No Nonsense Carpet Cleaning Tips

Carpet stains are unsightly and degrade the overall quality of any carpet. This article is about carpet cleaning and removing stains from your carpet, as well as helpful tips on how to do it correctly, keeping your carpet looking as new as the day you bought it.

If you have children running around the house you will almost certainly suffer from a lot of staining throughout the childhood years. These stains seem to appear out of nowhere, of course, there is always the “not me” monster that loves to spill things. Different stains require different removal measures.

The first step to take when cleaning a carpet is to know the manufacturer’s instructions. If you decide to use a commercial carpet cleaner, it’s wise to make sure you’ve taken separate steps for individual stains, carpet cleaners are generally only good for deep cleaning an entire carpet, not individual stains.

Here are some helpful tips you can try without the need for a commercial carpet cleaner. If you have guests over and someone accidentally spills any type of wine, soda, coffee, or beer on your carpet, blot the area instantly with a paper towel to remove as much of the liquid as possible. Then use a vinegar solution containing ¼ cup of white vinegar with ¾ cup of water mixed. Soak the stain in the solution, then blot again to remove any moisture.

With juices like fruit or berries, remove what you can with a knife, a wet vacuum generally works well for this type of stain. If the juice has dried up, saturate it with water and shake off the excess liquid. You can mix ½ teaspoon of dish soap with 1 liter of water, apply to the stained area and pat dry. Once the stain is removed, rinse the area.

Every child has accidents involving blood or vomit on their carpet, never fear help is here. This even works well on tomato sauce, blot the area well and as much as you can. You will then need to neutralize the stain with an ammonia solution. This solution should contain 1 tablespoon of ammonia and ¾ cup of cold water. Mix this in a spray bottle and saturate the area well, but be sure not to get the carpet backing wet. Blot with a paper towel to remove moisture.

For those fun pencil or paint stains, remove as much as you can by blotting with paper towels. Then apply rubbing alcohol to a white cloth or cotton ball and blot some more. You may need to apply more if the crayon gets deep into the pile, but make sure the backing doesn’t get wet. First mix a solution of 1 liter of water and ½ teaspoon of dish soap. Then apply a small amount of detergent solution to the stain. Blot to work the detergent into the affected area.

Always remember to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for stain removal. This, combined with the carpet removal tips above, should have you removing the toughest stains in no time.