Spills on carpet often occur during the lifetime of a carpet. Carpets are magnets for accidents and unfortunately, these things do happen even if you take maximum precaution. For example, it can be a spilled cup of coffee, an accident with a permanent marker, or muddy paw prints. Thank goodness, for almost any mess there is a home-made carpet cleaning solution and the best part is that they do not require special solvents purchased in stores. You can DIY your own carpet cleaner to get rid of any stain with simply a few items that you probably already have at home.
Let’s begin…
Candle stains
To get rid of a candle wax stain on carpeting:
– Gently tap the wax with a hard object.
– Once the wax is broken, rub with a brush to remove it.
Other effective detergents include white vinegar and methylated spirits.
Note: To treat this stain, it is best to allow the wax to dry.
Stains of paste or modeling clay
A stain of modeling clay on a carpet?
– Remove as much clay as possible with a cutter.
– Cover the stain with a sheet of blotting paper.
– Heat with an iron.
Ink stains from felt-tip pens and markers
To remove a pencil stain from the carpet:
– Place a square of absorbent paper over the stain.
– Remove the paper, spray hairspray.
– Put the absorbent sheet back on.
– Repeat until a satisfactory result is obtained.
Other effective detergents: 90° alcohol, white vinegar, lemon juice, white spirit.
Permanent ballpoint pen stains
To remove a ballpoint pen stain from the carpet:
– Dab the stain with cotton moistened with denatured alcohol.
– Rinse.
– Dry.
Fluorescent stains or highlighter
To get rid of a neon stain on the carpet:
– Apply an absorbent paper towel to the stain.
– Rub the stain with a cotton pad impregnated with white spirit.
– Wipe with a damp sponge.
– Rub with a dry cloth.
Other effective detergents: 90° alcohol, hairspray, white vinegar, lemon juice.
Correction pen stains
To clean a correction pen stain on a carpet, dab the stain with a cotton pad moistened with acetone.
Carbon paper stains
To remove a carbon paper stain from a carpet:
– Scrape the stain with a spoon.
– Vacuum up any residue.
– Rub with a cloth soaked in 28% ammonia.
Other effective detergents: 90° alcohol, vinegar.
What About Cleaning Miscellaneous Stains on a Carpet?
Cigarette stains/burns and nicotine
To erase a cigarette burn stain on the carpet:
– For fine burns: Apply a small amount of diluted peroxide.
Another effective detergent: hydrogen peroxide.
– For encrusted burns: An encrusted burn cannot be removed from the carpet. But the stained area can be replaced. For this purpose:
◦ Remove the stained pile with tweezers.
◦ Glue the bottom of the formed hole.
◦ Always remove a few hairs from an unexposed part of the carpet with tweezers.
◦ Place them in the hole.
◦ Allow drying.
Stains of unknown origin
To remove a stain of unknown origin on a carpet:
– Apply a product designed to remove rust from carpeting to the stain.
– Wipe with a damp cloth.
– Dab the stain with a padded cloth dampened with hydrogen peroxide.
– Sponge.
– If stains remain, rub with a cloth soaked in ammonia water.
– Wash with clean water.
When you are done removing the stain with the above solvents, let it dry for as long as it takes. Then, spray your usual mousse cleaner and complete the cleaning with a vacuum cleaner. So, that’s it, hope this post helps you out! Remember to leave your comments in the section below.
2 thoughts on “How to Remove Carpet Stains”