Removing all kinds of Spots from Carpet or Rugs 

The techniques for removing stains are as varied as the stains themselves. The approach you should use depends on how much you value your carpet. If your carpet is old and beat up, you can afford to be daring. However, If it’s brand-new, high quality, and carpeting you want to have for many years, be more cautious. 

First, test the solution on an inconspicuous area of carpet. Put a little of the treatment on the carpet, let it sit for about 10 minutes, and then blot with a clean white rag. 

Inspect the rag for any carpet dye, and inspect the carpet for any damage from the cleaner. If either occurs, the solution isn’t a solution; it’s another problem! 

After you applied your spot treatment solution and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, dilute spills with water or plain club soda. (No flavors, please!) The fizziness and salts contains will help it work better than water and it’s just about as safe. 

If you still have a spot after water and club soda treatment, try to apply simple and safe to use, the general-purpose spot cleaners:  

• Mix 1 teaspoon of a mild dishwashing detergent with 1 cup of water. Blot it on the spot. Be sure to rinse thoroughly, because getting cleaning chemicals out is important, too. 
• Try a solution of 1 tablespoon of ammonia and 1/2 cup water on old spots, blood, and chocolate. 
• Try a solution of 1/2 cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water and mildew stains and spills with an odor, such as urine. 
• Try full-strength 3 percent hydrogen peroxide on tomato-based stains, red drinks, alcoholic drinks, fruit juice, grass stains, coffee, and chocolate. 
• Use rubbing alcohol, full strength, on oily stains, ballpoint pen ink, candle wax residue, and grass stains. 

Special situations may also call for special removal techniques: 

• For oily spills, such as mayonnaise, salad dressing and butter, try saturating the spot with corn starch, a good absorbent. Use rubbing alcohol, full strength. Allow it to dry, then vacuum. 
• For candle wax dripped onto your carpet, use a warm iron over a paper towel to take up as much wax as possible. Then dab on rubbing alcohol. If there’s still a stain, go to the general-purpose spot cleaner.  
• Pet “accidents”. We all know with our furry friends it can happen. When you remove them, repeat with a fresh layer of absorbent materials until they come up dry. (This is also a good formula for treating spilled beer.) The odor will not come out as long as any urine remains. Most commercial products sold to eliminate odor just mask the smell temporarily. 
• If a carpet has a musty smell, baking soda will help. If you’ve been removing spots from the carpet, let the carpet dry out completely first. Then sprinkle baking soda over the entire carpet, let it sit for three to five hours, and vacuum it up. 
• Not all substances can be removed from carpeting. Chlorine bleach, iodine, mustard, insecticides, and plant fertilizers, to name a few, are likely to create permanent stains.  
• Many foods, beverages, medications, and cosmetics contain dye, and their spots also may be permanent. Sometimes a professional restorer can fix a permanently damaged area by spot-dyeing, reweaving, or resurfacing. Or a professional installer can replace a section of carpet using a scrap or a piece taken from an inconspicuous spot, such as your closet floor.