Carpet stain removal need not be a difficult task.  Granted, there are times when you should hire a professional to deal with the problem. But often you can do it yourself. Half the battle is learning how to quickly remove a particular substance without causing further damage to the carpet.  Try to work on the stain as soon as possible.  The longer the problem goes untreated, the harder it may be to remove the substance.

Pet stains are among the most challenging to remove from the carpet.  For some reason, pets often prefer to use the carpet for their accidents than hard floor surfaces where clean-up is quicker and easier. Your pet store stocks a variety of products designed to treat everything from urine to hair balls to pet odor removal.

Ohhhh noooo!   Your dinner guests have left behind a red wine stain on your carpet!  What to do?  Well, you can move your potted plant over the stain.  But then, what if the stain is in the middle of your room?  Blot up as much as you can with absorbent paper towels or an old cotton terry towel before it dries.  Then sponge the spot with cool water – yes! even club soda is fine – and continue to blot up all traces of the wine. If the wine has already dried, then you are dealing with a dye stain that unfortunately may be permanently set into the carpet fibre.

In situations where your carpet is installed in a damp basement or where flooding has occurred, mold and mildew stains can develop along with the associated odor. You will want to first dry the carpet and this may well involve the underpad and the floor area itself.  If possible, take the affected carpet outdoors to clean it there so as to avoid spreading the spores.  Mix a mild detergent with water until it becomes a foam. Gently agitate it in with a sponge or soft brush.  Blot with absorbent towels.

Ink stain removal can be a test of patience.  A tiny spot of ink on the surface of your carpet may actually be hiding a larger amount below.  Be very careful not to spread the ink by working from the outside into the center.  Blot any excess ink by wrapping an absorbent towel over the tip of your index finger.  Change the towel frequently.  Then dampen a clean portion of your towel with some rubbing alcohol.  Continue to blot away until the ink is no longer visible.

Coffee and tea stain removal is best done as soon as possible.  Once the stained area has dried, it will be much more difficult to remove. The first thing you want to do is to blot the area with an absorbent cotton towel to absorb as much of the liquid as possible.  A white towel is always best so you can easily see the transfer of the color.  Keep changing to a dry portion of the towel and continue blotting until there is no more visible transfer taking place.  Next, mix 1/4 tsp. of dishwashing detergent to a cup of water.  Gently agitate it into the area.  Blot again and continue to do so until there is no further sign of the stain.  Rinse the area with plain water by misting it on using a trigger spray bottle.

Richard Watters