Carpet is so easy to stain. From kids to dogs to friends with tipsy wine glasses, whether your carpet is beige or green, it’s nearly impossible to keep your carpet looking like new. Here’s a look at the best tricks for getting stains out of your carpet.
Note: Not only do different stains respond differently to different treatments, but not every carpet is made of the same material. Do a little research, particularly for wool or wool-blend carpets, to avoid making stains worse.
Iron it Out
One Good Thing by Jillee recommends a less traditional approach requiring an iron, ammonia, hot water, and a lot of towels—guaranteed to work even on kool-aid (and craft paint)! Mix the ammonia and hot water 1:1 in a spray bottle. Spray the stain “liberally,” lay a towel over it, and iron the area (don’t leave the iron sitting, or you’ll have more than just a stain in your carpet). After a few seconds, lift an edge of the towel to see if your stain is coming out. If it’s working, repeat the process until your carpet is back to normal.
Club Soda for Beer and Wine
There’s an old trick for white shirts that Popular Mechanics suggests might work on your carpet, too. Blot the area with club soda on a cloth. If the stain isn’t coming out, spray it with a 1:1 vinegar and water mixture. Let it sit for about 15 minutes, then squish the area with a cloth to pull out the stain. Repeat until it’s effective. Once the stain is removed, scrub the area with a wet towel, then use a dry towel weighted down with something heavy for about a day to pull out moisture.
Pet Poop Removal
If you catch the mess as soon as your pet make it, any residual stain may be easier to remove. If you’re not so lucky, however, once it begins to harden to the carpet fibers, get it moist again. If products marketed specifically for pet stains don’t work, try a vinegar mixture. Mix ¼ cup of vinegar with a quart of warm water, spray, and blot until the stain comes up. Alternatively, COIT Cleaning and Restoration recommends mixing a little laundry stain remover with water and repeating the process.
Different Stains Require Different Treatment
Depending on what you’re trying to get out of your carpet, you’ll need different solutions. For example, gum comes up best if you get it really cold and break it apart. Glue, on the other hand, generally responds well to a little rubbing alcohol. For most stains, a combination of hot water and bleach, detergent, ammonia, vinegar, or dish soap works well.
Other helpful carpet cleaning tips:
- Blot, don’t scrub.
- Give the surrounding area a gentle wash afterward.
- Dry the spot as much as possible after the stain is removed.
- Regular maintenance can help prevent light stains from building up over time (i.e. a regular carpet cleaning in the path from the door to shoe rack).
