How To Deal With Frequently Encountered Spills and Stains

Carpet, Carpet Care, Northern, Beaches Flooring, Tony's Tips / 12/11/2010 By Home Style Flooring Solutions

12/11/2010

No matter how careful you are, there’s bound to be an accident as something always gets spilt on your carpets.

The longer you leave a spot, the more difficult it is to remove. Some spots will become permanent stains if allowed to remain until dry.

Oh, no we’ve just spilt red wine on the carpet, What should we do?

Act quickly when anything is dropped or spilled. Remove spots before they dry.

Dry Stains

Carefully remove as much of the substance as possible with a small, soft hand brush or spatula to break up any crusted matter. Vacuum well to eliminate loosened particles.

Wet Stains

Use an absorbent white cloth or paper towel to blot, or use a spatula to eliminate excess, and then blot. A portable extraction unit or wet/dry vacuum is most effective for larger spills.

Common Spills and Stains

Use the chart below to find recommended cleaning procedures for many common spills and stains. Each spill/stain is coded (A, B or C) to correspond with its cleaning method.

Asphalt	B	Ketchup	A
Barium Sulfate	A	Lipstick	B
Beer	A	Liquor	B
Berry Stain	A	Mascara	B
Betadine	B	Mayonnaise	B
Bleach	A	Medicines	A
Blood	A	Merthiolate	B
Butter	B	Methylene Blue	B
Carbon Black	B	Milk	A
Chalk	A	Motor Oil	B
Chocolate	B	Mouthwash	A
Clay (red)	A	Mustard	C
Coffee	C	Nail Polish	B
Copy Machine Toner	A	Oil	B
Cough Syrup	A	Ointment	B
Cranberry Juice	A	Orange Drink	A
Crayon	B	Paint (oil base)	B
Feces	A	Paint (water base)	A
Felt Tip Marker	B	Petroleum Jelly	B
Fruit Drink	A	Plant Food	A
Fruit Juice	A	Pyridium	A
Furniture Dye*	B	Rubber Cement	B
Furniture Polish	B	Salad Dressing	B
Gentian Polish	B	Shoe Polish	B
Gentian Violet	B	Soft Drinks	A
Glue	B	Soup	B
Grape Juice	A	Soy Sauce	B
Gravy	A	Steak Sauce	B
Grease	B	Tea	C
Ice Cream	A	Tomato Juice	A
Ink (washable)	A	Toothpaste	A
Ink (India)	B	Urine	C
Ink (permanent)	B	Vomit	C
Insecticides	B	Water Colors	C
Iodine	B	Wax (candle)	B
Iron Rust*	A	Whiskey	A
IV Solution	A	Wine	A

Step 1: Sparingly apply carpet detergent, gently agitating the stain area. Remove substance with blotting, and rinse well with clear water to remove detergent residue. Blot dry. (If cleaning acidic toilet bowl cleaners or other highly alkaline materials, STOP AT STEP 1.) Following the cleaning with a clear water rinse, just blot dry.
Step 2: Follow the detergent/rinse process with the recommended ammonia solution. Blot the stained area to remove the substance, then rinse with clear water and blot dry.
Step 3: Apply the recommended white vinegar solution to the total cleaned area. Blot away the cleaning solution and then rinse thoroughly with clear water and blot dry.

Step 1: Apply just enough dry cleaning fluid or alcohol to dampen the stain, then blot dry. Repeat until the stain no longer transfers.
Step 2: If stain remains visible, sparingly apply carpet detergent and gently agitate. Blot to remove substance, then rinse with water to remove detergent residue and blot dry.
Step 3 : Apply the white vinegar solution to the total cleaned area; rinse well with water, and blot dry.

Step 1 : Sparingly apply carpet detergent, then gently agitate. Blot to remove substance, then rinse well with water and blot dry.
Step 2 : Apply the white vinegar solution to the total cleaned area; blot to remove the cleaning solution, then rinse well with water and blot dry.

If all else fails, remember that you can contact Professional carpet cleaner to handle difficult stains.

Suggested Cleaning Agents

+ Detergent solution – commercially sold general carpet cleaning or spot-removal detergent.

+ Ammonia solution – Mix 1 tablespoon non-bleaching household ammonia with 1 cup warm water; (Caution: Do

not mix ammonia with chlorine bleach. Heed maker’s warnings about mixing ammonia with other chemicals.)

+ Vinegar solution – regular white vinegar.

+ Clear alcohol – Rubbing or Denatured. Use as sold.

+ Dry Cleaning Fluid – Common, non-flammable type used following maker’s directions.

Sourced from North West Carpets GA 30720 .northwestcarpets.net

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