With everything from coffee to chocolates, …
it can seem the universe has conspired to besmirch your lovely carpet.
But never fear, in the following section we will show you how to meet each challenge with precision and aplomb.
Acid stains
Anything with acid content like vinegar, drain cleaner needs to be addressed right away. Apply baking soda or club soda to neutralize the acids and blot with a paper towel or cloth rags. Apply a solution of 1 part ammonia and 10 parts water to the affected area and blot again. Rinse with cold water, blot and dry. Vacuum.
Alcoholic Beverages
Dilute the spill with clean water and absorb as much of the liquid as you can. Use a mixture of 1 tsp. of vinegar, 1 tsp. of mild detergent and a quart of warm water apply this to the affected area and absorb as much as you can. Let it dry and vacuum.
Blood
Soak up as much of the blood as you can, then use this mixture on the spot: 1 qt. of warm water, 1 tsp. of white vinegar and 1 tsp. of detergent. Apply abundantly to the spot and soak up the excess. Repeat until all the blood is gone and allow to dry.
Butter
Collect as much of the butter as you can from the carpet fibres. Apply a dry-cleaning carpet cleaner to the affected area and allow the spot to dry. If the spot is still there, repeat the procedure.
Candle wax
Melted wax from a candle can be frozen and easily removed just use a block of ice to cool the wax till it is solid and pull it from the fibres. Use a toothbrush to fluff the fibres and vacuum.
Chewing gum
Chewing gum is another sticky mess that must be frozen and pulled off. Apply the ice as needed and then begin gently crushing the chunks with needle nose pliers and scraping the frozen bits together, vacuum gently.
Chocolate
Begin to carefully pick up all the pieces you can with a credit card. Apply a solution of vinegar, detergent and water to the affected area and begin pulling chocolate from the fibers. Rinse, dry and vacuum.
Coffee
Absorb as much of the coffee as you can with dry towels, then use this mixture. Combine 1teaspoon of white vinegar, a quart of water and a teaspoon of mild detergent. Apply this to the spot and absorb again till the coffee is gone. Allow the carpet to dry and vacuum.
Crayon
Scrape away as much of the crayon as you can and then prepare a blotter to remove the rest. A blotter will be laid over the mark and heated with and iron till the crayon melts and attaches to the blotter. Keep moving the blotter so it doesn’t get saturated. Use a dry-cleaning fluid for the rest and vacuum gently.
Fruit
Don’t allow the fruit too much time to set as it will become very difficult to clean. Scrape up the bits of fruit and absorb the juice. Use the same mild detergent/ white vinegar/ water solution mentioned before to loosen up any last vestiges and absorb that too. Apply the solution to the spot again and allow it to dry, vacuum clean.
Mud
Allow the mud to dry completely before brushing it gently and vacuuming the area. If there are still vestiges mix a teaspoon of white vinegar with a teaspoon of mild detergent and a full quart of water. Use this to clean the spots that are left then use a towel to absorb the moisture from the spot. Repeat as needed.
Soft Drinks
The bubbly action of a soft drink will keep it from settling in too fast, but there are also dyes and inks to beware of so act fast anyway. Use a mixture of white vinegar (1tsp.), mild detergent (1tsp.) and water (1qt.) to begin cleaning the area. Apply this solution to the spot and allow it to dry before vacuuming. Repeat as necessary until the area is clean.
Urine
Combine the following ingredients: 1tsp mild detergent, 1 tsp of vinegar and a quart of clean water. Apply to the spot and allow it to dry, after the area is dry clean it gently with a vacuum cleaner. If the spot is still there, repeat the cleaning process.
Vomit –– You will want to work quickly to prevent acids and odours from working their way into the carpet. Remove any solid chunks and absorb all fluids with a towel. Use a solution of 10 parts clean water to 1 part ammonia to moisten the area. Absorb this first solution and rinse the area with cold water. Allow to dry and then vacuum as necessary.
Red Wine
The first thing to do when red wine is spilled on your carpet is to dilute the stain with white wine. Then absorb what you can and clean with cold water and salt. In about ten minutes you can use a vacuum to collect the salt.