Three Common Carpet Stains and How to Remove Them

Carpet stains are inevitable. No matter how careful you are, things get knocked over, pets have accidents and kids make messes. It’s always stressful to see something spilled on your carpet, but if you act quickly most stains can be cleaned using products you probably already have around your house. Below you will find three common carpet stains and our suggestions for how to remove them.

1. Nail Polish

There are many ways nail polish can end up on your carpets in Ottawa whether it’s from the bottle of polish being knocked over or someone with freshly painted nails reaching to pick something up off the floor. You may think the bright pink manicure your carpet just received is going to be permanent but there are a few things you can try. It may seem too obvious, but nail polish remover is the first method we recommend. Make sure you use a white cloth and clear non-acetone polish remover to avoid more colour being transferred to your carpet. Dip the cloth in the remover and begin blotting the stain, making sure not to use a rubbing motion. It may take a while but should effectively remove the stain with a bit of patience.

2. Cat or Dog Urine

Whether you’re attempting to house train a new puppy or your cat is sick, even the best behaved pets have an occasional accident. Hopefully you find Fluffy’s stain immediately after the accident occurs, but removing it should still be possible as long as you begin cleaning within a few hours. The first step is to absorb as much of the urine as possible with white rags or paper towels. Next, blot with a cool, damp cloth to prevent the stain from setting. For small stains, put some white vinegar into a spray bottle and saturate the area. For larger stains, it may be more efficient to pour the vinegar directly onto the spot. Let the vinegar sit for about fifteen minutes before soaking it up with another white rag or more paper towels. Bonus: vinegar will also eliminate the unpleasant smell that comes along with pet stains!

3. Red Wine

You can blame it on the instability of wine glasses or the clumsiness that sometimes come along with drinking wine, but it seems that red wine always finds a way of spilling onto carpets, especially white ones. While this may seem like a disaster, there are ways to get the crimson colour out of your carpet relatively painlessly. The first step is always to pour a bit of salt onto the stain to prevent it from setting while you look for the ingredients you need to continue the cleaning process. The best way to remove a merlot or shiraz spot is actually with white wine which should neutralize the red. Just pour white wine over the stain and begin blotting with a towel until the stain is removed.

While every stain requires a different treatment there is some advice that applies to cleaning any type of stain. Remember to always address a stain right away to avoid letting it set, and always blot stains with a white cloth to prevent spreading the stain. It is also a good idea to test your cleaning solution on an inconspicuous area of your carpet to make sure it won’t cause any damage.

We hope you found these quick tips for removing carpet stains helpful! Please visit our website or contact us to learn more about new low maintenance carpet options with simple cleaning regimes.