Golden rules and easy steps to clean all carpet stains

Carpets can get ruined by a stain. Spill juice or wine, or drip blood or ink, and if you don’t know how to get rid of carpet stains you’ll probably find yourself rearranging furniture in a desperate attempt to cover up the eyesore.

In this article, you’ll learn the golden rules of carpet cleaning and how to get rid of carpet stains, however bad they are.

The golden rules of cleaning carpet stains

It can be a challenge to remove a stain from a carpet. To make the job easier, follow these four golden rules:

1. Act fast – the longer you leave a stain, the harder it becomes to remove.
2. Blot first – using dry paper towel, gently lift as much of the liquid as possible. This helps to prevent the liquid soaking into the carpet. Remember: blot, don’t scrub.
3. Sample test first – if you’re using a cleaning solution, test it on an inconspicuous piece of carpet before using on the stain. This will ensure it won’t remove any color from the carpet when you clean the stain itself.
4. Cold water is best… usually! If you use warm or hot water on spills, it usually helps the stain penetrate more deeply.

6 serious carpet stains and how to remove them

We get asked how to remove carpet stains regularly, so we’ve put this quick guide together on the six most common, and ‘most difficult’ carpet stains. These simple methods will do the trick in most cases.

#1. Red wine or grape juice

A romantic evening in, sitting by the fire, sipping your favorite vin rouge, ruined by a toppled glass. Even though the spill probably happened in slow motion, you need to work fast:

1)    Use paper towel to blot up as much wine as possible.

2)    Mix a solution of washing detergent (1 tablespoon), vinegar (1 tablespoon), and 2 cups of cold water.

3)    Blot the stain with a clean rag dipped in a little of your cleaning solution.

4)    Take your time, and repeat for as long as necessary.

#2. Ink

Act real fast with ink. It’s designed to leave a permanent impression.

1)    In this case, instead of using a dry towel to blot the stain, moisten a clean cloth with isopropyl alcohol, and dab the stain gently – but first, remember golden rule number 3 and test it first!

2)    Next, dab with a cloth or sponge dampened with cold water.

3)    Then, dab with a dry, clean cloth.

4)    Repeat these steps until the stain has gone: alcohol, damp, dry.

See our article “The Right Way to Get Ink out of Carpet” for a few more tips on getting an ink stain out of a carpet.

#3. Coffee

Coffee is one of the worst, especially on a light carpet. Here’s how to remove a coffee stain without getting stressed:

1)    Use dry paper towel to soak up as much of the liquid as possible.

2)    Mix a solution of washing detergent, vinegar, and water, the same as instructed above to remove red wine stains, and pour into a spray bottle.

3)    Spray the coffee stain with the solution, and allow to stand for a few seconds.

4)    Blot with dry paper towel.

5)    Repeat the spray and blot sequence as often as needed.

#4. Blood

Blood coagulates quickly, and especially with heat, so only use cold water when removing blood stains:

1)    Mix a solution of a tablespoon of dish detergent, and a cup of cold water. Pour into a spray bottle.

2)    Spray the blood stain with plenty of the solution.

3)    Use a dry paper towel to blot the stain.

4)    Repeat until the blood stain is removed.

Hydrogen peroxide and corn starch also works on blood stains, in place of the dish detergent solution. The most important thing is to work fast when cleaning blood from a carpet.

#5. Fresh pet stains

If your pet has an accident, not only could it leave a badly stained carpet, you might have a lingering pet urine smell that lasts almost forever. Here’s how to clean a fresh pet stain from your carpet:

1)    Use dry paper towel to soak up as much of the urine as possible.

2)    Use a wet/dry vacuum to suck up as much of the remaining urine as possible.

3)    Mix a teaspoon of dish detergent and cup of warm water, and dampen a sponge with the solution. Dab the stain gently with the sponge.

4)    Repeat the sponging process until the stain is gone.

For older pet stains, read our article “How to get urine smell out of carpet forever”.

#6. Chocolate

Chocolate is the worst! You just want to lick it up! Instead, try this method:

1)    Use a blunt knife, and scrape as much of the chocolate off the carpet as possible.

2)    Mix a solution of half a teaspoon of laundry detergent with one cup of water.

3)    Pour a little of the solution on the stain.

4)    Blot with a dry paper towel, working from the outside of the stain inward.

5)    Repeat until the stain is removed.

For more carpet cleaning tips, or if your carpet needs a professional clean or restoration, contact Porter’s Cleaning. 

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