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If you have carpet in your home at one point or another, you’re bound to have to clean up a dirty or liquid mess. Whether your pet couldn’t make it outside or to the litter box or you had an accident with your coffee (or worse still, red wine!), messes on carpet are common. Whatever the carpet mess, getting it cleaned quickly is essential to avoid any permanent stains.
At Carpet One, we’ve spent decades in carpet, and we know what works when it comes to looking after the carpet in your home. Our ultimate guide to cleaning any carpet mess is about helping you avoid those unsightly carpet stains.
The process of cleaning carpet will vary by the source of the mess, how severe it is, and the kind of carpet installed. Most messes can be cleaned with white vinegar, baking soda, or a detergent solution, with the process modified as needed.
Check out our comprehensive how-to processes for every type of carpet mess so you can get your carpet back to looking like new!
Before You Clean: Carpet Type Matters
Before you begin cleaning, you need to consider what type of carpet you have installed and what kind of treatments are applied to the carpet before installation. Low pile carpets (looped or cut) will show surface stains more, while high pile carpets will require more effort to clean, as liquids and messes can sink deeper into the carpet. Cleaning thicker, high-pile carpets will require more cleaning solutions and a more thorough cleaning process.
Even if you have a carpet with a coating of stain-resistant treatment, your carpet isn’t going to be 100% stain-resistant. You will still need to follow the same cleaning processes as you would for untreated carpets, depending on the source of the mess. Still, cleaning a stain-resistant treated carpet will be much easier, and stains are less likely to show up after the cleaning process on a stain-resistant carpet. The process of cleaning a stain-resistant carpet is generally going to be much quicker, whereas cleaning an untreated carpet is much more time-consuming, especially with more stubborn stains.
Important tip! Don’t use vinegar on colourfast carpets, use a mild carpet cleaning spray or dish soap and water mixture instead.
To Bleach or Not to Bleach
Using bleach to remove stains on your carpets is not recommended and can void your warranty. Bleach will strip the dyes from the spot you are cleaning, and it may leave unsightly yellow stains on your carpet! It can even damage your carpet down to the backing, underlay, and subfloor.
How about bleaching a white carpet? Again, you risk damaging your carpet if you use bleach. Try all other approved cleaning methods to clean your carpet first. If all else fails and your carpet is not under warranty anymore, you can try to use bleach at your own risk. But remember to never use 100% bleach. Dilute bleach in water before using, and be sure to wear a mask and gloves. Never mix bleach with other cleaners, such as ammonia, as doing so can create deadly gases.
Important! At Carpet One, we advise against using bleach on any carpet, whether it’s diluted or not. Always use recommended cleaning solutions and if in doubt, contact your local Carpet One store for further information.
Cleaning Solutions to Have on Hand
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Mix ½ teaspoon clear dishwashing detergent in one cup of warm (not hot) water.
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Mix 1 teaspoon of enzyme laundry detergent (such as Biozet Attack) with one cup of water.
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this is a non-oily, non-caustic type sold as spot removal for garments.
Stain Cleaning Basics
Before we dive into the individual methods of removing stains, let’s look at the basic carpet-cleaning techniques.
Blot
Absorb excess liquid from the carpet by pressing straight down with a clean, dry, white paper towel.
DO NOT RUB. Watch the video below to see how it’s done.
Apply
Wet a clean, white, paper towel with a cleaning solution and then dampen the carpet with it. Be careful not to overwet the carpet through to its backing.
Scrape
Gently scratch the soiled area with the blunt edge of a spoon. Scrape from the outside edge of the spot towards the centre.
How to Clean Pet Pee from Carpet
Pet urine can stain your carpet and leave behind an unpleasant odour. It’s best to clean cat or dog pee from your carpet immediately after the pet’s accident. This will allow for a quicker and easier cleaning process. It will also help limit the amount of liquid that will soak through the carpet and into the carpet pad, where odours and bacteria can be trapped.
Regardless of how long the pee has been soiling your carpet, a good pet stain remover spray or carpet solution will help remove any lingering colour or odours after you’ve finished cleaning. Stubborn stains can be removed using a carpet cleaning machine filled with hot water and a conditioner solution, as discussed later in this article.
You will also need rubber gloves, paper towels, white vinegar and water. Follow these steps for cleaning pet pee from your carpet:
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If the spot is still wet, soak up as much moisture from the spot using paper towels while wearing rubber gloves. Have a trash can nearby that you can toss the soiled paper towels into immediately. If you don’t have any paper towels, you can use a fabric towel. Simply toss it in the washing machine immediately after soaking.
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Apply detergent solution using a damp towel and leave for three to five minutes.
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Blot (don’t rub) the area.
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Apply white vinegar using a damp towel.
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Blot the carpet once again.
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Apply water with a damp sponge.
