How to Get Spots Out Of The Carpet

Getting spots out of the carpet requires patience, persistence and common household products.

Spots in a carpet are perhaps the greatest aggravation for homeowners with carpeted rooms. Their causes include food and drink spills, dirty shoes, pets and art supplies. There's no need to hire a professional cleaning service when you can make your own cleaning solutions from household products. There are many solutions you can make to remove carpet spots, but you should always start with the least damaging option and work up to other options. Chemicals and harsh scrubbing can damage the tufts in the carpet so that the area stands out even when the offending spot is gone.

Things You'll Need

• Clean towel
• Paper towels
• Spoon or butter knife
• Vacuum
• Spray bottle
• Liquid dish detergent
• Club soda
• White vinegar
• Baking soda
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Clear ammonia

Instructions

1. Blot the spot with a clean towel or paper towels, working from the outside to the center of the spot, to absorb as much liquid as possible. This step does not apply to dry, set-in stains.

2. Scrape away hardened particles in the carpet and then vacuum to remove it. A spoon or butter knife works well for scraping hard, dried-on spots.

3. Spray warm water on the spot to rinse and then blot to dry. This might be all that's needed if you get to the spot immediately after it occurs.

4. Spray the spot with a solution of 1 teaspoon bleach-free liquid dish detergent and 2 cups warm water. Leave the solution for about five minutes, then blot the area with a dry towel and rinse with warm water to remove the detergent.

5. Apply club soda to the spot with a clean towel. Blot the spot to absorb the stain and club soda.

6. Spray a solution of 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1 cup warm water on the spot, let it set for about five minutes and then blot to absorb the liquid and pick up the stain. Rinse the spot with warm water and blot to dry.

7. Sprinkle baking soda onto the spot, spray with warm water, rub it into the spot gently and allow it to dry completely. Vacuum the dry baking soda solution.

8. Leave a solution of 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide and 3 tablespoons warm water on the stain for 30 minutes; cover the stain to block the light, which can change the properties of peroxide. Rinse with warm water and blot to dry.

9. Spray the spot with a solution of 1/4 cup ammonia and 1 cup warm water; leave the solution on the carpet for a few minutes and then blot the area. Use ammonia only on white or very light carpets because it has a bleaching effect that could ruin colored carpet.

Tips & Warnings

• If one method appears to be working, repeat the same cleaning method a few times before moving on to a different carpet cleaning solution.

• Avoid harsh scrubbing, especially in a circular motion. Blotting is the least damaging method for carpet, but gently stroking the carpet can pull up stains. Stroke in one direction a few times, and then switch directions.

• A hot water extraction machine can pull up stains and water after most of the spot is removed. Running these machines over the whole room ensures that the whole carpet is clean, instead of leaving one clean area where the spot was removed.

References

• Wolfe Flooring: Stain Removal Home Remedies
• "This Old House"; How to Remove Every Type of Carpet Stain; Jennifer Brite
• Carpet Cleaning Tips: Cleaning Carpet Stain and Removal Tips Using Household Products