Having a beautifully decorated living space is one of life’s great pleasures. That’s why you work hard to choose the perfect colors, select amazing pieces, and make sure everything has its place. Then, unfortunately, life happens.
Spillages are, unfortunately, an inescapable part of having a home. Whether it’s your friends, your kids, or your pets that are the main culprits, the fact remains: from time to time, you’re going to have a mess on your hands. The good news is, many stains are easy to clean up, you just need the know-how.
Today we’re running through carpet cleaning tips for some of the most common carpet stains you’re likely to encounter, including some you’ve been told are impossible to remove. But don’t worry, with the right equipment and a little elbow grease you can have your carpet looking good as new after even the toughest types of stains.
Read on to learn how to get rid of these seven unwanted stains today.
1. Coffee
Nothing can get your morning off to a terrible start like spilling a big cup of dark, hot, steaming coffee all over your gorgeous carpet—especially if that carpet happens to be a lighter color. If not treated properly, coffee can end up setting in and leaving very noticeable and unpleasant-looking stains.
If you do spill coffee, the first thing you need to do is blot up the wetness with paper towels—avoid rubbing the area, as this will spread the stain further. Once you’ve got the excess liquid out, spray with a solution made up of equal parts water and vinegar. Leave this to sit for a while, blot up the excess liquid again, and then leave baking soda on the area overnight, before vacuuming it off in the morning.
2. Ink
Due to its thick, dark, unctuous nature, an ink stain on a carpet can seem tantamount to a death sentence. Happily, this doesn’t have to be the case. If you’ve somehow spilled ink on your floor, there are a few simple steps you can take to ensure a stain doesn’t set in.
Dab either rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover, or hairspray—whatever you have to hand—onto the stain and let it sit on top for at least one hour. Then once again dab at the affected area until the stain is no longer visible.
3. Wine
You may have heard the trick about using white wine to get rid of red wine stains, and while there is some truth to this tip, you may want to avoid spilling more alcohol on your already damaged carpet, if possible.
Instead, try pouring a little tonic or soda water onto the spill. The bubbles are great at lifting out the pesky stain. After you’ve blotted away the excess spillage, we would advise repeating the vinegar water and baking soda method from our first tip, you should be left with a completely unscathed patch of carpet.
4. Blood
Unfortunately, for many reasons, blood is one of the most common types of stains to sully people’s carpets. Whether someone has scraped their knee, pricked their finger, or had a nosebleed, it’s one stain that you’ll almost certainly encounter at some point in your life. Luckily, now when you do, you’ll now know how to clean it.
As fast as possible, spray the stain with some cold water (any other temperature will make the stain set in). Then, create a solution of equal parts water and dishwashing detergent. Continue to spray it onto the stain and dab dry until the stain is gone.
5. Pet Stains
If you have pets, you’ll know the joy and happiness they can bring to your life. You’ll also be aware of all of the frustrating and unruly behavior they can exhibit, often at the most inopportune times, in the worst possible places. We’re talking of course about them making a little deposit all over your brand new, bright carpet.
If it’s a stool, pick it up carefully and be sure not to scrub. If it is urine, blot the stain. Then use a water and dishwashing detergent solution followed by a treatment of overnight baking soda.
One more tip: if dogs or cats still smell where they’ve relieved themselves, they may be inclined to do it in the same spot again. Make sure the smell is completely gone, and don’t use ammonia-based cleaners, as these can also remind your pet of urine.
6. Chocolate
Chocolate can be a particularly tough stain to remove, as it tends to melt easily, and then become embedded in the fabric on which it has fallen. If you’ve got chocolate on your carpet, don’t panic, and follow these easy steps.
Our top tip, if chocolate has melted onto your carpet, is to apply ice cubes (or a bag of frozen peas, or any other frozen veg) onto the area. This will freeze it and make it easy to scrape completely off. After you’ve done this, spray the area with your solution of dishwashing detergent and water, and then dab away.
7. Gum
If you’ve ever gotten chewing gum on your clothing or anywhere else it shouldn’t have been, you may have been told to place the item in the freezer so that the chewing gum could be scraped off. The principle is the very same if you get it on your carpet.
Like with melted chocolate, it’s best to freeze the gum using an ice cube or other frozen item. Once you’ve done that, you should be able to pick it off without damaging your carpet too much. Go slow and be patient, it might take a while to get all of the pieces out, but the important thing is not to get frustrated and rip any chunks out of your beautiful floor.
More Carpet Cleaning Tips
For even more carpet cleaning tips, and tricks on how to keep your carpet looking its best, you can check out the rest of our blog. If you’ve encountered a particularly stubborn stain that won’t budge, don’t hesitate to get in touch today to see if we can help.