How to Avoid Coffee Stains in Carpet

Coffee is a wonderful beverage favored by millions of people as a way to jump-start their day. Between the hours of 5 and 10 o'clock every morning, millions of household coffee makers are dripping away along with thousands of coffee shops opening to the morning rush of coffee drinkers. With all that coffee drinking there are bound to be some spills. An unexpected nudge or a slip of the fingers or a simple overzealous slurp can lead to that all too familiar brown spot on the carpet. Quick cleaning is the best remedy, but not always possible.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Start dabbing. The quicker you can get an absorbent cloth or paper towel on the spill, the better. Try to wick up as much as possible before applying any cleaners. Make sure you are using a white cloth so as not to leave any coloring behind. A nice pink stain from a red rag is no better than a coffee stain, and maybe worse.

2. 

   If you have access to a wet shop vac or personal carpet steamer/cleaner, use that as quickly as possible to suck up any fluid. It might even be better than the blotting method because the liquid is sucked upward and not pushed down into the fibers of the carpet.

3. 

   Now address the residue left behind. If you had cream or milk in your coffee, there is a good chance that there is some grease sitting on your carpet. A little dish soap diluted in a cup of water can be sprayed on the carpet and worked in gently to break down the grease. Blot it up and allow to air dry, or suck up with your wet vac.

4. 

   If there are still discolorations in the carpet, a little hydrogen peroxide can be sprinkled over the area and let sit for about 10 minutes. This can then be blotted up. Be careful of the carpet if it's a little older, as you might end up with a clean area that is obvious in contrast to the rest of the area.

5. 

   For an old coffee stain, try a peroxide-based carpet cleaner along with a good scrubbing. It might take a couple of tries before lifting the stain.