is usually used on the ceilings, but if cleaned as soon as possible with a wet rag , it should not leave any marks in most cases.

Hardware.
Hardware on the doors is not a very hard material to clean. Water base paint does not adhere well to unprimed metal and wet or dry it should come off easy.

Switch plates.
Switch plates are usually taken down prior to painting but if a home owner forgot to do that, cleaning those is always a peace of cake. Very few paints stick well to plastic, and even very old paint can be removed from switch plates if soaked in a bucket of warm water overnight.

All those possible spills and drips are usually the result of the do it yourself project that was not planned well.
If a home owner is hiring someone to do the painting, it is always necessary to ask a painting contractor all the steps that will be taken to prevent paint spills and drips.
Most of the painters, that paint for a living do all the prep work to avoid any paint on the places where it should not be. However every painter has his own standards. One will spend hours on prep work to make sure everything is covered in plastic prior to painting, another will bring a tarp that will be moved around the room and hope that no paint will be spilled or the owner is not too picky.