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Blot with a paper towel to dry. Finish by weighing down a half-inch thick pad of white paper towels to absorb all the moisture and leave overnight if necessary.
How to Remove Coffee and Hot Chocolate Stains from Carpet
Once a coffee or hot chocolate spill occurs, you’re going to want to clean up the stain as quickly as possible, especially if you’ve spilled a lot. This way, the beverage will have less time to stain the fibres of your carpet or soak into the underlay.
You will need paper towels, a sponge or washcloth, a detergent solution, and white vinegar
To clean up your coffee and hot chocolate spill, follow these steps:
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Blot the spill using paper towels.
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Apply detergent solution using a damp towel and leave for three to five minutes.
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Blot (don’t rub) the area.
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Apply white vinegar using a damp towel.
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Blot the carpet once again.
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Apply water with a damp sponge.
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Blot the carpet again with paper towels to dry. Finish by weighing down a half-inch thick pad of white paper towels to absorb all the moisture. Leave overnight if necessary.
How to Remove Red Wine Stains
Like with most spills or accidents, you’ll want to clean wine and juice spills as promptly as possible before it has time to saturate your carpet with colour and before it soaks into the carpet underlay. Stains can be removed after they’ve dried but will require more diligence, effort, and stronger products.
To clean red wine spills you need paper towels, detergent solution, white vinegar, and a sponge then follow these steps.
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Blot the area with a paper towel or dry washcloth to soak up as much moisture as possible from the liquid.
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Apply detergent solution to the area using a damp towel and leave for three to five minutes.
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Blot the spot once again.
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Apply undiluted white vinegar to the spot using a damp towel.
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Blot the area again using paper towels.
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Use a damp sponge to apply water on the spot.
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Blot again with paper towels to dry the spot. Finish by weighing down a half-inch thick pad of white paper towels to absorb all the moisture. Leave overnight if necessary.
Cleaning Vomit from Carpet
Whether it’s your own or belongs to a member of your family or a pet, sometimes vomit ends up on the carpet. You’ll want to get it cleaned up promptly so that you don’t have to deal with the lingering vomit smell or stains, and so that it doesn’t soak through and soil the carpet backing or underlay.
You will need rubber gloves, a facemask, trash bags, paper towels, baking soda, pre-soak solution, and a vacuum cleaner.
To clean human or pet vomit out of your carpet, follow these steps:
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Make the necessary preparations by putting on your gloves, face mask, and prepare a trash can with a new, empty trash bag. Have all other listed materials, tools, and products nearby.
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If the vomit is thick or chunky, lay several paper towels over the vomit, and put a small garbage bag over your hand. Grab as much of the paper towels and vomit as you can with your hand in the trash bag. Then turn the bag inside out so the vomit is inside and your hand is outside, much like when cleaning up after your dog. Tie the bag and toss it immediately in the trash. Repeat this process as necessary for the remaining vomit.
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If the vomit is thin or liquid, scrape or blot it up.
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Apply dry baking soda.
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Scrape and vacuum the baking soda.
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Apply water using a damp sponge to rinse the remaining baking soda. Make sure you don’t overwet the carpet.
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Blot using paper towels.
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Apply pre-soak solution using a damp towel.
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Rinse with water using a damp sponge as above.
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Blot the area once again using paper towels.
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Vacuum the carpet.
How to Remove Chewing Gum from Carpet
A piece of chewing gum stuck on your carpet is probably the last thing you want to see. Don’t panic! There’s a way to remove the sticky mess.
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Scrape as much gum as you can from the carpet.
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Freeze the remaining gum with ice cubes.
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Shatter frozen gum with a blunt object like the back of a large spoon.
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Vacuum the gum chips before they melt.
How to Remove Soft Drink Spills from Carpet
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Blot up any excess spill.
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Apply dry baking soda to the area.
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Scrape and vacuum.
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Rinse the remaining baking soda using a damp sponge. Be careful not to over-wet the carpet.
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Blot the spot with paper towels.
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Apply a pre-soak solution using a damp towel.
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Rinse with water using a damp sponge.
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Blot the spot with paper towels to dry.
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Vacuum the carpet.
How to Remove Ink Stains from Carpet
The following methods will work for ballpoint pen ink, India ink, and marking pen.
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Scrape or blot up the ink using a paper towel.
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Apply detergent solution using a damp towel and leave for three to five minutes.
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Blot with a paper towel to dry.
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Apply undiluted white vinegar using a damp towel.
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Blot with a paper towel to dry.
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Apply water with a damp sponge.
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Blot the carpet again with a paper towel to dry. Finish by weighing down a half-inch thick pad of white paper towels to absorb all the moisture. Leave overnight if necessary.
For tough India ink or marking pen stains, you can also use the following method.
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Apply a dry cleaning solvent using a damp towel.
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Blot the spot with paper towels.
