Nothing wrecks the look and feel of a room more than carpet stains. But in every life a little wine, blood and pet pee will fall.
Here are some tips on how to get rid of carpet stains and make your rug and wall-to-walls look new again.
Waste No Time
The best thing you can do for your carpet or rugs is to hop on spills before they have a chance to set and become tough stains.
Blot
Blot — never rub — spills with a paper towel or clean white cloth. Rinse with water and repeat.
Chemical Cleaners
Your local market has a host of carpet cleaning agents to help you remove spots. But make sure they don’t remove carpet color as well. Always test the cleaning agent on a small, hidden part of the rug or carpet.
When you’re satisfied that the cleaner is safe, saturate the stain, and then blot from the outside to the middle. This motion helps prevent the stain from spreading.
Repeat the process until you have extracted the stain.
Mechanical Cleaners
You can rent carpet cleaning machines at your local supermarket or hardware store. Here’s the drill: Fill the tank with water, fill a chamber with carpet shampoo, and then let the machine scrub the spot and suck up the water. When dry, vacuum over the spot to remove any soap residue.
Haste makes waste when using a shampooer: You must move the machine slowly back and forth over the stain.
If your family is prone to spilling, buy your own carpet cleaning machine, which you can quickly pull out when necessary.
Green Cleaners
Your pantry contains several products that will remove stains and make your carpets smell fresh again.
- Club Soda: Pour the colorless soda directly on the stain and blot. The fizz helps dissolves new stains in a hurry.
- White Vinegar: Straight vinegar is a great spot cleaner for stubborn stains, and a water:vinegar solution is a green alternative to chemical shampoos.
- Baking Soda: To remove funky odors, sprinkle a box of baking soda on your carpets and let set for about 30 minutes, then vacuum.
- White Wine: White wine when poured on red helps to remove a red wine stain.
Grandma’s Tip
Old stains are the hardest to remove. So here’s an old-fashioned cleaning technique.
1. Scrub the old stain with soap.
2. Cover with 2 or 3 folds of paper towel.
3. Place a plastic bag over a heavy book and place on the paper towels overnight.
4. Repeat daily until the stain is gone forever.
By Katie Bernard
