Carpeting can completely change the way in which a space looks and feels. Carpeting can hide dust and dirt longer than hardwood, making it perfect for those that don’t have time to sweep constantly, and rugs typically bring a burst of color or beautiful pattern to any room.
The one downside to these flooring options is their capacity for soaking up liquids and staining. Depending on the material that was stained and the type of liquid that was spilled, the cleaning and stain removal treatments of it may vary greatly.
We have experienced stains of all sorts and sizes in our years of cleaning. So below we will give you some tips we find to be helpful in the different stain scenarios you may be facing.
Not all stains are built the same, some are harder to remove than others, and some are grosser than others. In this case, pet stains fall under the gross category.
Not only can stains from pet urine smell foul, but they can leave a scent that your pet will take as a sign to return to for future bathroom breaks.
To handle situations like these there are a couple of options. Because these stains come from bodily fluid they are protein-based. Typically the best option for tackling these types of stains is to use an enzyme cleaner.
These can be purchased in most stores in the cleaning section. Pet specific stain removal products will likely be enzyme-based as they can break down the proteins in the stain. However, if you don’t want to go out and buy anything and want to use what is on hand, we have a solution from HGTV that works wonders.
They recommend first soaking up all excess urine with paper towels if you are able to catch the stain while still wet. Their cleaning solution is a mix of, “2 cups of vinegar, 2 cups of warm water and 4 tablespoons of baking soda.” Then they recommend you saturate the area for 5-10 minutes before soaking up any excess with a towel.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Red wine stains are the most notorious stain type as they are intensely colored and difficult to remove
There are several products available specifically made for the removal of wine stains, such as Wine Away which is one of the most popular.
But let’s also take a look at a DIY solution from The Spruce that we find to be useful. First off, as with most stains, you should attempt to soak up all excess liquid (by only blotting and dabbing!) to avoid any spreading of the stain when taking further steps.
Next they recommend saturating the stain with cold water and continuing to soak up the diluted wine stain with clean paper towels. After doing this a couple of times they recommended covering the stain in a mixture of water and baking soda and letting it sit until it dries.
Then you can vacuum up the dried baking soda and proceed to use a carpet cleaner on the stain if any visual stain is left.
To round out this trifecta of tough stains, let’s discuss the dubious coffee stain.
Similar to wine stains, coffee can leave very noticeable and prominent stains that are total eyesores. And just like with any stain on this list, you can use commercial stain removal products and follow the instructions they give.
But for a good homemade solution, we are partial to the recommendation from Good Housekeeping. They have a stain removal process that can be easily accomplished with household products.
First you will soak up any excess coffee by blotting or dabbing the affected area with a clean rag or paper towel. Then they suggest using a mixture of, “1/2 tsp of liquid dish soap and 1/2 tsp of white vinegar, and 2 cups of warm water.”
With this mixture you will use a clean cloth saturated with the solution to dab at the stain, then with a dry rag dab to soak up the solution. Keep repeating this process back and forth until the stain fades. And after the solution step is done, start dabbing with cold water to flush out any leftover solution.
With any stain to a carpet or area rug, we recommend getting help from professional cleaning services. In the case of staining on a delicate rug, there are specialists for handwoven pieces that you can take them to for cleaning. But for carpeting and standard rugs we suggest hiring professional maid services to come by and work their magic.
With years of experience and training, they can get rid of all kinds of stains and clean the carpet as a whole, leaving it cleaner than before.
Have the best party experience with the professional cleaning services of Maid OK! They also do more than just your home. MaidOK offers commercial and janitorial cleaning services to make your office or restaurant look great for customers and employees. We can help you stay organized and maintain cleanliness for months and years to come.
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