Carpets tend to stain . They are on the floor, and everything that falls ends up there: coffee, juices, food scraps, dirt from shoes, ink… Dirt from our pets, or what our little ones cannot keep in their stomachs. And you have to clean it soon so it doesn’t leave a stain.
Do you know how to remove a stain without damaging the fabrics ?
Remove stain residue
Let’s imagine that one morning in a hurry we spill some coffee and toast on the carpet. The coffee is difficult to remove because it is liquid, but the toast (and the butter or jam) must be removed before starting to wash the carpet, both by machine and by hand .
Some people remove this type of residue with a scraper, a knife, or even a powerful vacuum cleaner. The important thing is not to use brushes or pressure, since the only thing we will achieve is to make the stain grow.
Blot the stain (if it’s wet)
A trick that will save time later is to bring an absorbent (and dry) napkin first. It will cause some of the fluids already in the tissue to come out. Very useful with the coffee stain, although not so much with the jam stain.
After passing this dry instrument a couple of times, we can apply a little pressure. Always using dry napkins in each pass, in order not to spread the dirt.
What kind of stain do you have?
Depending on the type of stain we find, we can use one product or another. There will be those for whom the supermarket stain remover comes in handy, and those who require a little more originality.
There are several options to remove red wine stains . After drying like the one mentioned above, hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) like the one we have for wounds, along with some neutral salts (such as salt or sodium bicarbonate) usually comes in handy . After that, an abundant rinse to remove the salts impregnated with wine. The second option is white vinegar, to be removed first with a damp sponge, and then with a rinse.
If the stain is dark ink , perhaps from a broken pen, we have several options:
- If it is small and flexible, fill a bowl with milk and leave the stain inside for a few hours. After that, clean with a stain remover and follow its instructions.
- If the mat is of the rigid type, it will be easier for us to use a damp cloth with a little (pure) alcohol to remove the ink little by little. Then use a stain remover.
- In case we don’t have any of this we can always use fine salt. Pouring a significant amount, but without weighing it down, on the carpet. And shaking the carpet at eight o’clock to remove the salt.
To clean an olive oil stain, the use of dry absorbent paper in the area usually helps. Passing it over at first, and pressing later. Once most of the liquid has been removed, the stain should come off by wiping with a damp cloth containing some pure alcohol. And finish cleaning with detergent on the stain, and lots of water.
Although rare, rust stains can occur. In this case, the ideal will be a fabric stain remover applied for 5 or 10 minutes. And, if the entire stain is not removed after several rinses with warm water, we can try lemon juice (strained, we are not going to leave lemon particles) plus salt. The lemon will help the stain separate from the carpet, and the salt will absorb the stain without loosening it.
If you spill an infusion (tea, coffee, mate…) , the ideal is to use starch once you have dried the liquid. Of course, not everyone uses starches in the kitchen. If you don’t have, use dry cloths to rub, and then detergent.
Mud or earth stains , for example, are paradoxical. The less you do, the easier it will be to clean them. In fact, it is best to cordon off the area so as not to step on it, let the hours pass until the stain dries, and shake the carpet carefully.
If we have dropped paint on the carpet, we will have to see the type. Pencil tip or pencil -type paint , we can absorb them by vacuuming carefully not to crush them. For wax paintings, it usually works to remove the excess, place a few layers of kitchen paper, and pass the iron at low temperature over the stain. As the paint softens, it will stick to the paper. If it is liquid paint, it is more complex, since sometimes they will be necessary
A gum stain is removed exactly the same way it is removed from hair: by freezing it. You can run dry ice over the stain to loosen it using tweezers.
In general, it is not a good idea to use pressurized hot water or air (dryer). The same thing happens when we wash and dry by machine : we can damage the fabric even if we remove the stain.
Of course, before experimenting it would be wise to know the type of carpet. Or ask the seller about the best option. Of course, this can take a while to make the stain permanent.
Are you sure we’ve removed the stain?
Once the stain is cleaned, we are going to make sure that we have got rid of it.
First of all, we have to let the rug dry completely. Otherwise, the damp stain will give us a false witness, and we will go back to cleaning a carpet that may already be completely clean. To speed up the drying we can use salt, although only if there is a real urgency.
If after all this procedure there is still a shadow of the stain, there are several options: either take it to the dye , or apply a fabric stain remover first . Most likely, with the stain remover we will be able to leave the carpet in perfect condition, although there are really complex stains that require industrial products that are difficult to acquire.
Carpets are the clothes of the house, and it is understandable that we want to keep them in good condition. Something that does not always happen, especially if we have children or pets at home. Here we have seen a few home tricks to get rid of stubborn stains .
Note: Childishman is not responsible for defects that may be caused by the application of these cleaning and care tips, since the products and tools mentioned are advisable, but depending on the way in which they are applied, they could deteriorate the rugs. This is because the materials in each rug are unique and their dyes and composition will react in different ways. We always recommend professional carpet restoration and cleaning.
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