Wine, nighttime cold medicine and powdered drinks all have the same things in common; spills stain upholstery, carpets and rugs and those stains are hard to get out. Stains tend to be somewhat time sensitive. Take care of it right now or live with it forever. Red dye is the bane of all fabrics, including upholstery, rugs and carpets. Never, ever scrub these hard as this only serves to work the dye into and damage the fibers. Blot any stain working from the outside in. Rinse with clean water and blot again. All those stains are of two types. Water-soluble, special water-soluble or fats, oils and waxes.

Water Soluble Stains

Water soluble includes alcoholic beverages, berries, colas, animal excrement, food dyes, gravy, ice cream, mud, washable ink and wet latex paint. These stains are best addressed by a ¼ teaspoon of nonbleach detergent or white vinegar with 32 ounces of water. Special Water-Soluble stains are like wine, blood, coffee or tea, mustard, vomit and chocolate. Tackling these stains with 1 tablespoon of ammonia mixed with 1 cup of water can be successful in most cases as long as the carpet is not a wool or wool blend carpet or rug.

How to Remove Wax, Fats & Oil Stains from Carpet

Wax, Oils and Fats should be treated with an iron on warm setting. Place a paper towel over the carpet, and iron the waxes, oils and fats should be pulled up into the paper towel and absorbed.

How to Remove Old Carpet Stains

Other carpet blemishes like cigarette burns can be removed by using a dull scrapper or putty knife or a dull knife or butter knife.
Glue can be removed by using a cotton ball wetted with rubbing alcohol applied to the glue spot, and wiped off, repeat until clean making sure to moisten the glue at each step.
Wax and Gum are a challenge. Use ice to freeze the gum or wax. Shatter is with a blunt object; a large tablespoon should work. Vacuum before the pieces re-soften.
Nail polish can be removed with nail polish remover. Test on some area that is not seen, as some nail polish removers contains acetone and can remove carpet dyes as well.
Pet urine stains and odors are absorbed with white paper towels, then blot with a damp cloth. Follow this by spraying a mixture of one-part white vinegar to one-part water (50-50). After blotting this solution up, add a follow-up spray of ½ teaspoon of clear, mild non-bleach detergent mixed into 32 ounces of water and blot dry.

Carpet, Sofa Cleaning & More in Chicago, Park Ridge, Arlington Heights, Glenview & Chicagoland, Illinois

Along with vacuuming, a carpet can last for years. But a thorough deep clean should be done from 12 to 36 months depending on the budget and carpet use. It is much easier to retain the services of a professional carpet cleaning company. They will have the experience, equipment and chemicals to give your carpet the attention it needs. Low traffic areas can go longer between deep cleaning but those high traffic areas like hallways and living rooms will have to be cleaned more often. By the time you rent the equipment, experiment trying to remove stains and address other problems areas and move furniture around you will appreciate the services of a professional carpet cleaner. Magic Touch Carpet Cleaning can handle all your carpet cleaning needs. Contact us to schedule your next service today.