You have company coming over tomorrow and your dog just had an accident in the middle of the family room. You have spilt coffee on the carpet next to your favorite chair. Your children just tracked in muddy footprints from outside the home. You are at a loss of what to do yourself and you don’t have the time or finances to call a professional. DON’T PANIC, follow these simple steps to help remove stubborn spots and pet accidents if calling a professional is not an option.
- Use a wet vac to extract as much liquid and soil from the spill or pet accident as possible. Use as much pressure as possible to press into the spot to extract water deep inside the padding. Do not use a towel yet, which will just press it back down into the carpet.
- After soil extraction, treat the spot with a cleaner as specific to the spot/stain as possible. Do not use bleach and make sure to read the label of what you are using that it does not contain any bleaching agents. Gently blot the spot, do not use swirl type motions.
- If the stain remains, start over and pour water on the area to rinse. Do not over saturate, but do put enough to completely wet the spotted area. Use the wet vac to extract as much water as possible.
NOTE: Pretest spot treatment in inconspicuous area, if color loss or bleeding of colors occur do not continue. A small wet vac is more effective for removing spots then a towel. Even though it may seem to counter productive, In some cases leaving the new spot untreated from your home cleaning solution is best. Simply keep the stain lightly saturated with water, and call a professional. Over the counter products like Resolve can disrupt the PH balance in the carpet, in turn chemically bonding stains to the fiber.
Use these techniques at your own risk. In some cases “spots” are actually “stains” which means they are permanent. A spot can be removed and a stain damages the fiber and is unable to be extracted. When using a product you are unfamiliar with make sure to read the label, as some over the counter cleaning products have bleaching agents in them and can change the color of the fiber.
