Have you moved your couch and found old stains on your carpet? Or have you found a tough stain on your carpet that is not erasing? Whether it’s coffee, blood, wine, urine, or pet stains, you can create the right type of homemade solution or follow some easy steps to eliminate all kinds of carpet stains. Let’s begin!
Types of Stains: Water-soluble, Tough Water Soluble and Non-water Soluble
There are mainly two types of stains: water-soluble and tough water-soluble or non-water soluble stains. Water-soluble stains are generally easier to clean and remove. On the other hand, non-soluble stains require some special treatment.
The type of stain determines its treatment. Let’s learn about a few common stain types:
Types of Water-Soluble Stains:
- Alcoholic beverages
- Berries
- Colas
- Excrement
- Food dyes
- Gravy
- Ice cream
- Jelly
- Milk
- Mud
- Washable ink
- Wet or latex paint
Types of Non-Water Soluble Stains:
- Blood
- Chocolate
- Coffee
- Mustard
- Tea
- Vomit
- Wine
Homemade Solvents to Clean Old Carpet Stains:
- Dishwashing detergent
- Ammonia
- Water
- White vinegar
- Spray bottle
- Shop-vac, steam vac or cloth
The Trick to Removing Old Carpet Stains
- Firstly blot the stained area
- Dry it, working from the outside in
- Rinse thoroughly with hot and clean water
- Repeated the above process again
- Avoid scrubbing the carpet. Why? Because when you scrub the carpet, it ruins the carpet fibers and lets the stain or spill soak through the carpet pad, making it a permanent problem.
How to Remove Old Stains From Your Carpet in the Right Way
There are some universal dos and don’ts for every new and old stain. You should follow these rules accordingly.
Anyone trying to handle the situation without proper knowledge can worsen the problem instead of solving it. To illustrate: anyone not reading this blog would scrub the carpet stain. Can scrubbing solve your problem?
No! It makes it worse. Never Scrub your carpet stain, either new or old. This makes the stain travel even deeper from the carpet surface into the carpet fibers and stains the pad. Instead, we recommend using a cloth to blot stain the area.
Secondly, always use a white cloth or towel for cleaning your carpet because colorful clothes or towels might transfer dye from the towel to the carpet while cleaning and make the old carpet stain worse.
Most importantly, before applying the treatment on your carpet, apply it to the blind spot (an unseen part of the carpet no one would see). Then, test it before applying to the main area to see if it bleaches or reacts poorly with the carpet, as no one will see that spot. This allows you to see if the chosen solution is ok for your carpet or do you need to try a different product.
1. Start With Water and Dish Soap
If you’re unsure about the stain type or the source, water and dish soap are the best ways to begin. To prepare the solution:
- Add a few drops of dish soap to room temperature water.
- Use a clean white cloth or towel to work it with the stain.
- Please don’t make it too wet as it can go inside and mix with the carpet pad.
Do not use detergents that have bleach in them. Instead, rinse the stained area with warm water until the stain vanishes. This works exceptionally well with old pet stains and mud.
Alternative Method: Cleaning With Ammonia
If the dish soap and water process does not help, try ammonia.
Take a spray bottle. Add two spoons of ammonia with normal temperature water equal to one cup. Apply this solution over the stain. Now extract the solution. Repeat this process until the old carpet stain is removed.
2. Apply Water, Vinegar and Dish Soap
For tougher water, soluble stains like juice or food dye, make a solution of 1 tablespoon vinegar + 1 tablespoon dish soap + 2 cups of water. Now clean the stained area with a white towel and let the solution sit for 3-4 minutes.
Next, blot it with clean water.
3. Try Baking Soda and Vinegar
This method works great for oil or grease. However, we recommend using it on a blindspot before applying it to the main area since it might be risky for a few carpet types.
For this method you’d need:
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Dawn dish soap
- A Spray bottle
- vacuum cleaner
This is an effective method for removing old stains from your carpet, but the hardest part of this method is to wait!
Firstly, vacuum the stained area. Next, sprinkle baking soda over the stained area. Next, make a 1:1 mixture of white vinegar and water in the spray bottle. Finally, add a drop of dawn dishwashing soap to make the solution more effective.
Now spray the mixture directly over the baking soda you previously sprinkled over the stain. Now you can watch it foam; let us know if it is satisfying in the comment!
Now comes the hard part: let the mixture sit until it dries and hardens. This might take a few hours. Then, vacuum it with a vacuum once it is dried. That would get all your stains away.
4. For Light Carpets, Use Hydrogen Peroxide Solution
We recommend using hydrogen peroxide for light carpets filled with old stains. For this treatment, you would require:
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Bristle brush
- White cloth or white towel
Before applying it over the main spot, check it on any blindspot or corner of the carpet to see if it spoils it. If you see that it is ok, get down to work:
Vacuum the area beforehand to eliminate any solid particles over the carpet. Afterward, spray the solution of hydrogen peroxide over the old stain. Allow it to be thoroughly soaked for 10-15 minutes. Now use a stiff bristle brush to work on the stain and help it loosen.
Now use a steam vac to suck up the peroxide mixture from the carpet. If you cannot do so, use towels or clothes to absorb the peroxide. This would get rid of the old stain.
5. Remove Old Stains With Borax
If you have borax in your home, you can use it to clean your carpet. For this you need:
- Ice water
- Borax
- Cloth
- vacuum
Remove any solid particle from over the stain. Now wet the stain with ice water and add borax to the stain. Allow it to dry completely, and then vacuum the borax once it is dried. Repeat the process as needed.
6. White Wine for Red Wine Stains
Have you created a mess by spilling your red wine? Don’t worry we have a solution to that. First, grab:
- White wine
- Steam vac
- Cloth
Photo: Wine-stain-on-carpet
Did you know earlier that you can get rid of red wine stains with white wine? Sounds weird. Try this method and see the result yourself. After applying white wine over the red wine stain, the white wine will recreate its initial occurrence, making it easier to remove.
Extract the wine solution with a cloth. Repeat this process until the stain is completely gone. Rinse the area with water after the stain is gone, or use a steam vac. After you’re done, leave the area to dry.
Final Words
Knowing how to remove carpet stains or spills yourself is a great skill. If you can identify the stain type, you can easily determine its treatment. Again from this blog, you have learned some universal treatments applicable to new or old stain types. Therefore, this skill can save a lot of money as you don’t need to change your carpets frequently now. You can solve the problem on your own. Let us know in the comments if you have more queries about removing old stains from your carpet.