How to remove common carpet stains
First aid for coffee, wine, soy sauce, oil and pet accidents, what to avoid, and how to tell when it is time to stop and call someone.
What you do in the first few minutes matters most. Most stains that we can't remove were made worse by something done with good intentions.
Four rules for any stain
- Blot, do not rub. Rubbing pushes the stain deeper and frays the fibres. Press with a clean white cloth, and keep turning it to a clean area.
- Work from the outside in, so that you do not spread it.
- Use a little liquid. A soaked carpet spreads stains downward into the underlay.
- Test first. Try any product on a hidden area to check that the colour will not change.
Stain by stain
These apply to most synthetic carpets. For wool, silk or a hand-knotted rug, use only cold water, blot, and call a professional. See how to care for wool and oriental rugs.
Coffee and tea
Blot. Dab with a little cold water, then a solution of a few drops of clear dish soap in a cup of water. Rinse with clean water and blot dry. White vinegar diluted in water can help with what remains.
Red wine and juice
Blot immediately. Apply cold water, and keep blotting. Then use the dish soap solution, and rinse. Do not rely on salt or white wine. They mainly delay proper treatment.
Soy sauce and oyster sauce
Scrape up anything thick, then blot. Use the dish soap solution, then rinse. The salts can linger, so rinse well.
Curry and turmeric
Scrape, then blot and use the soap solution, but do not expect a complete result. Turmeric is a strong dye and may well need professional treatment. Avoid hot water.
Cooking oil and grease
Soak up as much as you can with kitchen paper. Sprinkle on baking soda or corn flour, leave it for 15 minutes, and vacuum. Treat what remains with a little dish soap solution.
Blood and vomit
Use cold water only, because heat sets protein stains. Blot, then use the soap solution, and rinse.
Pet urine
Blot as much as you can by pressing a thick stack of kitchen paper into the spot. Rinse with a little cold water, and blot again. An enzyme-based pet stain product, used according to its directions, can help with the odour. Avoid ammonia-based cleaners, because they smell like urine to an animal, which may encourage repeat accidents.
If it has soaked in, surface treatment will not reach it. See stain and odour removal.
Ink, nail varnish and hair dye
These are difficult. Solvents can damage carpet and its backing, so we suggest you stop here and call a professional.
What not to use
- Bleach or products with bleach, which permanently strip colour
- Hot water on protein stains or wool
- Coloured cloths, whose dye can transfer
- Lots of carpet shampoo, as residue attracts more dirt. See carpet shampooing.
- Several products in a row, since they can react with each other, and they can make professional treatment harder
When to stop
Stop when the stain stops improving, the colour begins to change, the fibres start to look fuzzy, or the spot has grown. Tell the cleaner what you used, because it changes what we can safely use next.
When stains come back
If a stain reappears a day or two later, it probably wicked up from deeper down as the carpet dried. Blot it again. If it keeps returning, it needs thorough extraction. Send us a photo and we will tell you what we think.
