Anyone who has ever invested in new carpeting can understand the pain of watching it become stained, either through spills or normal wear and tear. Carpet is not cheap, and it's not the easiest surface to clean. Fortunately, there are a lot of tricks and products out there to help remove stains and keep your carpet looking fresh as long as possible.
It goes without saying that the easiest way to keep a carpet from becoming stained is to avoid staining it in the first place! Obviously, this isn't always possible, especially in a home where children, pets, and husbands reside! There are, however, lots of little steps you can take to greatly reduce the general staining that occurs from walking on a high traffic area of the carpet (such as the first few steps going upstairs.) Keeping washable mats and throw rugs in front of all the entrances to your home can help eliminate a lot of dirt and debris that might otherwise be tracked further inside. Keeping your pets in a room without carpet when their paws are wet and muddy and removing your own shoes before entering the carpeted area can also work wonders at extending the carpet's longevity.
But, stains happen. Coffee is spilled when you trip on the stairs, a dog with a cut paw runs down the hall, painting it with blood, or a feisty toddler hurls grape juice across the kitchen and into the living room. So let's take a look at the different ways to remove some of the more common culprits of household carpets.
Food stains are quite common, especially if you have carpet in the area where you eat. Many food stains can be removed with just a bit of soap and water and some gentle scrubbing. For more serious offenders, such as ketchup or mustard, you are most likely going to need a heavy duty commercial product, such as Resolve carpet cleaner. It is important with stains that are liquid in nature to soak up the substance as much as possible before cleaning the area. Get a clean rag and use it to blot up the excess, and then treat the area with the carpet cleaner as directed on the bottle. Occasionally, you may need to repeat several times before the ghost of grape jelly is gone.
Along the lines of food, dark colored liquids-particularly coffee, wine or grape juice-can wreak havoc on a light colored carpet. Commercial cleaning products are often needed, but before treating, an application of club soda to the affected area can ease the removal of the stain. It goes without saying, but the sooner you attempt to eradicate the stain, the better chance you will have of being completely successful.
Mud and dirt are a few more familiar perpetrators. Unless you are completely devoted to removing your shoes EVERY time you enter your home (and so is everyone else) you are eventually going to end up with a mud stain. With mud, it's best to let it dry before attempting to clean it up. Once the mud has hardened, carefully remove any clumps or chunks that you can, first by hand, and then gently with a scrub brush. Vacuum the remainder, and then treat with carpet cleaner. There are quite a few household products that can be used in place of commercial cleaners (and are often less irritating) such as ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar. Even baking soda made into a paste can be used in some cases. Just be sure to test an inconspicuous area first to make sure it will not affect the coloring of the carpet. And never, ever use bleach directly on a carpet! It will remove the stain, yes, but will leave you with a nice white or orange spot on your carpet, or possibly even disintegrate the fibers!
One final carpet stain that can be a pain to remove is pet stains. In this case, you need to remove not just the visual stain, but the olfactory one as well...and this is often something that you yourself will not be able to smell. Your pet will though, and failing to remove or neutralize the odor will increase the likelihood of your pet using the same area as a bathroom in the future. With urinary accidents, get a towel and step on the area repeatedly until you've soaked up as much of the liquid as you can. Then, apply a carpet cleaner specifically for pet removal. You can buy these in the grocery store, but your veterinarian or local pet store is more likely to have a strong product especially for neutralizing the odors that will attract a pet to become a repeat offender.
Now what about the general wear on a carpet? Renting a steam cleaner (or hiring someone else to do it) is a pricey but effective way to revive life into a dingy carpet. The heat and moisture from the steam cleaner not only makes your carpet look fresh, but it helps sanitize it as well. For carpet that covers large areas of the house, maintaining it's quality by steam cleaning once a year or so is a smart investment.
Even with the popularity of wood, laminate, and tile floors, many people still prefer the warm, comfortable, and homey look of carpet. Use these tips to prevent stains from taking up permanent residence and you, too, can keep your carpet looking fresh for a long time!