7 effective ways to get stains out of carpet

*Overview of the best according to the editors of Healthy Food Near Me. About selection criteria. This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

Before you try to remove the stains from the carpet, you need to carry out preparatory work. First you need to decide whether the stain is old or fresh.

If the dirt has already dried, lumps or a crust have formed on the surface of the product, you should try to scrape them off to facilitate subsequent cleaning. To do this, you can use a hard, but not too sharp object, for example, a dull knife. Lumps and crust are removed carefully so as not to damage the structure of the fibers and not to make the carpet not only dirty, but also “bald”. For the same reason, sharp knives, scissors, etc. must not be used.

If the contamination is fresh, an attempt should be made to minimize the degree of contamination. For this, a paper towel or toilet paper is used, which perfectly absorb excess moisture that has not yet had time to penetrate deep into the fibers. First you just need to put a napkin on a puddle and wait until the spilled juice or coffee is absorbed into it. Then we take the second napkin, put it on the stain and press it. We change the napkins until the liquid stops soaking into the paper. You can’t rub the stain, but if it starts to spread, it is necessary to collect the liquid with a napkin from the edge of the puddle to the center, and not vice versa. Also, bulk products can be used as an absorbent for a spilled liquid that has not had time to dry: soda, salt, starch. One of the substances is scattered in a dense layer on top of the pollution, they give time to absorb moisture, then the carpet is thoroughly cleaned, it can be vacuumed. However, keep in mind that the absorbent method is mainly suitable for lint-free carpets. If a product with a long and thick pile is contaminated, it will be difficult to clean soda or salt from it with a broom or a conventional vacuum cleaner, a device with increased power will be required.

After drying the contamination, you can start testing the selected reagent. Before trying to remove the stain from the carpet, you need to make sure that the substance used will not harm the product. To do this, you need to choose the most inconspicuous place on the carpet and drop a few drops of the existing stain remover there. Wait 2-3 minutes and wipe the drop with a clean, dry white cotton cloth or paper towel. If there are no traces of paint from the carpet on the rag, if the pattern on the product itself does not “float”, you can use the selected product. You also need to take precautions in relation to yourself, that is, to clean the flooring with gloves, in some cases it will not be superfluous to wear goggles and a respirator.

How to remove dirt from the carpet with soap, detergent

To begin with, you can try to remove the stain with ordinary laundry or baby soap, as well as dish detergent. You need to act in the following sequence:

1. Take a clean new sponge for washing dishes or a clean toothbrush, lather with soap or detergent until a thick foam forms.

2. Moisten the stain with a damp cloth or use a spray bottle with water.

3. Treat the contamination with a brush or sponge, trying not to go beyond its boundaries.

4. As the foam stains, blot it with a paper towel, clean the sponge, re-soap it, and continue to process the contamination.

5. If the stain can be removed, you need to remove the detergent residue from the carpet by blotting the treatment area with a damp cloth or sponge.

6. At the end of the procedure, it is recommended to dry the wet spot using a fan or hair dryer. The hair dryer must be switched on in the mode of warm, but not hot air, it is recommended to keep it at a distance of 15-20 cm from the surface of the product. Instead of a fan or hair dryer, you can use paper towels, folding them in several layers (5-7 mm thick.). The paper should cover the entire surface of the stain, go beyond its borders. Additionally, towels must be pressed against the product with something, for example, you can put several thick books on top. This structure must be left for 10-12 hours.

7. After cleaning, a second problem may arise – a stain on the carpet from water after it dries. Such a mark has distinct boundaries, so the product looks untidy even though the main contamination has been eliminated. To get rid of this defect, you can use a mixture of distilled white vinegar and water. Mix equal parts of these two components, apply liquid to a clean white cotton cloth, apply it to the surface of the water stain, press lightly, but do not rub. You can apply the mixture from a spray bottle. Let the carpet dry naturally, if the water stain borders are still visible, repeat the procedure again.

How to clean a carpet using Vanish, Flash, Mitex, Amway stain remover

If soap and water did not remove the stain, you can try your luck with a specialized stain remover for carpets and upholstered furniture. Consider its action on the example of the Vanish Oxi Action product:

1. The product is sold in the form of a spray, when applied to the stain, a thick foam is formed, which must be distributed over the surface of the contamination.

2. Foam can be applied first to the sponge, and then to the carpet, adjusting the evenness of the layer.

3. The foam must be rubbed into the flooring, which must then be vacuumed. You can also remove the remaining foam from the carpet with a simple sponge, napkin.

You can evaluate the result both in the process and after the complete drying of the coating. The manufacturer assures that Vanish Oxy Action copes even with stubborn stains from coffee, wine, fruit, and animal tracks.

How to get stains out of carpet with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide

Baking soda mixed with ordinary pharmacy hydrogen peroxide can be effective in removing various contaminants. To clean, you need to mix two tablespoons of powder and 100-150 ml. peroxide, pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray on the stain area. Then you can easily rub the carpet with a sponge or microfiber cloth. After the pigments have dissolved, the treatment area must be washed with water and dried using one of the methods described above.

