by Anne Christie

Created on: February 17, 2009

Carpet stains! The bane of the carpeting industry. If any carpeting company ever made one that was completely stain resistant...the world would beat a pathway to their door!

So, instead we try to figure out what to do with all those stains and black spots that threaten us by their mere presence. They are a silent witness that says, "Look at me! She's NOT the housekeeper you think she is!"

Commercial carpet cleaners that you get at the store with the machines, just don't seem to get the stains out. Oh, they're fine for general dirt, but after you've been over that spot ten or twelve times, and its STILL there...what are you going to do? Short of buying a vast array of different products that would equal a tidy nest egg on Wall Street, what are some simple things you can do?

Here are some tips that you can try for stain removal. The best results will occur the sooner you work on it. As with any commercial product, remember to try it on an area of your carpet that would remain in an inconspicuous area in case it discolors the carpeting. Here are some unusual things you probably already have around the house that we've tried and found out to work (some by accident):

Milk: This is the result of an accident on some that was spilled on my parents light blue carpet. Milk will bleach the carpet. Even though the spill was immediately mopped up to the best of our ability, it still bleached out the carpet or at least lightened the area. However, that was not totally unwelcome in our case, because it was a high traffic area and the milk actually brought it back to the original shade of the carpet, so all that was bleached out was the dirt. Therefore, I don't recommend this version of getting stains out.

Spic & Span: Is used by professional carpet cleaners instead of commercially prepared products. When we ran out of the carpet shampoo, I used the liquid version in the rented carpet shampooer and it worked much better than the product on which we had spent $15 or more. For one or two spots, you can make a paste out of the powdered product, apply, let dry, and then vacuum up. If necessary, reappy, get a scrub brush and rub vigorously to get the stain lifted.

Glass Cleaner: This too, was by accident. My mother grabbed the glass cleaner by mistake and went out to her car to get a spot out of the carpeting on the back floorboard. Instead, she found an excellent spot remover! To use to remove set in stains that have been there a long time, here's what I do: Take the bottle of glass cleaner (you can dilute it by half if you wish) and generously spray the area. Let it sit for about 10 minutes or more. Take a scrub brush and apply vigorous "elbow grease" (rub generously) back and forth. Let dry.

Borax: This is the chosen option of a friend of mine. This will work on carpeting or upholstery: Blot up spill. Sprinkle/Cover liberally with a paste of borax and water. Let dry. Vacuum. For wine or alcohol: Dissolve 1/2 cup borax in 1 pint of warm water. Sponge area with solution. Wait 30 minutes. Shampoo area. For pet odors/urine odors/sour milk odors: Dampen the spot and sprinkle (dry) borax onto it. Rub into the area. Brush or vacuum to remove when dry.

I hope the above suggestions help you in your conquest over stains. We have tried these and found to work. As with all products and suggestions, remember to use all products with caution and in a safe manner.

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