Stubborn carpet stains can be a real pain. It seems like no matter how hard you try, something always happens. Left untreated, carpet stains can embed themselves to the point where not even a professional cleaning will make them budge. Some chemicals and substances can even bleach or discolor your carpet's fibers themselves. However, early carpet stain removal can help save the appearance of your carpets, and keep you from having to hire a cleaning service or rent a cleaner quite as often. Here are a few basic remedies for common carpet stains.
Start with the mildest cleaner you can for a given type of stain. Water is a good beginning. If that doesn't help, you can move up to baking soda, vinegar, mild detergent, and other cleansers. The milder the cleaner, the lower the chance of exposure to toxins, and the less chance you'll have of causing damage to your carpet. Make sure that heavy duty carpet cleaning chemicals are kept as a last resort.
Test any cleaner on a small area that's hard to notice, to be sure that it doesn't discolor your carpet. Wearing gloves is a good idea, too. In general, work with circular motions, and use the smallest amount of liquid you can. Saturating your carpet won't make it easier to clean, and can actually be bad for it and the way it's attached to your floor. When you're done, rinse the area clean with water to remove all cleaner residue, and blot the area dry. Using white cloths or towels to do so will help you tell if you've removed the entirety of the stain. Some stains, like pet messes, will smell while cleaning is in progress, but become inoffensive later.
There are plenty of home remedies available to fix certain stains. For instance, you may have heard that shaving cream will help with food stain removal on your carpets. While it's hard to tell if it will work, shaving cream is usually made up of mild detergents, so trying it out can't hurt. Rinsing with a dilute mixture of vinegar and water may help. Red wine and grape juice stains might be easier to remove if you use club soda, and peroxide is said to help get red dye out, like that from some sodas. Enzyme containing products are helpful when treating pet accidents. Be sure to treat the area around the stain, too, to minimize smell. If you don't have access to these products, try a mixture of peroxide, water, and baking soda. Rubbing alcohol can take out certain types of ink and paint.
There are other home solutions you might want to stay away from on your carpet. Be skeptical when anyone suggests carpet stain removal using brake fluid, gasoline or kerosene, chlorine bleach, or other harsh chemicals. Many of these can damage your carpet permanently. If you do decide to use one of these methods, try it out on a very small, unnoticeable area first. These products can also be detrimental to your health, and are not recommended. When in doubt, ask a professional, and don't be afraid to have someone come in to clean your carpets if all else fails. A carpet cleaning is a lot less expensive than carpet replacement!
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