How to remove a stain from a carpet using baking soda and table vinegar

As you know, vinegar is an acid that can dissolve dirt, even old ones. Vinegar, when interacting with soda, gives a gas evolution reaction, as a result of which foam appears. This foam will help push dirt particles out of the fibres, to the surface where they can be easily removed with a sponge or damp cloth. The sequence of cleaning with vinegar and soda:

1. Take table transparent vinegar at a concentration of 6%, and preferably 9%, generously pour over the stain, but try not to let the liquid spread beyond its borders.

2. Wait 5-10 minutes for the vinegar to penetrate into the deeper layers of the carpet and begin to dissolve the dirt.

3. Take soda, sprinkle the stain, watered before with vinegar, wait for the reaction. If the reaction is weak, you can add a little more vinegar on top of the soda.

4. When the foaming is over, you need to soak the stain with napkins to a semi-dry state, remove the remnants of soda and vinegar with plain water, dry the stain with a fan or under a press of paper towels and oppression.

Additional ways to help remove the stain from the carpet

There are several other methods that should help remove the stain:

1. Sauerkraut (without carrots and other “colored” additives). The product must be thoroughly squeezed out of the brine, rinsed under running water, squeezed again. Then you need to put a little cabbage on the stain, take a brush (as an option, a shoe brush) with a soft bristle, rub the contamination with the cabbage. As the product absorbs stain pigments, it must be additionally rinsed.

2. Raw potatoes. You need to take a large potato, wash it thoroughly, do not remove the skin. Cut off a piece of vegetable, attach the cut to the stain. Theoretically, the potato will soften the stain and begin to draw it in. When a piece of potato begins to stain, it is discarded and replaced with a new one or a fresh cut. So you need to act until the product is completely cleansed.

3. Lemon juice or citric acid solution. You can take a half or a slice of fresh lemon, put it on the stain, after 5-10 minutes, start rubbing the dirt. You can squeeze the juice and pour it on the contaminated area, then rub it with a brush. An aqueous solution of citric acid is used in the same way. The solution must be made “strong”, it must be very acidic. In this case, it is necessary to act in tight rubber gloves so as not to cause skin irritation.

How to remove specific stains on the carpet

Consider how stains are removed that sooner or later appear on the carpet if a large family lives in the house, especially a family with children and pets:

1. Coffee – it is “taken” by vinegar, ammonia or products like Vanish.

2. Red wine – stains are removed with white wine and light light beer. It is enough to apply such an impromptu solvent to the contamination, rub it with a dishwashing sponge, then remove the remaining wine with clean water.

3. Blood – you can try to remove it with cool water and hydrogen peroxide, ammonia. In no case should you try to remove the blood stain with hot water, including soap, as well as alcohol, gasoline. These substances coagulate blood proteins, fixing it in the fibers of the tissue, so the stain may brighten, change its color, but it will not disappear completely.

4. The wax stain can be removed with an industrial solvent, or with a paper towel and a hot iron. When the wax is absorbed from the carpet into the napkin, the greasy stain from it can be rubbed with medical alcohol.

5. Fruit, chocolate – such stains are removed with a thick solution of laundry soap 72%. To do this, you need to take a bar of soap, grate it or chop it with a knife, dilute with a small amount of warm water. After 5-10 minutes, a thick mixture should form, which must be applied to the contamination, previously moistened with water, rubbed with a sponge or brush, foaming. You can remove soap suds at the end of the procedure with a rag or sponge moistened with water.

6. The paint is first removed mechanically (scraped off as far as possible with a blunt knife), then softened for 3-4 hours with glycerin. After that, you can try to remove the paint with vinegar or soapy water. If this does not work, you need to use white spirit or another special paint thinner.

7. Glue, especially PVA grades, can be removed with soapy water while the stain is still fresh. Old pollution is first softened with glycerin or petroleum jelly, then treated with ammonia, which needs to be soaked in a napkin and make a compress for 2-3 hours.

8. Ink from a ballpoint pen or traces of a felt-tip pen can be removed with alcohol or glycerin. It is impossible to rub such a stain, otherwise it will only spread and stain the surrounding areas. It is necessary to soak a cotton pad or cotton swab with the solvent and apply it to the place affected by dirt, pressing lightly, blotting. Periodically, the cotton pad should be changed to a new one soaked in fresh solvent.

9. Urine (human, animal origin) is removed from the carpet using a solution of laundry soap, lemon juice, alcohol, 0,5% bleach solution, Whiteness.

On lint-free and especially plain, light-colored carpets, stains are more noticeable, but they are easier to clean than products with thick pile. However, if you have tried several methods, but none of them worked, you should not experiment further. The carpet, as a rule, is not cheap, and to spoil the product completely is a matter of a few minutes. Therefore, it is better to take it to a dry cleaner or call a house cleaning master.

Attention! This material is subjective, is not an advertisement and does not serve as a guide to the purchase. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.