The Stains In Your Carpet

No matter how careful we are with our carpets, stains are going to happen! Well when an accident happens to create a stain on your carpet, Le-Squeegee has a few tips to help get rid of it!

Blot first – Take a clean and slightly damp rag and blot the stain as quickly as possible. Start from the outside and work your way in to prevent the stain from spreading. The faster you can blot a stain, the better the results will be in removing it. Do not scrub the carpet with a rag as it can damage the carpet and make the stain worse.

Try a stain remover or homemade product – Try a commercial product (follow their instructions) or make your own. A common combination is warm water with dish soap and vinegar. However, many different homemade cleaners exist for different types of stains. A quick Google search can come up with a great do-it-yourself cleaner. Regardless of what product or homemade solution you are using, do not oversaturate the carpet as it can cause delamination.

Freeze gum or wax – Take a plastic bag and add a few ice cubes to rub on the gum or wax to freeze it. Then break it up with a solid object or scrape it off the carpet. Blot the impacted area with a cleaning solution, like 409 or vinegar, and then a clean rag until the area is dry.

Cover stains to stop wicking – Did you spot clean a stain for it to just reappear the next day? This problem, known as wicking, results from a stain that has settled into the carpet pad. After spot cleaning, place a fresh rag or cloth and something heavy on top of it for 24 hours. This will help absorb the material that is wicking back to the top layer of carpet.

Invest in carpet protector – After your next cleaning, ask for carpet protector. This helps tremendously with spot stains and makes cleaning much easier.

No shoes – Some of the toughest stains to remove are brought in on shoes. Shoes leave grease and dirt in the carpet, which can be difficult to remove. So prevent the problem in the first place by taking off your shoes.

Test in an inconspicuous area – When using a cleaning solution that you have made or a product purchased from the store, it is best practice to test in an inconspicuous area first. While it is not likely that these products will damage your carpet, it is always good to test before using a large amount.