You protect your precious carpet hoping no accidents or carpet stains will ever occur, and in a flash accident happen, you hit your toe on the side stool and BAM: drops of blood everywhere, or your pet messes up one more time on your new carpet. In a panic, you reach for a towel, but you discover moments later you have just spread the stain and maybe even rubbed it in deeper.
Removing stains from your carpet properly while preserving it, is both an art and a science.The first tool you must know is the Cleaning Wheel. Every type of cleaning leverages four factors which are: Time, Temperature, Chemical and Mechanical Action. The proper amount of time, with the right chemical at the right temperature with the correct mechanical action combines to provide the best cleaning process. You don’t understand what you just read right? Well it is usually a bit overwhelming for homeowners. So take a deep breath and read further and your stain will vanish leaving you with a clean, protected and well maintained carpet.
-
Pet Stains.
There are methods and substances that can rid the odor associated with these types of accidents, and remove the carpet stains entirely. Here are some tips for removing pet stains from carpet:
* Clean up the initial mess: If the mess is a stool, pick it up with gloves and dispose, and if it is wet- simply use the blot method to soak up the moisture without smearing or scrubbing. Take a dry piece of cloth and blot until the carpet is quite dry. Viola! Carpet stain is removed.
* Sometimes the stain may have dried up on the carpet fibers; the best way to treat this type of carpet stain is to moisten it. You can do this by applying special carpet stain cleaning product specifically targeted at pet stains.
-
Coffee Stains.
Coffee stains can leave a carpet with yellowish-brown tone if not treated properly and it will be noticeable. After blotting the dampness and coffee from the carpet you will want to follow these simple steps to remove the coffee stains permanently:
* Dry the spot as well as possible with a dry cloth by blotting. If there is a substantial amount of spillage you can make sure you are not spreading the stain by changing cloths when they become saturated with the beverage.
* Try the mixture of vinegar, water, and detergent. Spritz the mixture on your carpet first, rinse, and repeat.
* There are certain types of carpets such as Polypropylene that will respond safely to a carpet stain treatment of water and bleach. You can create a mixture of 1/4 cup of bleach to 1 ¼ cups of water in a spray bottle. Spray the stained area, soaking it thoroughly, blot, rinse with warm water, and repeat until the carpet stain disappears.
-
Blood Stains.
This dreaded occurrence is not as bad as it may seem. There are many ways to remove carpet stains caused by blood, and you can be certain that after you perform these actions- the spot will be removed. The most important thing to note with blood stain removal is that you need to treat the stain as promptly as possible- a quick response is the key to complete blood stain removal. The faster you act the more effective the carpet stain removal method will be.
Here are some methods to remove blood stains from your carpet:
* One of the major difference in treating blood spots on carpets is that cold water is used instead of warm or hot water. This is because blood coagulates with heat, and cold water will prevent the blood from permeating into the carpet fibers.
* In a spray bottle, add about 2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap to a full bottle of cold water and spray the solution on the blood stain. Liberally moisten it so that the carpet stain is entirely submerged in the cold water solution. Then use a paper towel to blot or a dry cloth so that the blood is transferred to the cloth. Rinse with cold water and repeat if necessary.
* Bear in mind, removing blood stains may take persistence and a combination of all these steps. However, after several tries your blood stain should be gone. Universal Precautions in hospitals require that for large amounts of blood, especially blood that is still in liquid form, not dried, the person cleaning up the blood MUST wear rubber gloves. Safety first people.
-
Ink Stains.
Ink stains can be especially difficult to remove, with the most common problem from being improper handling to the unwanted spreading of the ink, which makes the stain even worse. Similar to blood stains; ink stains are far easier to remove when they are addressed as quickly as the spill occurs.
Here are some effective ways to remove ink carpet stains:
Dampen a clean cloth with Isopropyl – rubbing alcohol (the higher the percentage of alcohol the better), and dab on the ink stained part.
* Be careful not to rub or scrub! This could distribute the ink to a larger region.
* You may need to treat the carpet stain with the alcohol again. Also some hairsprays and nail polish removers work as well, but they are extremely risky to use in terms of damage to your carpet and color fastness problems.
* When using any of these chemicals rinse with water and until spot is dry.
There are some instances which home remedies of carpet stain removal are just not enough to get the carpet back to its original state; this is when a reputable cleaning company should be called to professionally treat the carpet, returning it to its cleanest and healthiest condition. It is important to note that you should use chemicals that are specific for home use to ensure the safety of everyone. There are many cleaning solutions that have been specifically designed for each type of carpet stain. If any of these methods seem to fall short of your expectations, be sure to check out a local retail store that carries stain removing products and utilize the resources available to conquer any carpet stains.