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Repeat solvent application.
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Blot with paper towels again.
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Apply water with a damp towel.
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Blot the carpet again with a paper towel to dry. Finish by weighing down a half-inch thick pad of white paper towels to absorb all the moisture. Leave overnight if necessary.
Important tip! India ink is a tough one to remove. We highly recommend you contact a carpet cleaning professional to remove this stain for you.
How to Remove Nail Polish from Carpet
You will need non-oily type nail polish remover and cotton buds.
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Apply nail polish remover using a cotton bud. Be careful not to wet through the carpet backing.
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Pick up softened materials using a clean white paper towel and push toward the centre of the spill to avoid spreading.
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Repeat the previous steps as necessary. Carefully remove a layer of the spill each time.
How to Remove Food Messes from Carpet
Peanut butter, ice cream, cakes, and chocolates are great comfort foods, but they’re not so great on your carpet. You don’t have to miss out on your favourite food and treats just to keep your carpet immaculate.
To clean off most food messes, you need clear dishwashing detergent and water (to create a detergent solution), white vinegar, white towels, a sponge, paper towels and books or anything you can use as a weight.
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Scrape the food particles out of the carpet and blot the area with a paper towel to soak up any liquids.
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Apply detergent solution to the area using a damp towel and leave for three to five minutes.
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Blot the spot once again.
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Apply undiluted white vinegar to the spot using a damp towel.
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Blot the area again using paper towels.
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Use a damp sponge to apply water on the spot.
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Blot again with paper towels to dry the spot. Finish by weighing down a half-inch thick pad of white paper towels to absorb all the moisture. Leave overnight if necessary.
For mustard and tomato sauce spills, you need enzyme laundry detergent and water (to make the pre-soak solution), baking soda, vacuum, white towels, white paper towels, and dry powder cleaner.
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Scrape or blot up excess spill.
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Apply dry baking soda.
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Scrape the spot and then vacuum.
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Using a damp sponge, apply water to the area to rinse out the remaining baking soda.
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Using paper towels, blot to soak up the excess liquid.
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Apply pre-soak solution using a towel.
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Rinse with warm water using a damp sponge.
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Blot the spot with paper towels to dry.
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Apply dry powder cleaner and let it absorb any remaining liquid.
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Vacuum dry powder.
How to Clean Dry Messes
If your carpet mess is made with food crumbs, dirt, or sand, it’s best to clean this up as promptly as possible to avoid these small particles from getting tracked through wider areas of the house.
Use a high-powered vacuum to suck up all these particles throughout the carpeted area, focusing on where the mess is most concentrated. Use the hose of the vacuum to pick up larger crumbs or pebbles or to get into hard-to-reach areas like the corners of the room or underneath furniture.
If you have a thick or high pile carpet, you may need to go over the area multiple times with your vacuum or use a carpet rake before vacuuming.
Carpet Cleaning Machines vs. Professional Carpet Cleaners
If your carpet needs to be conditioned or there are some very stubborn stains that won’t come out using the methods described above, you may need to use stronger or higher quality products.
A carpet cleaning machine can be purchased or rented from various department stores or home-improvement stores.
After removing all the items from the carpet in the room you want to shampoo, follow the directions on the carpet cleaning machine and fill the tank with the appropriate amount of water and branded cleaning solution. Start in one corner of the room and pull the carpet cleaner backward at a slow pace until you reach the other side of the room. Repeat this process in rows, in a lawn-mower pattern until the entire carpet has been shampooed.
Professional carpet cleaning companies will come into your home and do a thorough carpet cleaning job for you without you having to lift a finger. This is a great option for those who are short on time or are in the process of moving. The quality of cleaning and the prices vary by company, so make sure you do your research on what they offer and at what price, and look into any reviews from past customers.
The downside to using an at-home carpet cleaning machine is that you have to allow the carpet to completely dry and air out before walking on it, which can take over 24 hours. If you don’t allow it to dry sufficiently, dirt and debris can get trapped inside the carpet and the moisture in the carpet can get pushed into the underlay pad, creating a breeding site for bacteria.
Steam Cleaning: The Best Routine Cleaning Method
Along with vacuuming your carpets, one thing you should always do to maintain the look and freshness of your carpet is to periodically use a steamer. Steam cleaning, when using water and carpet cleaning chemical mixture, will kill bacteria and disinfect your carpet. It will also remove any dirt or debris that has been pushed deep into your carpet. It will also remove any newly grown mould, which often forms when liquid spills soak into the lower layers and underlay of your carpet, as well as remove odour from pet pee or vomit. A vacuum alone will only clean the surface of your carpet.
Reminder
These are general instructions for cleaning your carpets. Not all carpet fibres react the same way when treated for stains. We encourage you to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning your carpet.
Please ask your Carpet One Store for specific cleaning instructions for your carpet.
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