Your short lesson on how to remove carpet stains: act fast.
Carpets today (most) come with stain-resistant treatments, so
spills can be removed if you get to them quickly. The longer you
wait, the more difficult removing carpet stains becomes. And no,
there are no stain-proof carpets - yet.
Spot Cleaning Carpets
Professional carpet cleaners will tell you that "spots" are
removable, and stains are permanent. In any case, the appearance
of carpet stains can be improved even when the stain cannot be
fully removed. Follow these guidelines:
Blot up liquids, don't rub them in! Just use a clean white
cotton cloth or plain white paper towels. When you have removed
the liquid, rinse the spot with water and blot again until dry.
Repeat this if necessary to remove more of the stain, but don't
scrub, or you might damage the carpet and set the stain in more
permanently.
With semi-solids, such as peanut butter, pudding and such,
scrape and lift gently with a spoon. Rinse out the remaining
spill and blot dry.
Dried solids can be broken up and vacuumed. Repeat this until
it's all gone, then rinse with water and blot dry.
Stain Removal Guidelines
When you're not sure how to get out specific carpet stains, try
water first, before you try carpet stain removers.
When you use a cleaning solvent, apply it to a cloth, then work
it in from the outside of the stain to the center, so you don't
spread the spot. The procedure is this: apply the cleaner,
extract (blot), rinse, extract, and repeat until you can't get
out more of the stain. Always extract solvents completely, then
dry the carpet quickly when you are done. If any of the stain
remains, deeper down in the carpet, quick drying prevents it
from wicking up to the surface.
Carpet Stain Removal Secret
One of the best tools for removing carpet stains is a shop-vac.
A wet/dry vacuum cleaner can quickly suck up spills, and more
importantly, you can repeatedly flush the area with water and
suck it out. This is more efficient than blotting with a cloth,
AND less likely to cause damage to the carpet.
About the author:
Steve Gillman has worked in the carpet cleaning industry for
years. For more carpet-care information, and specific
stain-by-stain removal instructions, visit http://www.HowToRem
oveCarpetStains.com
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