Professional carpet cleaning is a service that every homeowner should take advantage of at least once a year. However, in between those cleanings, life can happen and you can end up with spills or stains on your clean carpet. Luckily, there are a few DIY things that you can try to help pull that stain up, or at least reduce it until the next cleaning is scheduled.
Check out these 3 DIY carpet cleaning techniques to try immediately after a spill.
1. Baking Soda and Vinegar
Baking soda and vinegar is a favorite DIY treatment. The solution is great for pulling up stains. If there are any odors associated with the stain, it may help with that too. This is an effective way to spot treat stains. Here are some quick steps that you can follow.
- Dab up the stain as much as possible with a paper towel or towel.
- Immediately follow with a generous coating of baking soda. Sprinkle the powder over the stain until it is thoroughly covered.
- Take a spoon (or a tablespoon) of vinegar and slowly drizzle it all over the baking soda. The goal is to cause a fizzing effect with the baking soda over the entire stain. It doesn’t take much, but each area needs to be covered.
- Now grab a cleaning brush, preferably something with hard bristles or a coarse surface, and gently scrub the area where the solution is. Don’t scrub away the solution.
- Allow the solution to sit for several hours or overnight.
- Vacuum up the solution. The stain should be gone or at least be considerably lighter.
2. Salt Treatment Carpet Cleaning
This sounds like an unusual approach to a stain but for fresh stains, it just might work. You need a good amount of granulated salt, as well as some cold water and a cleaning brush.
Start by using a rag or paper towel to blot up as much liquid as possible. Then, sprinkle the salt generously over the stain. Make sure it’s completely covered. Let that sit for 5-10 minutes. When you go back to the stain, pour just a little bit of cold water over the salt and then scrub with a cleaning brush.
Once you’ve scrubbed, go ahead and use a clean, damp cloth to rinse and then dry as much as possible. You may need to use your vacuum cleaner to get rid of the salt.
3. Dawn Dish Soap
Dawn is popular for treating stains on dishes, and it can easily help with that stain on your carpet as well. You will need some Dawn soap, a little bit of vinegar, and a cleaning brush. You need to create a cleaning solution using about 1 cup of vinegar to 1 teaspoon of Dawn dish soap.
Mix that together well. If you can, put it in a spray bottle. Cover the stain thoroughly with the cleaning solution and leave it for 15-20 minutes. Follow up with a hard or coarse cleaning brush, and scrub away. You don’t even have to rinse when you finish!
Professional Carpet Cleaning
When all else fails, carpet cleaning is your next step. Of course, if you have routine cleaning in your home, that is ideal. Semper Fi Yuma Floor Care & Restoration can help you with your cleaning needs. We can get those stains out and get your carpets looking great again!
