You value your carpets and you love the way they complement the interior of your room.
For this reason, you want to ensure that they are kept clean in order to prolong their life.
One of the most significant threats to every carpet is staining.
No matter how careful you are, sometimes accidents do happen and certain substances end up on your carpet.
It is natural to feel like panicking in such a situation, but it is far more productive to actually work towards cleaning the stain.
It may seem like mission impossible, but there are plenty of great carpet cleaning tips and tricks that can be used to huge success in removing stains.
Before you delve deeper into stain removal secrets, you need to learn the three most basic rules of effective cleaning:
- Act quickly – the more time you waste wondering what to do, the more the stain is going to set in your carpet fibres. It is essential to act quickly and address the issue as soon as possible, because the chances of success are highest then.
- Blot the stain – forget about rubbing and scrubbing, because that will only embed the stain into the carpet even more. Instead you should blot the stain, as that is proven as most effective method for cleaning. In essence, blotting means dabbing a clean cloth to the stain in order to transfer it from the carpet onto the cloth/towel.
- Use only tested products – unfortunately, not all carpet cleaning solutions are formulated equally. Pay attention to the products you employ, because some of them can actually cause damage to carpet fibres. It is best to test a solution on a hidden area and see how the carpet fibres react. That’s how you know a carpet stain remover is safe for use.
Keep these three rules in mind as you endeavour on your stain removal mission.
Useful carpet cleaning tips
Now, it is time to turn your attention to some of the stains you could experience and how to actually treat them. Good luck!
Chocolate – when some of that delicious dark chocolate ends up on the carpet, the first thing you have to do is scrape off as much as possible with a knife or a spoon. Be very careful and work slowly so that you don’t press the chocolate into the carpet. Next, blot the area using a towel or cloth dabbed in a carpet stain remover. There is a high chance that will do it, but in case the stain persists, mix a quarter spoon of dish washing detergent and water. Pour some of that onto the stain and blot from the outer edges towards the centre. Let the area dry and take a sigh of relief as you see the stain’s gone. - Gum – next on the list of stains is gum. Your first consideration might be to just pick the gum up and be done with it. However, there is real danger of plucking out some carpet fibres along with it, which is very bad. Be on the safe side, and use ice. Simply put some ice cubes in a bag and place them onto the gum. The goal is to harden it so that it becomes solid and not sticky. It can then be picked without any trouble.
- Oil – if, by any chance, oil ends up on your carpet, it’s not the end of the world. What you can do is pour generous amount of baking soda onto the stain. The idea behind this is to utilise the absorbing powers of the soda. Rub it gently into the fabric and let it sit for 15 minutes; vacuum it up afterwards. Next, apply a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent and rub with a sponge. Apply warm water and blot. Dry out the carpet completely and see if there is any trace of the stain. If there is, repeat the process.
- Blood – blood is among the more unpleasant liquids that may end up on your carpet. Fortunately, it only looks bad – truth be told, it is one of the easiest to remove stains. The trick is to use cold water. Keyword is ‘cold’ – anything warm will only cause the blood to set up deeper into carpet fibers. Pour cold water and blot – that is all there is to it basically. You can then use a wet vacuum to remove the remaining liquid off the carpet.
- Wax – acting quickly is perhaps even more valid for treating wax. The goal is to remove it before it hardens, as it is quite hard to deal with then. The following may sound dangerous, but is in fact a proven way to remove wax. Place a clean white cloth over an iron and put it over the wax stain. This should transfer it from the carpet onto the cloth.
- Ink – if your children have been using the carpet as canvass, it calls for quick actions to clean it. First, apply a tested carpet stain remover. In many cases, this should be enough to lift the stain. Should it persist, resolve to rubbing alcohol. Much like any other solution, you should check if it won’t harm your carpet. If it is ok, moisten a cloth with rubbing alcohol and blot the ink area. This is a very effective method, which usually does the job well.
Chocolate – when some of that delicious dark chocolate ends up on the carpet, the first thing you have to do is scrape off as much as possible with a knife or a spoon. Be very careful and work slowly so that you don’t press the chocolate into the carpet. Next, blot the area using a towel or cloth dabbed in a carpet stain remover. There is a high chance that will do it, but in case the stain persists, mix a quarter spoon of dish washing detergent and water. Pour some of that onto the stain and blot from the outer edges towards the centre. Let the area dry and take a sigh of relief as you see the stain’s gone. Following these carpet cleaning tips to the letter will lead to successful stain removal. Remember that it takes quick reaction and knowing the proper technique. That is what makes all the difference!
Paul Brown
written on 29 November 2018 -If you have kids in your house, you have to read this article! Very informative indeed, thanks so much for sharing! Vinegar and baking soda are some of the most common household products used in treating stains. However, you must be careful while using them as online no one tells you that they do not suit all carpet fabrics. Only pros in the industry understand that.
Antoaneta Tsocheva
written on 29 November 2018 -Hi Paul, thank you. We’re glad to hear that you enjoyed our blog and found it informative. We have very interesting blog posts coming very soon. Stay tuned.