Tips to Remove Carpet Stains

by S Tennant
(New Zealand)

The first and most important tip when cleaning carpet stains is simple: do not rub. Rubbing, pressing or squishing a stain will simply push the pigment further into the fibers, or in worse cases cause the dye to bond more securely to the carpet.


If the stain is something that can be scooped up, such as a glob of guacamole, use something flat to gently remove as much of the residue as possible. A credit card is a handy tool for this, if nothing else is available. If a cleaning method requires covering the stain with paper towels, pat gently rather than scrubbing at the stain. 'Stamping' a towel into the carpet is useful for water spills, but disastrous in the case of actual stains!


The next tip is related to avoid spreading the stain, treat from the outside in. Working from the outside edges of a stain will prevent spreading the dye over a larger area of carpet. In some cases, the stain cannot be completely removed, but by 'fading' the edges of the stain you can at least minimize its appearance.