8 tips on removing various carpet stains

We all know that accidents in the home do happen, instead of becoming hysterical and wanting to rip up all the carpets and replace them, which is a costly exercise, rather arm yourself with the knowledge and correct carpet washers or ingredients to remove the carpet stains.

Removing old stains from the carpet

Even if you are very particular about cleaning your home there are stains that appear on carpets from wear and tear.  Or perhaps you had a little accident and thought that you had managed to clean the spill without leaving anything behind, only to find out a few months down the line that the carpet is still slightly discoloured where the accident took place. The worst thing you can do is scrub on the carpet in the area of the stain.  Not only do you risk spreading the offending substance, but you also risk damaging the carpet itself.  NEVER scrub a stain!  Here are a few simple steps via Thrifty Fun on removing the stains from your carpet.  These steps work even if the stain is rather old and you wanting to give your carpet a new lease on life!

Step 1: Sweep the carpet and then vacuum the carpet.

Step 2: Mix up your own stain removal solution by using 1 part borax with 2 parts cornmeal.  You can substitute the borax for baking soda if the carpet has lots of heavy odors that you want to get out.  Mix these two ingredients together to form a powder.

Step 3:  Sprinkle your powder solution over the whole carpet and leave the room for approximately 1 hour, then return to the carpet and vacuum the carpet.

Step 4: Pre-treat remaining stains with a stain removing mixture.  For dark coloured carpets mix up a solution of vinegar and water using equal parts.  For lighter coloured carpets mix up a solution of lemon juice and salt using equal parts.

Step 5: Scrub the stain removal mixture into the area where the stain is and then leave the carpet alone for 15 minutes.  After 15 minutes take an old towel, throw it over the treated area and apply pressure to dab up as much excess liquid as possible.

Step 6:  Go over the whole carpet with a carpet cleaning machine and very hot water.  You would need to go over the carpet with the carpet cleaner at least 3 times, the third time you only want to suck up as much water as possible.

Step 7: Stay away from the carpet for at least 6 hours to ensure that it dries properly.

Here are some common spills and the most effective household remedies:

Removing water soluble stains

This includes alcoholic beverages; berries; colas; excrement; food dyes; gravy; ice cream; jelly; milk; mud; washable ink; wet or latex paint. Great tip provided by how-to-clean-carpet.com.

Mix up a solution of ¼ teaspoon of white vinegar and 4 cups of water.

Special water – soluble stains

This includes blood; chocolate; coffee; mustard; tea; vomit; wine

Mix 1 tablespoon of ammonia with 1 cup of water or 1 part bleach with 5 parts water – make sure that you check what type of carpet you have before attempting these removal remedies as wool or wool blend carpets will damage with ammonia and only solution dyed carpets will not damage with the bleach.

Fat, Oil or Wax

Place a paper towel over the carpet, take a warm iron and iron over the paper towel.

Cigarette burns

Rub the carpet with the edge of a blunt knife gently. This should help soften the burnt area and the burn less visible.

Removing glue

Wet a cotton ball or soft cloth with some rubbing alcohol and apply firmly to the affected area.  The glue residue will moisten and then you gently wipe it off.  Repeating the above two steps until the stain is gone. See WikiHow for more information.

Removing chewing gum

Freeze the gum with ice then shatter it with a spoon and vacuum the shattered pieces up before they soften again.  Blot the carpet with a white towel afterwards.

Removing nail polish

Following the steps outlined on electrodry.com.au, blot the stained area with a rag that has been dipped in nail polish remover after scraping up as much of the wet nail polish as you can.

The two most important things to remember when removing stains from your carpets is to never scrub on the stained area and to test any solutions in a hidden area first to ensure that they are not going to damage the carpet.  When all else fails, using a professional service such as TJ Hughes for your carpet cleaning solutions is viable option.

With all these home remedies you can save yourself a lot of money from carpet cleaning bills!  Enjoy spring cleaning your carpets and giving them a new lease on life!