The Most Common Carpet Stains & How to Clean Them

The Most Common Carpet Stains & How to Clean Them

In the carpet cleaning business, we have come across many stains in our day. With the amount of foot traffic and other day-to-day activities that occur on your carpeting, chances are, you are bound to encounter a stain or two. To help you determine what stains you may be able to lighten or even eliminate on your own, we have compiled a list of the most common ones and the best ways to handle them! ​

Pet Stains
Whether you have a cute, cuddly cat or a particularly playful puppy, chances are these lovable pets are going to cause a couple of stains at some point in time, especially while they are young! If your little critter has an accident, don’t worry. Take fast action and scoop up the poo or blot the pee spot as well as you can. Remember to not scrub the area, which will only rub in the mess and cause a worse stain. 
Next, create a solution mixture of water and a tad bit of dishwashing detergent, and spray this on the area of the mess. Leave it sit for a few minutes and blot (don’t scrub) it out. Then complete the same steps with a mixture of water and vinegar. Finally, sprinkle baking soda in the affected area. If the first round of these steps doesn’t get rid of the stain, try repeating them or calling in the professionals (us). 

Coffee Stains
Coffee is known to make our mornings much better, until it accidentally spills all over your carpet! When this happens, it’s best to act quickly and not panic. Grab some paper towels and blot up as much as you can without scrubbing. Then spray the affected carpet with a mixture of vinegar and water. Leave this sit for a few minutes before blotting the area again, and then sprinkle baking soda in the spot of the spill and let that sit for as long as possible, overnight even. Vacuum up the baking soda afterwards. If the stain is still there, call in the experts before it’s too late!

Blood Stains
While this one may seem particularly gory, we all know what it's like to have a minor cut that you don’t realize is bleeding, or to have a child with a scraped knee come running inside for assistance. Regardless of the cause, chances are you may run into a few drops of blood on the carpeting at some point in time. When this happens, remember that blood coagulates in heat, so it's best to treat it with cold water. Spray the area liberally, and then mix a solution of cold water and dishwashing detergent and spray the area again. Blot up the excess moisture and repeat the process until the stain is gone!

Red Wine
​Just like coffee makes the mornings more bearable, red wine is a popular choice in the evenings. Also comparable is the grief one may experience when it spills. While you are busy mourning your fallen wine, however, make sure you are acting fast to reduce the impact of the stain, as this one can be particularly difficult to be rid of. Just like with the rest of the stains, start with blotting the area to soak up any excess wine. Grab a bottle of tonic water from your bar and pour some over the stain, being careful to avoid over-saturating it. Blot again and then spray with water and vinegar. Blot, blot, blot, and then sprinkle baking soda over the carpet. Leave it sit for an hour or two and then vacuum it up. 
We know that spills can cause quite a bit of panic when they happen. If you encounter one that is particularly difficult to remove, or you have gone through our suggested steps and its still not working, contact our team of carpet cleaning experts to see what we can do for you!