How to Remove Bleach Stains From Carpet

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Things You'll Need

  • Utility knife

  • Spare carpet

  • Heavy fabric

  • Screwdriver

  • Two-way carpet tape

  • Carpet glue

  • Carpet dye repair cut

  • Scissors

  • White cloth

  • Paper towels

  • Water

  • Dish soap

  • White vinegar

Image Credit: George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty Images

Bleach stains on carpets will usually appear in small white spots. Unfortunately, once bleach works its way into the surface of a carpet, the color of the carpet will almost always change. The bigger the bleach stain, the more difficult it will be to remove. Another factor is how long the bleach has seeped into the fibers of the carpet. It will be hard to restore a carpet to its original appearance, but you can make the stain barely noticeable.

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Patching

Step 1

Cut out the area of the bleach stain with a utility knife. Cut around the area in a shape with straight lines, such as a square or triangle.

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Step 2

Cut a spare piece of carpet in the same shape as the piece you just removed. Make the new piece slightly larger than the removed piece.

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Step 3

Cut a piece of heavy fabric such as burlap in the same shape as the removed piece of carpet. This piece should be an inch larger on all sides as the one you removed from the carpet.

Step 4

Push the piece of heavy fabric into the hole. Flatten it out by working a screwdriver under the carpet.

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Step 5

Place two-way carpet tape on top of the heavy fabric. You can also place glue on top of the fabric. Use a screwdriver to help the fabric attach to the bottom side of the carpet.

Step 6

Place the replacement patch on top of the tape (or glue). Press down firmly. Put a weighted object such as a book on top of the patch to help it stick.

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Dyeing

Step 1

Use a carpet dye repair kit to try to match up the color of the carpet. Carpet dye kits are available at home improvement stores, and some carpet dealers.

Step 2

Apply a sample of the dye to a tiny part of the carpet. Pick a part of the carpet that's in the corner or under furniture.

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Step 3

Dye the entire stain once you have a dye that matches up as closely as possible with the color of the carpet.

Slight Stains

Step 1

If just the top of them have become stained, cut out the tips of the carpet's fibers with sharp scissors.

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Step 2

Try blotting up the bleach stain. This works best if you try to remove the stain as soon as it happens. If you are lucky, you just might get to the stain before it changes the color of the carpet.

Step 3

Blot up as much of the stain as possible with a white cloth or paper towels. Dilute the stain with water, and blot again.

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Step 4

Prepare cleaning solutions of either 1/4 teaspoon of mild liquid dish soap with one cup of warm water, or 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with 4 cups of warm water.

Step 5

Test the solutions on a tiny part of the carpet. Blot up the stain with the solution that works best.

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