As a floor covering, the carpet is subjected to severe wear every day. If it is not given proper attention, it may need premature replacement. Without regular care for the fibres, they will look dirty, faded, lose volume and softness.

Whenever you spill anything on the carpet, time is important. The sooner the carpet is cleaned, the better the result. Do not be fooled and let a stain sit when it is identical in colour to the carpets. Any stains have the property of changing colour over time, meaning it will be a dry eyesore later.

How to clean spills
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How do I keep my carpet clean and beautiful?

Everyone knows a bit of regular hoovering never hurt anyone, especially your carpets and rugs. However, even the mop hoover hybrids cannot remove stains on textile flooring. For this reason, we'd like to inform you of some basic carpet care tips.

The first stage of carpet stain removal is to absorb liquid using a paper towel or a clean white cloth. Do not use water at this time, since any wetting will increase and help spread the stain. Take the necessary measures and blot out as much liquid as possible with cloth or paper towels.

Before you use any cleaning products, always test them on a small, hard to see carpeted area. Apply a few drops of cleaning solution to the stain, and then place a white paper towel on top. Wait 10-15 seconds, and check to see if the carpet dyes have transferred to the towel. If this happens, you should turn to the services of a professional carpet cleaning company.

If the test goes well, that means the carpet is colour fast, and tolerates the chemical well. After any solution has been applied, blot dry and rinse the carpet fibres with clean water. When blotting, use a white towel, and do not rub or scrub the carpets. Rubbing will push any stain residue deeper, making it very hard to remove.

Now that you know how to generally care for your carpets, let's look at a very important topic:

Check also: What Vacuum Cleaner is Best for Frieze Carpet?

What are the top 5 most difficult to remove stains?

Everyone spills a few drinks every now and again, even more so at parties. The kids and pets tend to make messes as well, to no real fault of their own. However, some stains are much harder to remove than others, and you should be prepared.

Without further ado, here are the top 5 hardest to remove stains from carpets:

  • Red wine
  • Paint and nail polish
  • Coffee and tea
  • Bodily fluids (vomit and urine)
  • Milk
Cleaning tip to remove wine stains

How can I get a red wine stain out of my carpet?

Red wine is the top dog of carpet stains, and that is not a compliment. It may not seem like much, but it's big trouble for your carpet fibres. You need to react immediately if a red wine spill happens, time is of the utmost importance.

As with any stain, start by blotting the fibres with a clean dry cloth or paper towel. Then, a good home remedy for red wine spillages is salt or baking soda. Both of these powders do not add extra moisture, and they absorb the wine particles. You can let them soak it up, then hoover and repeat.

We've seen some corners of the internet advise pouring a cup of warm water onto a stain. Under no circumstances should you add water to a wet spillage, as it will spread it further. The original stain will become bigger, and go deeper inside, which is the last thing you want to happen.

For spot cleaning red wine stains with a store bought cleaning solution, we recommend Scotchgard Rug and Carpet Cleaner. This eco-friendly foam product is almost like using professional cleaning services. It deals with all water soluble stains, and leaves a protective layer behind for after-care purposes.

If you would like to know more about removing red wine stains, check our dedicated article on the subject. Just as an added tip, be aware that cost affects removal chances. What we mean is: the more expensive the wine, the easier it comes out of the carpet. This is due to cheaper wine having synthetic components to emulate the natural colour of high class wine.

How to remove Acrylic paint

How to remove paint from a carpet, and what's the best thing to get nail varnish out of the carpet?

Paint and nail polish are like two leaves on the same branch. They are both tedious stains, since they dry quickly and are chemical mixtures. For issues like these, the number one factor is having a quick response time. If you have any eye protection, it is highly advised to wear it while cleaning these issues.

Start by blotting up as much paint as you can off the carpet before it begins drying. You should be lightning fast if the paint is acrylic instead of latex. The short way to put it is that acrylic paint dries very quickly compared to latex or oil.

For domestic paint or nail polish stain removal, your best bet is nail polish remover. Whip out the bottle of acetone and the clean cloths, then apply some and start dabbing away. Your goal is to soak up as much as you can, and keep switching towels as needed. Air out the room as well, so the specific paint or nail polish smell can start leaving.

If you messed up and left the paint to dry for a couple of hours, you can still salvage it. You'll need a bottle of heavy duty stuff like Solvex by Prochem to dampen the stain. This product is best used with all kinds of protection for your body, and open windows. Apply some via clean cloth dabbing, and rinse the carpet thoroughly afterwards.

