No matter how clean you keep your home, accidental spills can cause stains that destroy great pieces of décor or furniture. It can be unsightly and disappointing to get a huge stain on your carpet; especially if it’s brand new. In this post, I’ll be sharing tips on how you can remove tough carpet stains by using simple ingredients you can find at home.
1. Coffee and Tea Stains
Coffee and tea stains can sometimes be unavoidable, but they are not impossible to remove once you know the right ingredient to use. Most coffee stains leave a yellowish brown discoloration and if not taken cared for soon, the stain could be much harder to get rid of.
For various kinds of tea and coffee stains, simply use white vinegar mixed with water to blot against the stain. You can also use beer by simply pouring a small amount on the stained spot and dabbing it with moist cloth until it disappears. Remember not to scrub and spread the stain on the carpet. Dab the stains while treating them with the mixture instead of rubbing them all over the area. You can use a clean cloth, sponge, or towel.
2. Food, Pet Vomit, or Urine Stains
Spilled food, pet vomit, and urine can leave a bad odor and a nasty stain on your carpet. By scraping the debris with a spoon right after it’s spilled you can remove the stain faster. Simply dab on to the area with a clean moist cloth to remove the stain and odor.
If the stain is hard to remove with just moist cloth and water, you can apply baking soda to the affected area before vacuuming up the residue. Baking soda is a powerful ingredient for removing stains and sanitizing the carpet from germs.
Club soda also works on tough urine stains. You can simply blot the excess urine with a paper towel soaked in club soda and dab until it’s stain-free.
3. Chewing Gum
Chewing gum stains are one of the hardest to remove especially in wooly carpets. The gum will stick onto the fibers and discolor the carpet if not removed sooner. This can easily be removed by simply freezing the gum with ice cubes in a plastic bag and then using a butter knife to scrape the remaining gum stains.
4. Spilled Paint and Nail Polish
Remove spilled paint and nail polish with a homemade vinegar-detergent solution. Simply mix 1 ½ teaspoons of vinegar, detergent and water in a basin and use the mixture to sponge away the paint before it sets and hardens on the carpet. Rinse the stain with cold water. You can also use a good paint remover solution by simply pouring it into the carpet’s surface and scrubbing the paint until it’s removed.
5. Fruit Juice Stains
For colored fruit juice stains, use a drop or two of dishwashing detergents and blot it in the area until the stain is removed. Remember not to rub liquid spills as this may cause further stains that may seep into the carpet.
6. Red Wine
Your romantic date can end badly if you spill red wine on your precious carpet. However this isn’t something to get mad at your partner about, as red wine stins can be easily removed. If you have available white wine, you can use that to pour onto the red wine stain to dilute the color. Then use cold water to sponge the remaining stain. A little salt sprinkled on the stain can also do well. After about 10 minutes, you can vacuum up the mess.
7. Ink
For ink stains, use milk and cornstarch paste. Milk and cornstarch will remove the ink stain and other greasy or oily substances. Simply sprinkle the paste on the area and let it stay for several hours before cleaning the mess with a vacuum.
8. Grease and Oil Based Stains
Grease and oil stains can be hard to remove, but they can be cleaned with the use of shaving cream. Various grease stains are often from spills of cooking oil, cosmetics, furniture polish, and waxes. Shaving cream will do just fine to remove these greasy stains easily.
9. Dye Stains
You might think this kind of stain is impossible to remove, but they are actually very easy. Different kinds of dyes present in various foods can be removed with white vinegar mixed with a dishwashing detergent. You can also use a wet spotter and ammonia to treat the stain. Time is of the essence, so the soonest you remove the stain, the higher the chances you’ll save your carpet from an unsightly permanent stain.
10. Blood Stains
Scraped your finger and dropped blood on your carpet? Don’t worry. You can easily remove blood stains using hydrogen peroxide. Aside from hydrogen peroxide, you can also apply meat tenderizer and cold water to the stained area. Simply blot the area with a clean cloth until all the stain is gone. You can then follow this up with an ammonia solution.
Important Reminders
- Try using plain water first before using any kind of mixture or paste to remove carpet stains. You’ll be surprised how easily water can remove just about any kind of carpet stain.
- Don’t forget to scrape all debris before treating the carpet with solutions.
- Simply blot stains, don’t vigorously scrub and rub them.
- For better cleaning, you can also use various carpet cleaning machines. Carpet cleaning machines can be bought or rented at your nearest grocery store. There are also good ones for purchase online that can be delivered to you in a few days.
- Remove the stains as soon as possible to increase your chances of success
