Raise your hand if your living room or carpeted areas of your home are a shoe free, and/or food free zone. You remind your family and visitors incessantly to take their shoes off at the door and leave the plates in the kitchen for free that your beautiful carpets will be ruined with stains. From mud, to food, wine to crayons, the variety of potential stains is vast and wide. Our team at Let It Shine are seasoned experts in stain removal. Here are our best tips and tricks for those stubborn carpet stains.
Pet Stains
When it comes to removing pet stains from carpeting, the process is two fold. First, lets remove the initial mess. Absorb excess moisture with a clean towel until nearly dry and remove any residue from the “accident”. If the stain has already dried, use a carpet cleaning solvent to moisten it. Second, neutralize the odor and mix 1/4 cup of vinegar with a quart of warm water. Spritz over the spot and let soak for a few minutes before drying. The vinegar solution will continue to remove the stain and odor as it asborbs into the carpet fibers.
Coffee Stains
If you are a big coffee drinker, you may have had the following experience. It’s early, you make your first cup-a-joe, your eyes are bearly open, head back into your bedroom with your comforting mug and WHOOPS – your beloved coffee is now all over your carpet. With its dark color, this stain can be tougher to remove. We recommend using the same vinegar/water mixture but, to add a stain fighting punch, add ¼ to ½ cup of dish detergent. Spritz it over the dried coffee stain and let it work its magic!
Wine Stains
The dreaded wine spill. One of your house guests spills a full glass of red wine during a dinner party. What do you do? Quickly grab a towel or cloth soaked in cold water and gently dab up all the wine out of the carpet (or as much as you can). While letting the soaked stain dry, pour two cups of water, on tablespoon of white vinegar, and a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid together in a bowl. Use a clean sponge to dab this mixture onto the stained area, and repeat until the stain has lifted. (We recommend dabbing or blotting – do not rub the stain as it may spread into a larger area.)
Each stain is a new battle, but fear not, you have the power to fight this unexpected stain war. Use these tricks to eliminate your at home stains and keep Let It Shine Professional Cleaning in mind for those hard to fight stains at your office!