The last thing you want on the carpets in your home is permanent stains, and it can cost you a fortune to replace a carpet, which is the only option to get rid of a stubborn stain for most people. With our handy guide, however, you will be armed with the knowledge of stain removal techniques and tips. We must stress that the following are not guaranteed to work, but are more a collection of acquired knowledge for ways to deal with those tough stains.
Things which are never meant to meet face-to-face with your carpet always manage to find a way, but the important thing to do is stay cool and react swiftly. If you panic you’ll make things worse.
First, you should gently dab up as much of the offending substance as you can; if you press down hard or try to scrub it up you’ll only drive it further into your pile. Then soak a clean cloth in warm water and blot the stain more until you stop picking up any of the stain.
At this point you need a solution to put on the carpet. Whether you use a store-bought solution or powder is your choice, but a widely-used alternative is to add one teaspoon of detergent to half a pint of warm water. Apply this solution to the carpet, but be sure that it isn’t too strong as it will be much harder to pull up from the carpet if it is. Leave the detergent on the carpet for five minutes then attempt to dry the stain as quickly as possible.
Weigh down a towel or paper towels on top of the stain and let them soak up remaining moisture and dirt, or alternatively dry the spot with a hair dryer on a warm setting. Once you think the moisture has been soaked up you can dry it out further and put the ‘oomph’ back into the fibres by vacuuming the spot. Be wary, however, as this might not remove the stain first time – if you can see it after the first time you may need to repeat the process over again.
This simple procedure does not solve all stains, and there are a range of messy products that will take a much savvier approach. These include oil, gum and glue. Consult an expert for more advice on these tough stains, as your carpet may need specific care specific to that brand or material.
One final word of warning is that bleach is never the answer. Though it is useful in many situations, your carpets will not take kindly to bleach. Even if you water down a bleach solution you risk turning a minor stain into a catastrophe.
For a professional cleaning service contact Alban Cleaning on 01727 789 626 or our online contact form – we provide commercial cleaning services and have a range of powerful carpet machines and solutions to get rid of marks and stains. If you’re interested in regular commercial carpet cleaning, then you need the experts.
Image courtesy of Stephani Spitzer
