Dealing with Carpet Stains: A Step-by-Step Guide
Carpets are a great investment into your home, they can quickly and easily modernize your property and make it feel clean, fresh, and new again. Maybe you’ve just moved into a new house and want to make it feel more like your own, or perhaps you’ve just not updated your floor coverings for several years and have decided that now is the time. Once the carpet fitters have been your home will look and feel amazing, but you then have the task of keeping them in good condition. Carpets are the coziest type of flooring but they are also some of the most difficult to keep clean, they can cling to stains and smells, and unlike hard floors, you can’t just give them a quick mop or use harsh products. When you have a busy family home, there are lots of different types of carpet stains you can end up with on your carpets, so it’s important to know how to deal with them. Read on to find out more!
Wine Stains
Do you like hosting dinner parties, or just enjoy a nice glass of wine at the weekend with your partner? It’s so easy for a glass of wine to be knocked over or spilled, and if you prefer red then this can be a disaster for your carpet as it’s difficult to remove. When it comes to this type of spill, it’s so important to act fast! First of all you’ll need to grab a clean cloth and gently blot the stain to soak up as much liquid as possible. Then mix up a solution of simple dish soap and warm water. Dab the stained area with the solution using another clean cloth. Rinse with water and blot dry- avoid rubbing as it can spread the stain.
Coffee Stains
Coffee stains can sometimes happen during the morning rush, even if you’re careful. We’ve all done silly things when we’re half asleep! First, blot up any excess coffee with a clean cloth. Then mix one tablespoon of white vinegar with one tablespoon of dish soap and two cups of warm water- apply the solution to the stain and blot with a clean cloth. This works because of the acidic nature of vinegar and its ability to break down the compounds present in coffee.
Ink Stains
Maybe you’ve had a fountain pen disaster, or you might have small children who have got ‘creative’ on your carpet! Ink stains might make you panic but there’s a surprising solution to them- hairspray! You’ll want to start by testing an inconspicuous area first to make sure it doesn’t cause any damage, but in most cases, it will be fine to use. Spray it on then blot it with a clean cloth, it lifts up certain stains like ink and pen-like magic.
Pet Urine Stains
Pet accidents happen, even if your pets are house trained, many owners get caught out once in a while. The issue with pet urine accidents is that they can seep right through the carpet and into the underlay or subfloor, especially if this happens when you’re not at home. By the time you get back and realize, the damage is done. But there are ways around this to prevent stains and smells from coming up. As with any spill, start off by removing as much liquid as you can with an old towel. In some cases you can have success by using a wet/ dry vac or carpet cleaner to flush out as much of the urine as possible and suck it back up, be sure to use a shampoo that’s formulated for pet odors as these will neutralize the smells and stop them from coming back, If it’s a large amount of urine that’s soaked all the way through, you might have best success pulling back your carpet. That way you can cut out a piece of underlay and clean the subfloor. Replace the underlay, clean both sides of the carpet, and then re-lay it. It’s not ideal but saves you from having to replace the entire carpet! Without proper cleaning, the urine will dry but the smell will continue to linger and simply cleaning or deodorizing just the top won’t fix the problem.
What’s the most challenging carpet stain you’ve ever dealt with?