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How to remove stains from carpets? Tips, tricks and ways to maintain your floor covering
We all want an aesthetic home, but the real issues come when it’s time to clean up! Here’s how you can remove stains from your carpets.
Carpets are the perfect way to make any room go from ordinary to simply aesthetically pleasing. Yet many of us find ourselves doubting the maintenance and skip this wonderful element in our spaces. Robot vacuum cleaners can be a great investment to ensure your carpets remain dust-free and you do not break your back cleaning them out, but stains are a whole other ball game.
Stains on carpets are a curveball that many of us have to deal with. I have noticed many times that soap cleaning makes the carpet shed more or lose its shine, making it a bad idea to rely on it often. With kids, pets and even adults, there is no guarantee on when the next stain will appear. So I did a deep dive to see what some top and quick ways to remove stains from carpets are.
Top tips and steps on how to remove stains from carpets
1. Blot, don’t rub or scrub
Blotting a stain immediately with a tissue or cloth is the best first step when you spill something on a carpet. Do not try to rub or scrub immediately, as it can damage the fibres.
2. Use club soda (or soda water) for fresh liquid stains
Soda water uses carbonation to remove water-based particles from fabric and carpets. This method is perfect for coffee stains, wine stains, tea blots and more. Thai works to remove the stain, but it will need to be followed up with a dry clean or carpet wash after.
3. Mix of baking soda and white-vinegar (or hydrogen peroxide) for tougher stains
If the stains are tough, like dirt, grime or mud from shoes, then this solution might be the answer to your stain woes! While this will help loosen the stain and remove the dirt, make sure you get a dry cleaner in to finish the job after this.
4. Use cornstarch or baking soda to absorb grease/oil before cleaning
Oil and grease stains can be tough. Blot and then use cornstarch or baking soda sprinkled over the grease to absorb the oiliness. The carpet can then be dry cleaned, post the powder absorbs all the grease.
5. Test cleaning solutions on a hidden patch before applying them to the stain
The market has many solutions available which claim to do a better job than your dry cleaner on carpets. Make sure you always test them out on a small edge or corner before trusting the solution to work its magic. Not all carpets can handle heavy chemicals.
Many Reddit users have threads on how to clean carpets, and one such user shares his routine.
“I wear slippers inside to keep the natural oils off the carpets. I vacuum once a week unless more is needed, but typically once is fine. We never wear shoes inside. I have the carpets professionally cleaned twice a year and all that combined seems to keep my carpets looking new.”
Another suggests, “I'd recommend you vaccuum at least twice a week. Also, make sure to keep the room airy so the carpet doesn't get damp and mouldy.”
No one method will work for everyone, but if you understand the type of stain and how to deal with it, the process of cleaning your carpets will become much simpler and less time-consuming. Make sure to always dry-clean if you can.
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The author of this article holds a Master's Degree in Interior Design and has spent over a decade in research, teaching, and designing homes from scratch.
