by Cheryl Rickey

Created on: June 05, 2009

If you cannot afford to pay a carpet cleaning service, this article will give you some tips on how to make carpet stain removal easier. The most important thing to remember when you have a stain or a spill on your carpet is to try to remove it as quickly as possible. Cleaning the stain as fast as possible will help stop your carpet from being permanently ruined. Follow these tips on how to make carpet stain removal easier and you will avoid replacing or repairing your carpet.

A red wine stain is not as horrible as it looks when spilled on carpet. Take a white paper towel and remove as much of the stain as possible using a solution made up of one part white vinegar and two parts water. If that does not remove the red wine stain from the carpet, you can make a solution of one part detergent and two parts water.

Once you have applied the stain remover, rinse the area with water. It is helpful to use a spray bottle for this. Put a good amount of white paper towels over the wet carpet and use something like a brick or other heavy object to weigh the paper towels down. This will help absorb the water in the carpet.

Candles are great but removing candle wax from carpet is not fun. Scrape dried wax off of the carpet using a metal spoon. Rub an ice cube over the remaining wax. Heat a clothes iron on the lowest setting. Take a brown paper lunch bag and place it over the wax that remains on the carpet. The bag will absorb the wax but it there is a lot of wax, you will have to use more than one bag. Any wax that remains might be removed by using rubbing alcohol and a white paper towel on the area. Rinse with water and absorb with paper towels.

Pets stains are common on carpets, especially when you have a puppy. Remove solid waste with a paper towel making sure you get all dried pieces off of the carpet. Mix a tablespoon of clear ammonia with one-half cup of water in a spray bottle. Spray this on the stained area. Use the dish washing detergent solution (mentioned in the red wine stain removal instructions) to blot up the stain. Rinse the area with a spray bottle of water and out paper towels on the spot under a heavy object so the liquid will be absorbed.

If you have a child and a carpet in your house, you've probably had to try to remove Play-Doh from the carpet before. It is not difficult as long as you do it properly. The manufacturer of Play-Doh, Hasbro, recommends that you do NOT put hot water or cleaning products on the Play-Doh that is stuck to your carpet.

Hasbro recommends that you let the Play-Doh dry completely and then use a stiff brush to loosen the dried Play-Doh. Vacuum any remaining Play-Doh and repeat if necessary. You can use cold water and mild detergent if necessary, but most of the time Play-Doh comes up without having to wet the carpet.

Ink stains seem to be one of the toughest stains to remove from a carpet. Treat this stain immediately after the ink has spilled on the carpet. Use a white paper towel to blot with a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Do not use too much alcohol or it will go through the carpet and ruin the bonding. Rinse with a spray bottle of water and repeat the steps if necessary. Blot excess liquid with white paper towels.

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