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Dallas, TX – Even though most carpets sold today are stain resistant, they are not stain proof and if a liquid is left on a carpet long enough it can leave a permanent stain. The trick to removing these stains is to act quickly and start off with the least aggressive techniques possible to eliminate a stain and then work your way up to more serious cleaning techniques if needed.

Most of the stain resistant carpets are designed and treated to slow the absorption of stains into the fibers. What this means is that if the same liquid is spilled on a carpet that is treated to be stain resistant and an untreated one, the treated one will absorb less of the liquid over the same period of time as the untreated one. This doesn’t mean that treated carpets are impervious to stains; it just means it takes longer for the stain to become permanent. Chances are good that if you quickly try to blot up a stain when it first occurs you can remove most of the stain before it sets. The key with this initial step is to blot the stain and not try to wipe it away. Blotting with a clean cloth or paper towel will draw the liquid out of the carpet and not let it spread. If you wipe the stain you will move the liquid to other parts of the carpet and spread the stain. Once you have blotted up as much of the liquid as possible, you can rinse the area lightly with water and then blot this up as well. Be sure not to soak the carpet as this can cause mildew. Getting the carpet wetter won’t help the stain removal process and may actually cause some stains to set.

Another trick that seems to work well for most stains is to use a wet/dry shop vac for spot cleaning. This type of vacuum does a great job of removing liquids and will allow you to spray the carpet with the cleaning solution and quickly remove it with the shop vac. Most of these vacuums are more powerful than a typical household vacuum and have attachments that can help you concentrate the vacuuming power even more tightly to help with the stain.

If the blotting and water treatment did not remove all of the stain, the next step is to try a bit of a more aggressive approach with a natural cleaning solution. Mix equal parts warm water with white vinegar and spray this on the stained area with a spray bottle. Blot this up as you did with the water earlier. The white vinegar will help to loosen most stains and make them easier to remove with blotting or vacuuming. Again, be sure not to soak the carpet when you are using this solution.

If the stain still refuses to disappear, your next step is to clean the area with a commercial hot water extraction machine. This type of cleaner will inject very hot water deep into the carpet and loosen the staining elements from the fibers and then immediately vacuum them up before the water soaks the carpet. Use this machine directly on the stained area and then clean the remainder of the carpet with it once the stain is removed so that the carpet matches the newly cleaned area.