Instead of hiding that stain under some furniture, why not try again to clean it.
However, before you get to scrubbing, keep the following things in mind:
- ⬥ Understanding the type of carpet you have can help you when deciding on a cleaning method. For example, you don’t want to saturate your wool carpet with hot water as it could cause it to pull back from the walls.
- ⬥ Always check your cleaning method in a hidden, inconspicuous area of your carpet.
- ⬥ Don’t use too much product, it’s hard to extract – use as little as possible.
- ⬥ Don’t scrub or rub – use patting and blotting only to avoid setting the stain in further or destroying the carpet fibers
- ⬥ Old stains are harder to remove than newer stains.
- ⬥ Try a carpet cleaning professional if you have to before throwing out your old carpet.
5 Common Carpet Stains
1. Animal accidents
Blotting is so important here.
After removing any large pieces of animal waste with paper towels, use a wad of paper towels to press down and suck up as much urine as possible. Next, mix up a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water. Mist the area, then press again with clean paper towels.
Keep doing this until the stain is gone.
For set-in stains use the same procedure and then sprinkle baking soda over the area to let dry 24 hours. This will get rid of the odors.
The next day, scrape up the baking soda first, then vacuum up.
2. Coffee stains
Blot like crazy to remove as much liquid as possible. The following procedure will likely take a few attempts but it will work.
You’ll need:
- ⬥ 3% hydrogen peroxide
- ⬥ A bowl of water
- ⬥ A bunch of white towels (use white so the hydrogen peroxide doesn’t transfer any dye to the carpet)
- ⬥ A clean spray bottle
- ⬥ Your steam iron
Add the hydrogen peroxide to the spray bottle and spray the stain.
Dunk a towel into the bucket of water, wring it out and then lay over the stain.
Set the hot steam iron (set on full steam) onto the damp towel. Let it sit 15 to 20 seconds.
Lift it up, remove the towel and you’ll see that the stain has started to transfer to the towel out of the carpet.
Then, either get a fresh towel or find a clean part of the same towel and do it again. Do as many times as needed (even 15 or 20 times) and the stain will come up.
(Warning: Make sure you test hydrogen peroxide on your carpet first, because it can bleach some surfaces, so you want to make sure it won’t bleach your carpet. Also, make sure the heat setting on your iron is set at the right temperature for what you’re going to do)
3. Bloodstains
Blot up as much as you can as quickly as you can using a paper towel.
Use the following mixture sparingly to avoid getting excess soap into the carpet fibers.
Mix up 2 parts hydrogen peroxide to 1 part clear dish soap. (ex 2 T hydrogen peroxide to 1 TB dish soap) then gently stir it up and apply to stain.
Let sit for a couple of minutes, to let the hydrogen peroxide do its work. Then take a clean cloth and start to blot up the stain.
Once the stain is gone, use clean, cold water to flush the area clean to get rid of any soapy residue. Then blot up and let air dry once all the suds are gone.
Note: If you have one, a shop-vac can easily extract the excess water, helping your carpet to dry faster.
4. Wine (or grape juice) stains
Blot the stain with paper towels, removing as much moisture as possible.
Use a fresh can or bottle of club soda to break the stain away from the carpet fibers.
Leave it for 5 minutes, repeat blotting. And keep repeating several times until stain comes out.
5. Gum
Put an ice pack or a bag of ice on top of the gum and let sit until it’s frozen which could take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.
Note: the gum has to be frozen, not just cold.
Using your fingers or a dull metal knife, edge of a credit card, etc. start to pick up the frozen gum which will chip off.
Use the same hydrogen/dish soap solution referenced earlier if the gum leaves behind a stain that needs to be removed.
Finally, if you do decide to simply get another carpet installed, make sure your installer gives you the care instructions to help you keep your new carpet in good condition for many years.
