Tips for Spills and Stains

[separator top=”-55″ bottom=”10″ style=””]It is all well and good to have the best intention to look after and protect our carpets from damage. All kinds of rules are put in place to avoid stains, spills and other mishaps. The more common ‘carpet rules’ are no shoes on the carpet, no food or drink and no pets.

As with all rules though, these are sometimes broken or other accidents just happen. When this does, it’s a good idea to have our number at Best 1 Carpet Cleaning to give us a call and arrange for a professional clean and spot service.

There are some things you can do immediately to try and remove the spill or stain as best as possible until we get there. If you are unsure what to do in this situation then let us help you with this information.

The basics

Spills and accidents need to be attended to as quickly as possible. For wet spills this is important to prevent as much liquid as possible from making its way to the underlay beneath the carpet. For wet and dry spills it’s important as this will prevent the possibility of a more intense stain.

If you have spilt a dry substance on your carpet then vacuum first. If the spill is wet, soak up liquid with towels or other absorbent material. Don’t scrub the carpet but instead, using ‘dabbing’ or blotting actions. You should never use a bleach based product as this will obviously stain the carpet; don’t even be tempted to try it.

Do not overuse cleaning products because again, liquids will damage underlay beneath the carpet.

What is in your home that you can use?

There will be a number of common household items that you can use to remove stains. These will be:

– Dishwashing liquid

– Wool laundry wash

– Methylated spirits

– Mineral turps

– White wine vinegar

– Cloudy ammonia.

What cleaners go with which stains?

Some of the common spills and accidents on carpets are as follows:

Blood – This can be cleaned by a mild dishwashing solution with cold water. Always use cold water on blood as hot water can set it. This can then be rinsed with cloudy ammonia and then vinegar.

Coffee and tea – these can be difficult stains on carpets. We recommend applying a dish detergent solution, dab it, then a vinegar solution and dab it.

Cordial and soft drink – these usually contain dyes and are very difficult to deal with. Here, we strongly suggest you give us a call ASAP to discuss the spill.

There are so many more spills that can happen and if you are unsure give us a call at Best 1 Carpet Cleaning. If you have carpets and are potty training a little one you may find the following information useful – Potty training in home with carpet.