Dos and Don'ts for Tackling Tough Carpet Stains

When more than 90 percent of carpets are nylon or wool, removing stains can be a challenge. And when the stain isn't your everyday food or drink item, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

Facing tough carpet stains gets a little easier when you keep the following tips in mind.

Essential Tough Carpet Stain Dos

• Do work from the outside of a stain toward the middle. Don't help spread the stain by starting centrally.
• Do be tough on tough stains. Use towels, rags, brushes, your fingers, even your toes to work cleaning chemicals into tough stains.
• Do let your carpet breathe. Leaving treatments or chemicals on a tough carpet stain for a period of 15-30 minutes can increase their effectiveness.

A Few Tough Carpet Stain Don'ts

• Don't wipe carpet stains. If you're at the scene of the crime right when it happens, blot the stain with a paper towel. If you find it later, pour cold water over the stain to loosen it up.
• Don't forget household remedies. Using small amounts of household chemicals or cleaners like ammonia, dishwasher detergent, hydrogen peroxide, bleach, or vinegar with water can help you tackle tough stains.
• Don't use ammonia with coffee or tea stains. Using cleaning solutions that contain ammonia will only make coffee or tea stains worse.

A Pro Stain Remover Checklist
When should you fight tough stains on your own, and when should you call a pro? Home carpet care products can be very effective with basic stains, but sometimes even the best and most aggressive cleaners among us need some help.

If you encounter tough carpet stains like the following, it can be best to leave them to the professionals:

• Ink
• Oil
• Paint (Some paints are water based, but the oil-based paints are harder to fight).
• Dangerous chemicals

When elbow grease and home remedies don't work, calling a pro can also a great way to learn new tips from the pros. Chat them up when they're in your home. Knowledge is free, and you should be better prepared for your next tough carpet stain battle!

Sources
3M
Carpet Cleaning Care

About the Author
Joe Cooper writes home services and design articles and manages corporate communications. He holds a bachelor's in American literature from UCLA.