Carpet Cleaning: 2-Step Treatment for Spills and Spots

Carpet cleaning is important to treat spills and spots if you know how to do it. First is to absorb the spill. Second is to treat the spill.

With these days’ stain-resistant carpeting, giving carpets the right treatment has been so difficult.  The secret is to quickly act on the problem.  If you wait longer, the spill is more likely to create a lasting and permanent stain.  The truth is, no carpet gives you a stain-proof quality.  Therefore, to get rid of the spill, give your carpet a single-double punch.  And how to do it?

Two-Step Treatment

First Step – absorb the fluid

1. Quickly blot the spill using a clean, dry towel or highly-absorbing cloth. Better to use white with no colors and prints. The danger of using colored or printed cloth may cause transferring of the ink. It may dye your spilled carpet and the problem becomes worse.
2. Begin from the outside going towards the middle part. This technique keeps the spill from becoming bigger and spreading out. Do again the first step until you see that the portion is no longer wet.  Hard particles like foods should be scooped using a clean spoon.  Dried solid pieces need vacuuming.  A little caution: avoid brushing or scrubbing the spill.  Doing so will only damage your expensive carpet.  Change in texture and fraying can be the bad results to happen next.

Second step – give action to the stain

1. Use a carpet cleaning solution or product that is proven effective. Use a solution that is clinically proven. You need to pre-test the cleanser of a scrap of your carpet.  Or, you can experiment it first from the covered piece of that carpet.
2. Carefully follow the instruction in the product’s label. Apply only a little quantity of it to your cloth then start slowly. Begin from edges going within the middle.  Use blotting not scrubbing.  Discourage the use of brush.  You can do it over and over again until the entire spill is gone.

While cleaning the spill and the stain, avoid being over-zealous.  Based on specific instruction, mix the cleansing solution accordingly. Putting more is not good enough. Avoid too much amount of water. Dry your floor covering — as dry as it should be.

Try these home-based remedies if you have no carpet cleaner in sight:

1. Use only clean, plain water.  Amazingly, water works much better compared to any cleaners that are not yet tried.
2. Try the detergent solution.  Make a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid that is clear (non-lanolin, non-bleach) with a cup of hot water. Laundry detergent should not be used because it might contain bleach.  It may also be ruthless to the floor covering.
3. Use the white vinegar mixture.  Make a solution for 1 cup of white vinegar (not the cider or red wine) with a cup of clean water.  Vinegar is proven to be efficient on tannis (veggie colors that come from coffee and tea), and this doesn’t have residues.  But be cautious enough since acids may be the grounds for some dye staining.

Always bear in mind that in carpet cleaning, two important things should be considered: absorbing the spill and treating the spill. For the next spill you will encounter, don’t forget to apply these great tips.