We have informative articles on both paint stains and nail polish spills, if you would like to learn more.

How do you get coffee stains out of the carpet, and how are tea stains removed from carpets?

Coffee and tea, among coloured drinks, stand out as the most annoying to clean off. This is due to them being made of plants, which are used in paint and dye production. As they are aromatic drinks, we also advise ventilating the room well and using a deodorizer.

For tea spillages in particular, a special rule always applies. Remember what we told you above regarding cheap red wine being harder to deal with? The opposite is in effect for tea, as natural and expensive ones are more difficult to remove.

Home remedies that deal with tea and coffee are white vinegar and dish soap. Everyone has these at home, and they're both mild enough to avoid complications. However, if using vinegar, observe good ventilation, as it has its own specific smell.

When using white vinegar, mix 100 ml of it per 200 ml of water in a spray bottle. If using dish soap, 2 tablespoons per 2 cups of water is the proportion to aim for. Spray either solution on the coffee or tea stains after blotting the excess. Let sit for 5 minutes, blot and rinse with lukewarm water.

Removind vomit

How to remove vomit stains and smells from the carpet, and how do you get urine out of a carpet?

Every once in a while, various bodily fluid accidents happen on the carpets. For pet owners and homes with children, urine stains are somewhat inevitable. And when you have a party, statistics show high odds of someone drinking too much and throwing up.

However, these stains are not the end of the world, and you can fix them. A good start is opening the windows, so the nasty smell can begin leaving the room. Afterwards, begin blotting the leak, and apply warm water on it if it's already dried.

A good natural remedy for urine and vomit carpet stains is white vinegar. Dilute 1 tablespoon each of vinegar and dish soap in 2 cups of water, spray and let it sit. Then, soak up the solution with clean towels, rinse thoroughly and let the room air out.

A professional cleaning solution to use on urine stains is Prochem Urine Neutraliser. It can be diluted with equal parts water, or directly sprayed onto the stains, then blotted out. Remember to patch test it before you spray it all over, and for best results rinse after use.

For vomit stain removing products, we recommend Prochem Stain Pro. This spot cleaning solution is great for dealing with vomit, food, drink and ink stains. It is ready to use, so spray it on and start blotting away until improvement stops being visible.

How to remove milk from my carpet?

Milk is a pleasant beverage, and very important for the body due to the calcium it contains. However, it is also one of the most tedious stains on carpets and upholstery. The reason is that the beneficial bacteria in milk die in warm temperatures, causing the milk to spoil. This is also the reason milk develops a very pungent smell if left to spoil.

For milk spillages, even simply water will help you rinse it out better. However, always blot first, from the edges to the centre. Otherwise, all water will do is make the stain bigger and push it deeper into the fibres.

You can sprinkle baking soda after blotting out what you can from a milk spill. The soda will soak up the remaining milk, and will be easy to hoover out later. The process can be repeated many times and will help to remove the smell of milk.

If you must use a professional product to deal with milk, the previously mentioned Prochem Stain Pro is your best shot. Of course, you can always find additional tips on how to remove milk stains in our blog.

Read also: How Fast does Carpet Dry after Steam Cleaning?

Carpet cleaning technologies

Are there stains that cannot be removed from carpets?

Unfortunately, there are some issues that cannot be dealt with even by the best of your efforts. These stains are mostly caused by various food related products used in spices and dyes. They are not listed above, due to not being physically removable by any cleaning method.

The worst offenders in this matter are curry, beetroot, turmeric and various berries. The beets and berries are components of acrylic paint, due to strong natural dyeing properties. Turmeric is much the same, except it's less of a hassle when it's been ground to dust. Curry spillages are by far the worst, as they are a greasy and spicy food stain.

You can do your absolute best on these stains, or call the professionals right away. Even then, the odds are the stain will simply become less visible or turn pale. However, complete removal is outright impossible in almost all cases.

Should i call professional carpet cleaners for stain removal?

The good thing about cleaning is that almost anyone can do it on their own. The better thing is that you can pay someone to do it for you, while you go about your day. You can also save a lot of time, otherwise spent on learning about home cleaning techniques.

That's where carpet cleaning professionals come in with an incredible response time. Most professional companies have at least one cleaner in your area, who can be sent at a moment's notice. A cleaning specialist will have years of experience in swiftly dealing with any carpet related problems.

Aside from experience, professionals have another ace up their sleeves. The cleaning solutions and industrial machinery they have is not found in your local Tesco. They also know how to use them to remove all manner of carpet stains you may have.