How to Remove Carpet Stains – Simple Tips and Hacks!
Learn how to remove stains from carpet and make it look spotless again with these simple tips and hacks.
No matter how much care you take of your home, there are simply times when accidents happen and some of these accidents can result in staining your carpeting.
And no matter how clean the rest of your home may be, stained carpeting can make your home look dirty and be an embarrassment to you whenever guests arrive.
So, here are some tips on how to remove carpet stains in between those times you have your entire carpeting cleaned.
Keep in mind that you should never, ever scrub at a stain or spill because doing so will only drive the stain deeper into the carpet and the carpet pad where it may be impossible to remove.
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Best Way to Remove Stains from Carpet – Whenever Possible Clean Up Spills Immediately
The best way to remove stains from your carpeting is by not giving the stains an opportunity to set into your carpet in the first place. In most cases, if you attend to a spill or stain right away, it can be removed with simple clear water and some clean rags.
For liquid stains of any type, begin by placing a clean light colored rag or paper towel over the spill to blot up as much of the stain as possible. Change rags or towels until no more of the stain comes up.
Then use some clear water to dampen the spot and again blot with a rag or towel. Repeat until the towel or rag comes up completely clean. Use a hairdryer to dry the spot.
There are times when you may not notice the stain until after the stain has set into your carpeting.
Don’t worry about that, because there are still ways to remove those set and stubborn stains in most cases.
Here is a look at how to remove various types of set in stains.
How to Remove Old Stains from Carpet
Cleaning Blood, Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Mustard, Vomit, Urine and Wine Stains
Ammonia is relatively cheap and can be used to clean up many different stains on your carpet, including blood, chocolate, coffee, tea, mustard, vomit and wine stains.
Add 1 tablespoon of ammonia to 1 cup of warm water. Place the mixture into a spray bottle and spray onto the stain until the area is saturated.
Let it sit for a minute or two and then place a clean light towel or paper towel over the dampened stain and blot. (If the stain is large, start at the outside of the stain and work towards the center.)
Change towels each time part of the stain comes up and keep repeating, damping the spot and blotting it up until the stain is gone and the towel comes up clean of the stain.
(You may also want to read this article on how to get red Gatorade out of carpet).
Removing Fat, Oil or Wax from Your Carpeting
Occasionally you may find stains on your carpeting from tracked in oil, dripping candles or even dropped food that leaves behind a fat stain.
One of the best ways for removing any of these substances from your carpeting is with a paper towel or clean light colored cloth and your iron.
Simply place the paper towel or cloth over the stain and then set your steam iron on warm and set it over the towel and gently press down.
Lift up the iron and then the towel and the stain should come up with the paper towel or clean cloth.
If some of the stains remain, repeat the process again using a clean cloth or towel until the entire stain is removed.
Removing Gum from Your Carpet
As most of us know, removing gum from anything is not the easiest of tasks. However, removing gum from your carpeting is possible.
All you need is enough ice to freeze the gum in your carpet, and something blunt to break the gum once it freezes (a spoon will do).
Once the gum is frozen and broken up into small pieces, all you need to do is vacuum up those small pieces of gum.
Using the hose implement of your vacuum will keep you from rolling over some of the small pieces, embedding them back into your carpet fibers.
Removing Ink Stains
Ink stains on your carpeting can be extremely unsightly. However, there are a couple of ways that you can remove those ugly ink stains from your carpeting without damaging the carpet.
If your carpet is made from polyester, you can use lacquered hair spray and clean light cloths to remove the stain.
Simply spray the hair spray onto the stain (coating it well) and then use a clean light cloth to blot up the stain. Repeat the process over and over until the stain is gone.
Lacquered hair spray doesn’t work on all carpet fibers, so if your carpet is made from materials other than polyester, then you can use equal parts of cornstarch and milk to remove those stubborn ink stains.
Make a paste from the milk and cornstarch and dab onto the stain. Allow the paste to dry and vacuum up. If any stain remains, use 1 cup of water and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to dampen and blot up the rest of the stain. And then rinse with clear water.
How to Get Rid of Nail Polish Stain
The best way to remove nail polish from carpeting is with nail polish remover. However, use as little as possible, because this could affect the color of your carpet.
Removing Milk Stains
Milk stains on the carpet are not only unattractive, but they smell terrible as well. To remove milk stains, combine 1 tablespoon of dish soap with 2 cups of lukewarm water.
Moisten a clean light colored cloth or sponge with the dish soap/water and blot the stain.
Repeat the process over and over until all of the stains is removed. Rinse the area with clear water and blot it dry. Then sprinkle baking soda on the spot and allow it to dry then vacuum up the dried baking soda.
In addition to removing stains, the baking soda will also help deodorize your carpet.
This All Purpose Carpet Stain Remover DIY is Great for Removing Carpet Stains
There may be times when you simply don’t know what that stain on your carpet is. (Like when you rent an apartment that has a couple of stains). When that happens, you should try this all purpose stain remover to see if it can remove those stains.
2 tablespoons salt and ½ cup white vinegar. Use the same damping and blotting trick you use with removing other stains. Repeat as often as necessary and then rinse and blot with clean cool water.
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