Besides death and taxes, one thing is certain—life is messy. And, unfortunately, stains happen. Stained carpets are a fact of life, and are only a matter of time (it’s not if, it’s when).
You take pride in your home, and you want it looking its absolute best. (Otherwise, you wouldn’t be reading this article!)
These five tips will guide you to eliminate most of the everyday stains that can occur.
1. Carpet Stains 101
When a stain happens, take immediate steps to address it. Procrastination is your enemy here, and any delay in addressing a rug or carpet stain will only result in making your job harder later on. Allowing a stain to set in and dry will make the job much tougher and perhaps impossible to fully remove without the help of professional cleaners.
Put together a little stain removal kit that you can keep conveniently on-hand for the next emergency with clean, lint-free, white cloths, stain removal cleaner, and a dustpan. Having all the right tools in a single, easy-to-find place will allow you to cut down on your response time and improve your chances of easily getting rid of that nasty stain!
2. Blot, Don’t Wipe
- When you find a mess on your carpet, your first reaction may be to grab some towels and wipe it up. Although, this seems like a logical first step, you may end up pushing the stain deeper into your carpets and locking it in. That’s exactly what you don’t want to do!
- Instead, you want to start your clean-up with lifting any loose debris off the floor and throwing it in the garbage. Again, make sure you are lifting up and away, and not pressing down and into your rugs and carpets. Use scooping motions to gather up and off the rug. Depending on the stain, grab a spoon or dustpan to use to scoop under and ensure you’re not pressing staining material deeper into your carpet’s fibers where it will be harder to remove.
After clearing any crumbs, particles, dirt, or other loose material, you want to use clean, white, lint-free cloths to blot away any liquids or material that you couldn’t lift away and off the carpet. Press directly downwards with the cloth, and then lift straight up and away. Once the cloth is saturated with the stain material (e.g. red from a spilled wine), you should get a clean cloth. If you push down and wipe, you will only be spreading the stain into a wider area on the rug or carpet. Blotting and lifting in this manner will remove more of the stain prior to the use of any cleaners.
In some cases, just blotting may be enough to completely remove the stain.
3. Test Cleaning Products on Hidden Areas
- Before you apply cleaning products to a stain, apply to a small, relatively-hidden area—perhaps behind a piece of furniture or drapes to ensure the product itself doesn’t damage the carpet. As we mentioned earlier, you’re up against the clock when it comes to removing stains, so use your best judgment if it’s more urgent to address the stain immediately.
The ideal time to test any damage from a cleaning product is after purchase. This way, there is no pressure to address an emergency, and you can return the product if it has an adverse effect on a small test area.
4. Saturate with Cleaner
Once you’ve removed all larger particles or excess liquids from a stained area, be sure to closely follow the directions of your chosen cleaning product. Many products will direct you to saturate the stained area for a period of time before further action.
Don’t make the common mistakes of using too little product, or not giving enough time to the cleaner to do its work on your stained rug or carpet. Especially, in cases where the stain material may have spread from the initial area, you want to get a good amount of coverage with your cleaner to make sure you’ve reached beyond the edges of the stain. You don’t want any pesky stains to escape your wrath! Get in there and really make sure you’ve got it all!
If the cleaning product directions tell you to blot up the cleaner, use the same process as above—blot carefully and lift the product up and away from the carpet. Keep in mind that some cleaning products themselves can leave a stain if excess product is left on your rugs and carpets.
5. Repeat if Necessary
- If at first you don’t succeed, reapply! For really tough and tenacious stains, you may need to repeat the treatment multiple times before fully removing the blemish. Don’t give up if one treatment doesn’t appear to make much of a difference; simply repeat all the steps above until you’re satisfied with your results.
Keep in mind that consumer cleaning products may not completely remove every stain. When carpet stains have gotten the best out of you, you need to call the pros. Love Your Carpet is the best carpet cleaning company in Las Vegas. One call will connect you with our professional, courteous team to schedule a visit to your home. Let us take the headache out of cleaning your carpets and leave your home looking fresh and brand-new.