Four Carpet Stains You Want to Avoid

05/13/2016 Back To Blog

There are few things more frustrating than spilling some sort of vibrant fluid on a nice clean carpet, especially one that has been freshly scrubbed. Most spills, if dealt with quickly enough, are fairly easily cleaned with a bit of hot water, soap and some dabbing. But every now and again, something is likely to spill that simply cannot be removed by normal cleaning methods. When the following type of spills happen, you will need to take more drastic measures to get rid of the stains they cause, and may even need to consider using a carpet cleaning company to effectively scrub them away.

A blob of yellow mustard

Hot-dogs, hamburgers and french-fries all have one thing on common, they go outstandingly well with mustard. Unfortunately this enthusiasm is not shared by the fibers in your carpet. Even a small daub of mustard which is cleaned immediately is likely to cause a major stain. The reason for this is that vinegar, one of the major ingredients in mustard, reacts to the fibers in a carpet by dilating them, which allows the turmeric in the mustard to seep its yellow essence into the rug. When this happens, normal household detergents just won’t do the trick, and you’ll probably need to call for professional stain removal service to get it out.

Pet vomit or urine

Carpet cleaning can be a mission if you have pets, especially in the event that they have an accident. The acidic nature of pet vomit and urine makes for a stain which can test anyone’s patience.  Acidic fluids act in much the same way as described above in the case of vinegar opening the carpets molecules to let stains settle deeper in them.  There is also the issue of lingering smells. But vacuuming the affected area with a bit of baking soda in the bag can go a long way in helping with odor removal.

Oil based messes

Oil paints, acrylics, and nail polish look good when creatively applied to the appropriate surface, but on carpets, not so much. Greasy and oily foods are no good either. Oily stains entrench themselves deeply inside of your rug’s fibers and can often be seemingly impossible to remove. Even if the initial blemish comes out with a clean, there is always the chance that an oily patch will resurface at a later stage. Where possible, treating oily stains with a commercial stain remover, applying an absorbent cloth to them and leaving them there overnight could help. Otherwise it would be worth your while to enlist in the skills of a professional.

Bleaches or detergents

Heavy duty bleaches and detergents are some of your rug’s worst enemies, especially if they are applied to, or spilled on the rug while they are undiluted. Forget water damage, bleaches will instead completely discolor the carpet to a point where it is unsalvageable. Many cleaning companies have techniques and ways of recovering a bleached carpet, but you should still avoid using them on your rugs. When cleaning your carpets, remember to use the correct formulas and plenty of hot water, so as to avoid destroying them.