Six Tips on Effectively Removing Stains From Light-Colored Carpets

Do you have light colored carpeting, and are you concerned about the fact that even once it is professionally cleaned, the carpet will become a stain magnet because of the fact it is light? That is a valid concern. Even the faintest colored stains will show up on the carpet.

Forget the horror you feel if a guest that you invite spills wine, or your dog urinates, or your kid throws up on the carpet! If your child spills even a little bit of milk on the light-colored carpet- that will cause significant staining. Fortunately, there are some tips and tricks you can take advantage of easily and naturally when it comes to removing stains on your light-colored carpet (or any colored carpet for that matter). Let’s go over six of these tips.

Take Immediate Action

The first thing to do whenever a stain occurs is to take action immediately. That means take care of the spill before it has any time to settle into the carpet. The good news is that most carpet that is manufactured today is scotch-guarded and stain-resistant. And many professional cleaners will also treat your carpet towards the end so it is resistant to stains. Therefore, the spills will not settle immediately after it happens, but don’t wait either! The point is if you act on it quickly enough and have it cleaned, your carpet will be fine.

Only Clean with Using White

Another important thing to keep in mind is when you are about to clean your carpet, never use a colored rag. Always use a white rag or towel, or white paper towel to clean. The dye from the colored-towels will also mix into the stain when you are cleaning which will defeat the purpose in the end. That is the last thing you will want to see happen.

Never Scrub and Always Blot

Whenever that dreaded spill happens, you are going to be tempted to scrub it because that is how you clean your other areas of your home like your kitchen counters, bathroom floors and vanities, and so on. Cleaning those parts of your home is fine, but never scrub a stain out of your carpet. Always blot instead. If you scrub, you are actually scrubbing the stain further into your carpet fibers instead of it out! By scrubbing, you are allowing the stain to settle deep down which is what you definitely don’t want to see happen. Keep blotting the area until it is completely dry.

Scrape Up Solids

If solids with sauce or liquid fall onto your carpet, you will want to grab a rounded spoon and scrape it off very carefully before blotting the stain with a white cloth. Examples of that would be your child dropping some mac and cheese on the carpet by accident from the plate. This can happen and the only way to reduce the risks is if you make a rule that meals must only be eaten in the kitchen.

Once The Stain is Removed, Know That The Work is Not Done

You may be thrilled that the stain is removed because you had acted fast, and the area appears clean. However, you need to be aware of that there is likely some residue from the spill left. You will need to rise the area again by using another white towel and run it under lukewarm tap water and blot it dry. You can stand on the towel and use your foot and your weight to blot it if you feel that will be a sure way to remove every bit of residue from the stain. That certainly will be helpful. And keep blotting until the area is completely dry.

Have a Better Understanding Of Your Stains So You Can Clean it Effectively

All of these suggestions from above will take care of the stains if you act fast, but in order to clean your stains even more effectively, you need to understand the types and what easy homemade cleaning solutions to create in order treat the stains. That means you will want to have certain products that you need as it is accessible when you need it.

For instance, if coffee, tea or cola spills on the carpet, you will want to create a solution of 1 cup of lukewarm water as well as 1/4 of a teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent. Make sure it is not more than that because you don’t want to solution to become too soapy or else it will create a residue on the carpet that you will not want. So, therefore, take a white cloth or towel and dip it into the solution to blot the floor with after the spill. It will take care of that.

That same method will also work for pet stains, but you will want to add pet odor neutralizer or baking soda on the area as well after in order to absorb the smell because that solution alone will not. Pet stores will sell products that are specifically used to help take care of leftover odor from pet stains on your carpet or furniture.

That all being said, if a spill happens to occur on your carpet, regardless of the color but you would understandably be even more upset if the carpet was light-colored- you need to act fast. Take a light colored rag and blot the stain up, and apply weight when it is being blotted. Use the homemade cleaning solution in some cases. If you take those steps, then your carpet will be treated effectively.

However, one thing to always keep in mind is no matter how often and how well you are maintaining your carpets, you will need to have it professionally cleaned at least once a year- or at the most, every 2 years. If you have young kids or pets it ideally should be every 6 months. The goal is to treat stains fast, and effectively- and make sure your carpet is cleaned professionally so the life of your carpet is prolonged, and you are living in a clean home environment as well!

If you live anywhere in Huntington, NY you can check out this website for professional cleaners.