How to remove common holiday stains from carpet: Advice from a professional carpet cleaning service
The holidays may be over, but the stains are still sticking around! Great holiday parties often lead to frustrating carpet stains, but you don’t have to let them hang around like party guests that can’t take a hint. Now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is behind us, try these carpet-cleaning tricks to get common party stains out of your carpet — straight from the carpet-cleaning professionals at M&W Restoration.
Red Wine Stains
Red wine stains are the “Who’s Who” of carpet stains. You’ve heard of them, you fear them — and for good reason. Red wine stains are famous for being hard to remove.
Your best bet to remove red wine stains from carpet is to clean the spill as soon as it happens by blotting the spot with a clean cloth and club soda.
If you don’t have club soda (because not every house has a fully stocked bar like a 1940’s movie), mix 1 TBL vinegar with a 1 TBL of dishwashing soap, then add in a few cups of warm water. This same mixture will work on a dry stain. Remember to blot, not rub, so you don’t spread the stain.
Candle Wax
A holiday home is made warm and inviting by flickering candles. Your carpet, however, is made a mess when wax drips on the floor.
To remove candle wax from carpet, furniture or tablecloths, take an old towel and place it over the wax. Using a regular clothes iron set to “high,” press the towel on top of the wax for 10 seconds at a time. The heat from the iron will cause the wax to soften and stick to the towel. You may need several shots to get all of the wax removed from the carpet.
Chocolate stains
Chocolate Santas are so adorable … until they’re crushed into your carpet. If you find yourself with a Santa-shaped chocolate stain on your carpet, first, try to scrape as much chocolate as you can out of the carpet with a butter knife. Then vacuum the spot, picking up as much chocolate dust as you can. Soak the stain with a small amount of cold water for a few minutes. Then add a squirt of dishwashing liquid and work the stain gently in a circular motion. Rinse the area with more cold water and dab to dry. Repeat until the carpet cleaning process is complete.
Gravy Stains
Grandma’s heirloom gravy boat get knocked off the table during dinner? Not to worry. Simply wipe up as much gravy as possible as quickly as you can without pushing the gravy deeper into the caret fibers. Then, sprinkle the stain with baking soda. Baking soda will absorb any liquid leftover. Once the stain is completely absorbed, clean with dish soap and cold water.
Your best bet? Hire a professional carpet cleaning service
Professional carpet cleaning services, like those we provide here at M&W Restoration, are able to clean all sorts of stains out your carpet — even those hard-to-budge ones. If you’ve had a holiday party that’s left your carpet with unsightly stains, or you’d just like to start the new year with fresh, clean, great-smelling carpet, give us a call today!
