No matter how hard you try, it’s almost impossible to avoid carpet messes. If you own a home, you will have stains. Heart of Texas ChemDry spotlights common carpet stains and offers helpful tips to remove them below.
Common Household Stains
1. Food & Drink Spills. From tomato sauce, chocolate, red wine and Kool-Aid, food and drinks will end up on your floors at some point. The first thing you’ll need to do is scoop up as much of the stain as possible. Then clean the stain as best you can. Use a mixture of ¼ cup white vinegar, 1 tbsp. dish soap and water in a spray bottle. Spray the area liberally, let it soak for about 10 minutes and blot with a clean towel.
2. Artist Stains. Whether it’s you or your kids, those pretty pictures can make a mess. Ink, paint and marker stains can be hard to get out. If you don’t use the right techniques or solutions, it can make the stain worse. Work quickly, use a clean cloth with isopropyl alcohol and blot. Do not rub or scrub, otherwise you’ll make it worse. Treat the area again with more of the alcohol if needed.
3. Pet Accidents. We love our pets and if we let them have the run of the house, you will have messes left behind. If there aren’t visible stains there will be odors. These odors can last for days, weeks and months if left untreated. For solid messes, scoop up as much of the mess as you can, for wet messes, blot. Use cleaning solutions that are formulated for pet stains because they work to neutralize the odors that come with pet stains.
4. Blood Spills. Blood stains can be alarming. Not only is someone likely hurt, blood can be hard to remove. When you take the right steps, you can be successful at removing blood stains. Act fast and use cold water. Cold water is more effective with blood stains because blood coagulates with warm or hot water. Cold water prevents the blood from permeating the carpet fibers. Then you can use dish-washing detergent and water. Moisten the stain and use a paper towel blot. Rinse with cold water, if needed.
5. Outdoor Messes. Dirt, mud and debris will make their way into your home. These stains can collect and create permanent stains on your carpet and your furniture. The first step is to vacuum up any loose dirt and debris. Then use dish washing detergent and warm water. Apply the solution and blot till the stain disappears. If you don’t have the right equipment and skills to remove them it will be more difficult, if not impossible.
Chem-Dry Carpet Cleaning & More in Axtell, West, Lacy Lakeview, Bellmead, Woodway, Hewitt, Robinson, Crawford & Greater Waco, Texas
Use your best judgement when trying to conquer a stain. If your attempts have failed, use the resources of the professionals. Even if you’re lucky enough to keep your carpets free of stains, it still needs to be cleaned regularly to keep it looking great. The experts at Heart of Texas ChemDry are ready to help. Give us a call today!