Everyone deals with carpet stains of some type at some time. Depending on what stage of life you’re in you might have more or less stains 😉  I thought sharing a few products and removal methods that seem to work on most stains in our house might be helpful for you too.

Start with this stain removal method – regardless of what the stain is:

  • Soak up and blot as much of the spill or accident as possible. Never rub carpet as it can ruin the fibers.
  • Fold up a few layers of towels or paper towels and step on them or press your hand/weight into the stain – regardless of what you use, make sure it’s WHITE so you don’t have any dye transfer back to your carpet. Continue this until you can no longer pull any stain up. You want to make sure you are getting anything that may have soaked into the carpet pad.
  • Once you can no longer soak up the mess, it’s time to remove the stain.

If you have a set in stain, try this first:

If the stain is one that you didn’t realize was there it might be helpful to get it a little damp to loosen up the residue. I’ll carefully pour a LITTLE bit of warm water on the stain to get it to pull up a bit. This works especially well for mud or tracked in dirt or a food spill. If this is a bodily fluid I just go straight to the products.

Here are the 3 methods/products that I use for most carpet stains:

Smalls Stains

If I see a little stain on the carpet that isn’t something gross I will usually just use a drop of castile soap on a damp bar mop towel and blot it up. This will typically get the stain up quickly and with very little effort.

Pet and Kid Stains on Carpet

You know what stains I’m talking about – anything from sickness to potty training accidents to pet messes. These are the worst because they are not only gross but they can also be tough to remove. Always look for an enzyme cleaner because it will break down the stain and get rid of the odor naturally.

For small stains on carpet, I use this spray from Biokleen. I will also use it as a pre-treater if I am doing a full carpet cleaning. It’s Biokleen Bac-Out Stain & Odor Remover Foam Spray – this is a natural and safe solution that effectively removes odor by using enzymes to completely obliterate the scent. The scent is a lime/citrusy scent – light and not overpowering.

Most carpet cleaners require that you use their brand of cleaning solution to keep the warranty in tact. I don’t want to tell you anything that would void a warranty that BUT if you are looking for a great natural alternative that works amazingly well, try Biokleen’s Carpet & Rug Shampoo. Alteratively, you can also use equal parts white vinegar and hot water in a carpet cleaning machine to clean and neutralize carpet. The good thing is that it won’t leave any residue – residue on your carpet attracts dirt. The bad thing is the smell of vinegar while you’re cleaning. The smell will dissipate as it dries.

 

Here’s another great natural pet solution for “those” stains – ECOS for Pets! Stain & Odor Remover – it’s enzyme based and has a citrus scent.

If you can afford it and if you have kids and/or pets, I recommend purchasing a carpet cleaner. I cannot tell you how many times I have hauled ours out to clean messes that would have probably been a set-in stain had I not cleaned it right away. This is the Bissell carpet cleaner I have – and I am very happy with how well it has cleaned up stains in our home. I also have this one from Rug Doctor – it’s great for carpet and hard surface floors. I do have our carpeting professionally cleaned annually or when it needs it. If you have a stain that doesn’t come up and you have extra carpeting you can have a professional place a patch in your carpet by removing the stained piece and patching in a new piece. If it’s done correctly, you’ll never know!

Just need to freshen up the carpet? Try this carpet freshener – it’s natural, cheaper than cheap and doesn’t have any harmful ingredients.

So…tell me your favorite products for carpet stains? What works for you?

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