Homeowners' DIY Guide to Stain Removal from Carpeting

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Thanks to the commercial availability of carpeting that most homeowners can afford, the use of carpet flooring is commonplace in many Australian homes. But the real challenge these homeowners face is keeping the carpets clean. While professional cleaning is important to keep carpets looking nice and prolong their lifespan, homeowners need to know how they can handle accidental spills, which usually happen a while before the professional cleaner's next scheduled visit. Here is a quick action plan for cleaning out stains caused by spills from your residential carpets.

1. Act quickly: The longer you leave a spill on your carpeting, the more difficult it will be to remove the resulting stain. This is because the spill may spread to the rest of your carpeting and also adhere more tightly to the carpet fabric, resulting in more 'stubborn' stains.  Therefore, your best chances of effectively cleaning out any post-spill stain are when it is still fresh.
2. Try plain water first: Many people often overlook the cleaning potential of plain water. If the spill is in paste form, you will need to scoop it out first so you do not end up smearing the spill to the rest of your carpeting when you start cleaning. This is not needed when dealing with liquid spills. To clean with plain water, you will need to immerse a clean dry rag or sponge in a bucket of water and then press to remove excess water. Place the rag or sponge over the stain and gently blot to suck up the spill. Do this repeatedly until the spill is completely absorbed (this may take quite some time so be patient). Avoid rubbing over the stain as that will only spread the stain and damage your carpet fabrics. Replace rags or sponges that have absorbed too much of the spill.
3. Try home-made cleaners: If plain water won't work, repeat the same cleaning process but while using cleaners made from home-based products, such as white vinegar, dishwashing detergent, table salt and baking soda, this time around.
4. Resort to commercial carpet cleaners: If home-made cleaners do not achieve the desired cleaning results, then commercially sold cleaners will get the job done. This is because these cleaners are tried and tested to remove certain types of stains before being offered on the market. However, it is important that you first spot clean an inconspicuous part of your carpeting just to make sure your commercial cleaner will not discolour or weaken the fabric of your carpeting.

21 November 2016