How To Get Out Carpet Stains
There’s nothing quite like the big, round eyes of a small child looking uneasily up at you as you survey the juice he spilled on the carpet. Or the look you give your wife after you spilled a glass of wine on the white carpet. We’re not even going to mention the dog with muddy paws strolling across the carpet. Not to worry, we know lots of tips and hacks for getting stains out of carpet.
They’re All Wet Stains
No matter if the kids drop a sandwich or a piece of cake on the carpet (and that’s if the dog doesn’t get it first,) dry stains can be vacuumed away. Everything else is wet. Those are the most labor-intensive and take the longest to clean. So let’s get down to it.
Blot – Don’t Scrub
Get a number of clean cloths and blot up all the moisture you can. Keep blotting until you get up all the moisture.
Stain Removal Mixture
Sprinkle baking soda on the stain. This removes moisture trapped in the fibers. Keep adding baking soda until no moisture remains. Vacuum the baking soda up.
Now get a spray bottle. Add one cup warm water, and two to three drops dishwashing soap like Dawn. You can use one cup warm water to one cup white vinegar as an alternative. Shake to mix and spray on the stain. Let it sit for ten minutes. Blot up all the moisture you can. Let it dry naturally.
Dark Stain Removal
Have you ever wanted to be a genius? For a red wine spill on carpet, use white wine to remove the stain. Remember to blot all moisture. Let the white wine sit for ten minutes. Blot. Let dry naturally.
Pet Urine
Fido and Fluffy have accidents sometimes. If you see the accident happen, blot up all the moisture you can immediately. That keeps the odor from setting into the carpet fibers. Sprinkle baking soda on the stain. Keep sprinkling until no moisture remains. Vacuum up the baking soda. Spray the stain removal mixture and let it sit for ten minutes. Blot up all moisture. Let it dry naturally.
Chewing Gum
The best way to loosen chewing gum from carpet fibers is to slather it with peanut butter. The oil in the peanut butter loosens the gum. Ice works as well. Once the gum is loosened, scrape with a butter knife. Once all traces of solids are gone, spray the area with the stain removal mixture. Blot up the moisture. Let dry naturally.
Other Stain Removal
You wouldn’t think it, but butter, mascara, salad dressings, oil, lotion, cheese, crayon, and more can leave a carpet stained. Spray your stain mixture onto the stain. Loosen any solids and scrape away. Blot up all the moisture you can. As the stain lightens, keep applying the mixture and blotting until all traces of the stain are gone. Let dry naturally.
Carpet stains aren’t difficult to deal with, because you have their removal ingredients in the kitchen. A little mixture, a few cloths, a vacuum, and you’re good to go.
