by Michy Lynn

Created on: February 06, 2009   Last Updated: February 19, 2009

The best way to deal with a carpet stain is to prevent them! When that's not possible, the second best thing is to clean the stain immediately. Even the toughest of stains can be virtually eliminated if they are cleaned up on the spot, within seconds of the spill occurring. Unfortunately, that's not always possible. When you can't get to a stain or spill on the carpet while it's fresh, your next step to remove a carpet stain will depend on the type of stain.

Remove Oil- Based Carpet Stains

Oil-based stains are the absolute worst stains you can get on your carpet and regular carpet cleaners and detergents won't remove the oil and they could even do damage to the carpet. If the carpet is a dark colors and is color-fast, you can use an all-natural de-greaser product on oil stains, and then wash away with warm water and blot dry.

If this doesn't work, you can purchase an over-the-counter dry cleaning kit and use the dry cleaning solvent in the kit to work on the stain starting from the outer edges of the stains and working your way in toward the center.

Never rub an oil-based stain, as this will only spread the stain and further adhere the stain to the padding of the carpet, so that it will appear clean, but eventually will seep back up and re-stain the carpet later.

Some oil-based stains on carpet include: motor oil, cooking oil, some perfumes, melted crayons and wax (candles), and certain food stains.

Remove Liquid Stains

Liquid stains are the easiest to clean up from carpet, provided the liquid is light or brown in color. Red stains, suck as wine and Kool-aid or punch will be covered in the next section.

For most liquid stains, you can get a large towel, fold it in quarters, and then place it on the biggest part of the stain. Stand on the towel and stomp in place on top of it. Then, fold the towel over and repeat. Continue doing this either until the towel is soaked (replace the towel if necessary and wash immediately), until the floor is mostly dry/damp. If there is any discoloration, use a sponge and warm water with no solvents or detergents. Soaps will cling to the carpet fibers and will cause the area where the stain is too dirty, easier.

Red Liquid Stain

First, follow the instructions above for all liquid stains. If you have the ability to use an industrial carpet cleaner within a few hours of the stain, the red Kool-aid or punch stain should come right up with a couple of passes. If, however, you're not able to get to the stain immediately, removing a red liquid

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