Treating spills as soon as possible will give you a better chance at successfully preventing or removing stains. But if staining occurs on your carpet, let’s take a look at what you can do to get rid of it.
Step 1 -Identify the stain
This can be one of the most important things you do before treating any stains in order to ensure that you choose the right stain remover. You’ll often need to analyse where the stain is, the appearance, and the smell of the stain itself. Feel the texture of the stain which may be hard, soft, oily, or waxy. This can help determine what caused it. Finally, the smell will help you identify the source and you can begin your treatment.
Step 2- Get to work with the proper tools and materials
Type 1 Stain
Fat and oil-based stains which include stains from cooking oil, lipstick, butter and paint, gum and wax
Treatment You need to act quickly to clean these carpet stains before they become permanent. A fast solution is to apply baking soda to the spot and allow it to sit for around 15 minutes for it to absorb the oil. Then vacuum the area thoroughly and treat any residue with rubbing alcohol to dissolve the remains. If the oil stain is still visible you can try a mix of two cups of warm water with a tablespoon of white vinegar and a tablespoon of Dawn dishwashing liquid. Apply the solution with a sponge and work into the oil residue. Then rinse the area with cold water and allow it to dry. Remember not to over wet the carpet as it may destroy the carpet backing.
For wax or gum: Compressed air such as used to clean computer keyboards can be used to freeze the substance enough to scrape it away from the carpet fibers.
If you do not have luck, you’ll need a stronger solvent which most professional carpet cleaners have.
Type 2 Stain
Protein-based stains which include stains from blood, meat and meat juices, dairy products, bio stains such as pet urine and vomit
Treatment The trick here is to only use cold water to try and treat the stain as heat will only make the stain darker. If this doesn’t solve the problem dilute household ammonia with cold water and apply. If this does not do the trick, a call to McCartin’s will be the next step.
Professional carpet cleaners typically use a commercial stain remover that contains enzymes.
An important note about vomit and pet urine. Both of these bio stains will also cause lightening of the original carpet color. If this happens dye repair would be necessary to get the color back again. See our dye repair in action.
Type 3 Stain
Synthetic stains which include stains from soda, artificially colored juices like Kool aid, and candy
Treatment Try to clean the stain whilst it’s still fresh by using a clean towel to blot up the excess, working gently from the outside in. If the stain is stubborn add a mild solution of laundry liquid and blot again followed by a clean water rinse to remove excess soap. Allow the area to thoroughly dry. Water-soluble stains are usually the easiest to remove from your carpets. If you are dealing with a more stubborn stain a professional will use oxidation to remove the dyes.
Remember that over-the-counter solutions can help with a range of stains but bear in mind that not all carpet materials are tolerant of the same cleaning agents.
Contact a carpet cleaning specialist
When you want to remove old stains from your carpet or simply clean carpet stains that have been recently acquired just call in the experts. You’ll be provided excellent service with eco-friendly products that will be carried out by trained and experienced carpet cleaning technicians. Pre-treatment of identified stains will ensure that the most appropriate stain removal solutions will be chosen. Then deep cleaning carpet cleaning methods will be used to complete the process. Your carpets will dry quickly and look new! Getting your carpets professionally cleaned just twice a year will keep them refreshed and restored – all you need to do is schedule a cleaning then sit back and relax while all the hard work is done for you.