Stains will end up on our carpets at some point or another, regardless of how careful we are or if we have messy children or not. You can’t ultimately prevent that, but you can learn to deal with it. What’s more, the products needed to remove practically any carpet stain are already in your kitchen cabinet, and are waiting for you to put them to good use!

Tips for cleaning

Carpet stain removal with domestic products

Anyway, before you start dealing with any carpet stains, you need to know how to care for your carpets in general. Our avid readers are painfully aware of these, but in case you’ve just found us, here’s what you need to know as some basic carpet cleaning tips:

Don’t rub in or scrub any fresh carpet stains

This is a big no-no in the carpet cleaning world, as what you end up doing is pushing the still damp stain deeper into the fibres. By doing that, you’re doing the opposite of cleaning, as it will now soak through and possibly stop being removable altogether. Instead, apply slight pressure when blotting with a clean cloth or paper towel, and make sure it’s colour fast before you use it.

How to remove any carpet stains

Don’t let it sit for too long

When attempting to remove spillages, time is of the essence, because the longer you wait, the lower the odds of tackling the stain are. Fresh and still wet stains are much easier to remove than something that’s been an eyesore for weeks or so. If you need to leave a stain, remember to dampen it by spraying it with water before you get around to cleaning it. That way, it’ll be easier to clean, as re-wetting is almost like turning time back.

Don’t go from the middle to the edges

If you have a fairly small spillage, what’s the last thing you want to do? Spread it all over your carpet fibres and have a colossal stain on your flooring. To avoid that, always blot from the edges and work your way to the centre. Never do the other thing around, unless you like spending your afternoon hunched over, going through paper towels at speeds previously unknown to man.

Don't skip product testing

Not all commercial products are suitable for all types of carpets. The same goes for domestic cleaning remedies. Consequently, you should always perform a patch test before applying any cleaning products. You should do so on an area, which is hard and maybe even impossible to see, like underneath a piece of a furniture, which you never move.

Now that you have an idea of what not to do, let’s find out what you actually need to do to remove your carpet stains. Keep reading for our neatly compiled list of tips and tricks to tackle most of the carpet problems that exist:

The best way of getting red wine stain out of carpet?

It’s best to tackle red wine stains as soon as they happen, but doing so isn’t always possible, especially if you’re already tipsy. Regardless, if you follow the steps below, you should be able to easily tackle this notorious carpet problem:

  1. Grab a kitchen roll and soak up the excess wine with dabbing motions (assuming it’s a fresh spillage).
  2. Pour a generous amount of baking soda on top in order to completely cover the issue.
  3. While you wait for the baking soda to soak the remaining moisture from your carpet, into a spray bottle mix 2:1 3% hydrogen peroxide and clear dishwashing liquid.
  4. Spray the solution on top of the baking soda covered stain and wait for 5 minutes or so.
  5. Hoover up the mess and rinse the carpet with cold water and paper towels. Remember – only dabbing motions.
  6. Blow dry the carpet or let the room air out until it’s fully dry.
Spillages on the carpet

How to get coffee stains out of your carpet?

By now, most of you have likely already tried at least one home cleaning method to remove coffee out of the carpet. After all, coffee stains are amongst the most common carpet problems ever, because let’s be realistic - who doesn’t like coffee?

The recipe which we have tested and do recommend requires the following products:

  • A spray bottle and some water
  • Clean cloths
  • White vinegar
  • Liquid dish soap

Once you've got them, here's what you ought to do...

  1. In case you overwet the carpet, place a towel and about 3kg worth of items (such as books) on top to absorb the excess moisture.
  2. Rinse the solution out of the carpet with a sponge and cold water.
  3. Spritz the solution directly onto the stain and start blotting. Re-apply as many times as needed and make sure to use clean parts of the cloth each time.
  4. Prepare the cleaning spray by mixing two cups of warm water, one tablespoon of vinegar and one tablespoon of liquid dish soap. Stir those up with a spoon and transfer the mixture to a spray bottle.
  5. If the stain has already dried, lightly wet it with a cloth dampened in warm water.

Check also: How to clean nail polish out of carpet?

How to remove tea stains from carpet?

By using baking soda’s cousin, Borax, removing tea stains from carpet has never been easier. Assuming the spillage just happened, your first course of action is to absorb as much of the liquid is possible with paper towels or a clean cloth. If the tea has already dried, re-moisten it with cold water – you can either use a damp cloth or a spray bottle.

Afterwards, grab the Borax or Borax substitute box and cover the stain with it using a spoon. Now, hopefully you have another clean towel handy, because you need to dampen it, again in cold water, squeeze out the excess water and place it onto the stain. With the curved side of the spoon, which you used to pour the Borax, push into the wet cloth.

