No matter how hard we try, accidents happen. Whether your pet gets sick and soils the carpet, your grandchildren spill juice, or you accidentally knock over a glass of wine, carpet stains are bound to happen.
The good news is, there is a way to remove even the toughest stains from your carpet and most of the time, all you need is some dish soap, white vinegar, and water.
Check out our tips and tricks for removing stains from your carpet.
How to remove oil and grease stains from carpet
Grease…it can be your best and worst friend. Great for cooking, terrible for fabrics and carpet.
Whether its mayonnaise, peanut butter, or pizza grease that doesn’t quite make it on the plate, grease stains are hard to remove.
Since fats and oils don’t respond to water and will soak into carpet fibers quickly, the key here is to act fast!
Grab a soft-bristled brush, baking soda, a butter knife, a clean cloth, liquid dish soap, and warm water.
Gently scrape up the excess oil or grease with a butter knife, but be careful not to push the stain down deeper into the carpet or make it larger.
Sprinkle the stain with baking soda and let it sit for five minutes to absorb the oil or grease.
Use the bristled brush (a spare toothbrush will do the trick) to brush the powder into the carpet.
Allow the powder to sit for another 15 minutes, then vacuum it up.
Then, mix some dish soap with warm water and use the bristled brush to brush the cleaning solution into the carpet where the stain is. Continue until the entire stain has been removed.
You can clean up the area using a wet cloth to remove any residue remaining from the solutions used.
How to remove pet urine from carpet
The best way to remove pet urine from carpet is to use a carpet stain cleaning product specifically formulated for pet stains; however, there are some more natural home remedied that could help lift the stain and ease the smell.
To neutralize the odor and stain, try using white vinegar mixed with water. A ratio of ¼ cup vinegar and a quart of warm water, added to a spray bottle to spray on the stain. Allow the vinegar spray to soak for 5-10 minutes, then proceed with blotting with a clean towel until the stain is gone and the spot is dry.
Another way to get rid of pet stains and urine from carpet is by mixing a quart of water with stain-fighting laundry detergent in a spray bottle, then following the same blotting technique to remove the stain.
How to remove coffee stains from carpet
If you accidentally spilt coffee on your carpet, you are not alone.
The first thing to do is to blot up as much of the coffee as you can.
Then, mix one tablespoon of liquid dish soap, one tablespoon of white vinegar, and two cups of warm water.
Use a clean cloth to blot the stain with the mixture. Do not oversaturate. Blot with a little bit at a time until the stain disappears.
How to remove blood stains from carpet
Accidents happen, and sometimes that includes boo-boos.
In the unfortunate event that you or a family member injures themselves and some blood gets on your carpet, you can act fast to prevent the blood from permeating deeper into the carpet fibers.
When treating blood spots on carpet, the most important tip to successfully remove the stain is to use cold water.
Blood coagulates with heat, which makes warm or hot water your worst enemy for this type of stain, even though warm water is so commonly used on other stains.
Fill a spray bottle with grease-fighting liquid dish soap (such as Dawn) and cold water, then spray on the stain.
Spray liberally so the entire carpet stain is soaked.
Use a dry cloth to blot the spot until the blood has transferred from the carpet to the cloth.
Rinse with cold water and repeat if needed.
How to remove Kool-Aid stains from carpet
Believe it or not, Kool-Aid is one of the trickiest stains to remove from carpet, especially a lighter-colored carpet.
However, the solution you would use to remove Kool-Aid stains from your carpet are the same as many of the other all-natural solutions: white vinegar, dawn dish soap, and water mixed in a spray bottle.
As with any other stain, the key to removing Kool-Aid stains from carpet is to gently blot, not rub. Rubbing, especially with Kool-Aid, can make the Kool-Aid coloring spread in your carpet and create a larger stain.
Take your combination of vinegar, dish soap and water and spray liberally on the stained area. Let it soak for 5-10 minutes, then proceed with blotting with a clean, dry towel until the stain is removed.
What is the best homemade carpet cleaning solution?
These days, homeowners are going green. There are five homemade carpet cleaning solutions to try on even the most stubborn of stains.
- Dish detergent like Dawn or Joy mixed with one cup of lukewarm water.
- White vinegar mixed with water (1/4 cup water for natural fiber carpet, two cups water for synthetic carpet).
- Some oil solvents can remove stains from carpet
- Non-acetone nail polish remover
- Clear household ammonia mixed with ½ cup of lukewarm water
As you can see in the list above, some solution combinations may differ depending on whether you have synthetic or natural fiber carpet. Make sure you apply the proper cleaning solution to suit your carpet-fiber type.
How to Remove Old Stains Out of Carpet
It happens – you rearrange your furniture or go to move out and there’s a stubborn old stain in your carpet. While old stains are certainly harder to remove than new ones, there are methods for removing them.
The trick to removing old stains from carpet is to rehydrate them and bring them back to a “new” stain state. Once you rehydrate the old stain, you can clean it the same as you would a new stain.
To rehydrate the stain, you want to dampen the area with water and dish soap.
Dish soap is the safest method for removing carpet stains, especially when you have no clue where it came from and what matter it is made of.
After you dampen the area, let it sit for a few minutes to rehydrate the stain.
Then, you can use a clean cloth and fresh water to blot the stain to get the soap out of the carpet.
If water and soap alone don’t do the trick, you can try other natural solvents like Vinegar added to the dish soap, baking soda and water, or renting a carpet cleaner for a deeper clean.