Ensure you’ve worked your way over the whole affected area, and once you have, remove the wet cloth and rinse the carpet with cold water and a clean cloth. Lastly, put some paper towels or another clean dry cloth onto the wet carpet and put some pressure on it. Alternatively, blow dry it or leave windows open so the room can aerate.

Removing milk stains from carpet

Spilling milk on your carpet can be a pain. Forgetting you spilled milk on your carpet - even worse! After only a few hours, the stain starts to settle and the smell becomes unbearable. Removing the issue must become your main priority, as things will only get worse the longer you wait.

For starters, combine 1 tablespoon of fairy liquid and 2 cups of warm water into a bowl, and stir until it becomes homogeneous mixture. Then, dampen a clean cloth into the bowl and dab the stain.

If no significant difference is achieved (don’t worry), grab another bowl and mix 1 tablespoon ammonia with 2 cups of warm water. With a sponge, apply and blot the solution. In most cases, these steps should be enough (hopefully) to remove the stain itself… but what about the smell?

To remove the smell, we will once more rely baking soda and white vinegar + a surprise odour remover product. Pour the ol’ reliable baking soda over the affected area and let it sit for about 12 hours or so. In the morning, loosen it with an old toothbrush and vacuum.

Then, drizzle some white vinegar on top and blot with a clean cloth or paper towels. Lastly, sprinkle some coffee beans (preferably fresh ones) onto the former stained area. In a few hours, hoover the area once more and enjoy your stain free, odourless carpet!

How to get grease stains out of the carpet?

With some patience, elbow grease (ha-ha) and the following household products:

  • Transparent dish soap
  • White vinegar
  • Paper towels or clean cloths
  • Water and a spray bottle

Start by mixing two warm cups of warm water, one tablespoon of transparent dish soap and one tablespoon of white vinegar. The solution then needs to be transferred into a spray bottle and applied directly onto the stain. Dab it gently with paper towels or a clean cloth, and re-spray when needed.

After a few cycles, you should start to see the greasy mark fading. Once no more of the stain is transferred to the cloth / paper towel, grab another clean cloth, dip it in warm water and rinse the carpet from the detergent. When the carpet fully dries, you will be able to see the end results of your work.

This cleaning method works on virtually any type of oil or food stain, assuming you react in a timely manner. For stains, which have been there for more than a week or so, your best shot might be to turn to professionals.

Carpet Maintenance

How do you get rid of ink stains in carpet?

Ink can be a pesky annoyance to an outright nightmare to deal with, depending on what type is currently smudged on your carpet. Regardless of the how and why it’s there, just breathe deeply and remember to start from the edges. The last thing you want to do with an ink stain is smear it any further and turn your carpet into a canvas.

How to approach it really depends on what type of ink you have to deal with. Ink is split into 3 types, which are water-based, Biro and permanent. It goes without saying, but you need to be really quick, especially if the ink is permanent! Here’s how to get each of the ink types out of your carpet fibres:

For Biro (also known as ball point pen ink), you’ll need some rubbing alcohol and a few paper towels or colour fast cloth towels. Gently dab the rubbing alcohol onto the stain, assuming it’s still damp. Otherwise, remoisten it with a spray of water, then apply the rubbing alcohol and rub it in (no pun intended). In either case, blot and rinse after a few minutes pass, and repeat if needed, but don’t overwet your carpet.

For water-based ink, the cleaning job is slightly easier than the other two types, but you shouldn’t underestimate it nonetheless. As it’s water-based, a teaspoon of dish soap mixed in a pint of lukewarm water should do the trick. Dip a towel in the mixture, apply via blotting, then rinse and repeat until it’s gone.

For permanent ink, you have to be quick to the punch, as permanent is more than just a word on the side of the pen. As with the Biro, grab your trusty bottle of rubbing alcohol and apply via cloth towel. Then, don’t forget to blot with a dry towel and rinse it off, repeating the process if needed.

You may also like: How to Clean Wool Carpets Yourself?

What is the fastest way to get nail polish out of carpet?

Nail polish spills happen every once in a while, and no lady should feel too bad about it. For this stain in particular, it’s really important you act right away, as nail polish is designed to dry quickly. Remember to not panic, and most of all, do not push it into the underlay by scrubbing.

One way to deal with nail polish stains on your carpet is something you’d have lying around if you paint your nails. That’s right, nail polish remover is also usable on most types of carpet fibres. Don’t forget to patch test it first, and please be certain it contains no dye before you use it. Apply via soaked cloth, and blot the stain with paper towels until it’s gone.

How do you remove paint from carpet?

You understand that nail polish is a nasty stain, since it’s quick to dry and tough to clean, right? What if it was twice as worse, with an even more invasive smell to match?

Enter paint stains, something even professional carpet cleaners have a hard time removing. But if you just tripped over a bucket of paint and the lid came off, don’t have a meltdown. The more time you spend beating yourself up over what happened, the less time you have to remove it before it becomes a problem.

For home remedy carpet paint stain removal, your best bet is to grab all your bottles of rubbing alcohol and nail polish remover. That’s right, the acetone in both is what will break down the paint and stop it from sticking to your carpet fibres. For paint, you want to also have a spray bottle of cold tap water nearby, so you can keep it damp. Wet paint is five times easier to remove than dry paint.

Vinager for fresh air.jpg

Getting rid of poop stains out of your carpet

In most cases, when you need to clean up a poop accident, it isn’t yours. Even if it is, we wouldn’t judge… Regardless, you are here to find out how to quickly get it out of your carpet and we’re happy to deliver.

For starters, prepare the following products:

  • Non-bleach fairy liquid
  • White vinegar
  • Baking soda
  • Some water
  • Rubber gloves
  • Paper towels and wet wipes

Start by picking up as much of the waste as you can with some wet wipes, and make sure you pinch the carpet fibres whilst doing it (we know, it sucks…). Then, prepare a cleaning solution by mixing one tablespoon of fairy liquid, one tablespoon of white vinegar and two cups of cold water. Pour some of cleaner onto the stain and begging blotting it with paper towels.

Repeat until the stain is gone, but do make sure to not oversaturate the area with the cleaning product. You’ll then need to rinse the carpet with some cold water and a sponge. Lastly, to ensure your doesn’t linger of poop, sprinkle baking soda to cover the affected area, wait for about 30 minutes or so and hoover it up.

Does urine ever come out of carpet?

No matter how well you teach your children and train your pets, sooner or later a mess will happen. If the spillage is fresh, all you need to do is soak up as much as possible via paper towel blotting. Follow it up by rinsing with cold water, and have your windows wide open, especially if it’s pet urine.

Finally, use a dash of baking soda to deal with the remaining stain and smell. Leave it for a few hours, then hoover until it’s gone from the fibres. Remember to have the room well aired, as fresh air is a potent deodorizer.

When the urine has dried, you're in for more work than if it were still damp. The process of cleaning dry urine is much the same with one main difference. Before you treat the stain, remoisten by spraying it with cold water, as that makes it easier to clean off.

How to remove vomit stain and smell from the carpet?

Had an accident after happy hour, and not sure how to deal with it? Don’t worry, just grab the following stuff you should have somewhere around your home:

  • A table spoon
  • A bottle of lukewarm water or club soda
  • Dry colour fast cloths
  • Dish soap

First, open your windows and leave them that way for about a dozen hours or more, so the disgusting smell can start leaving your room. Then, put your best pair of rubber gloves on and start scooping up the chunks. You want to be as quick as you can, as sick contains stomach acid, which can cause damage to the fibres if left for too long.

After you’re finished removing the solid bits, dilute white vinegar with tap water at a 1:1 ratio, and spray it onto the stain. Then, place paper towels on top and blot, repeating as many times as needed. Once you’ve done your best, sprinkle baking soda onto the stain to deal with the stomach acid. Let it sit till dry, then hoover away, and remember to keep the windows open.

Read also: How to Clean Carpet Spills?

How to remove wax from the carpet

Is it hard to get wax out of carpet?

Tipped over some candles at Halloween, did you? Admittedly, wax may seem like an awful stain at first, but it’s not that difficult to get rid of. We do have a dedicated article on the subject, but let’s briefly summarise how to remove carpet wax stains:

Grab a clean cotton white cloth, dip it in a bowl of water and fold it. Then, press onto the cloth with your iron, leaving it over the same spot for a few seconds. What happens is the wax melts and sticks to the cloth, which you can just lift off afterwards.

Another way to deal with wax stains, if you don't want to heat your flooring, is the opposite end of the temperature spectrum. Instead of steaming your carpet with an iron, grab a bag of ice instead. Put some ice cubes on top of the wax, and when you're sure it's properly frozen, apply pressure. This will make it break off (without taking your carpet with it), and then you can just hoover it out.

In conclusion

We hope our article will help many of you tackle a few stains on your own. However, if you don’t have the time, the energy, or the desire, contact ProLux Cleaning. The cleaning work you’d scoff at, we perform with a smile!