What’s the Smartest Way to Remove Tough Carpet Stains without Damaging Them?

Cleaning up old stains on a carpet can be a problem for those who have to manage commercial carpet cleaning work in schools, hotels and other large places. When you’re faced with different kinds of stains and carpets, it’s important to understand the best way to treat them.

In this guide to removing old stains from carpet, we will cover methods for removing the most common types of stains; these include coffee spills, wine stains, dirt marks, and pet “accidents”. We’re also going to be overusing home solvents like baking soda-vinegar cocktails and hydrogen peroxide treatments for light-colored carpet. And after that, we’ll walk you through how club soda treatments work for set-in grime. Finally, we’ll talk about using white wine on red wine spills or borax solutions as another DIY option.

If you’re trying to get rid of old spills that are being stubborn, keep on reading!

Baking Soda and Vinegar mix

Erase carpet stains with a DIY solution of baking soda and vinegar that won’t ruin your carpet material

Stubborn stains are a perennial pain. Many times if we can’t get the stain out in the first few tries we end up leaving the stain as a “colorful” addition to our carpet. You can do so by using baking soda and vinegar to get rid of old carpet stains that won’t come up?

How to Make the Baking Soda-Vinegar Mixture

• Spray in a spray bottle with equal parts white vinegar and water
• Mix in a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap to boost the cleaning power of the solution
• Sprinkle baking soda on top of the strained area until completely covered.
• Spray the vinegar solution on to the stain that you have covered with baking soda until it starts to fizz.

How to Apply Other Kinds of Stains

• For Coffee Stains: Allow the fizzing reaction to take effect for five minutes and then gently scrub with a microfiber cloth or soft bristled brush. Then dry the carpet with paper towels.
• Pet Stains: Leave for 10-15 minutes for urine, so the enzymes can do their job on the proteins. Scrub fibers with a toothbrush during final rinse step to make sure all traces are removed. Pat off any extra surface moisture with fresh sections of the towel until fabric is damp, but not wet.

Hydrogen Peroxide On Light Colored Carpets

Another great cleaner you can use is hydrogen peroxide, it will also help you clean away old carpet stains. However, before you start using hydrogen peroxide to clean carpet, there are a few safety measures you need to keep in mind.

Some precautions when working with hydrogen peroxide

• Never touch with your bare hands, use gloves and eyewear to prevent skin and eye irritation
• Add water to the solution ensuring not to exceed a 3% concentration due to potential bleaching or damage of carpet warp.
• Maintain ventilation – use open windows or fans
• Now that you’ve addressed those safety measures, you’re ready to tackle those offensive old spots.

Steam Vacuuming & Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment

Equal parts of water and hydrogen peroxide (at most, 3% concentration) in a spray bottle, shaken to mix.

• Spray on soiled area liberally but not to be wasteful.
• Carefully brush the stain with a soft brush or microfiber cloth from the outside edge to the center of the spot.
• Spray and let it sit: Coat the dampened stain with the spray and leave it sitting for about five minutes to allow the solution to penetrate the stain.
• Steam vacuum clean the solution and stain out using a steam vacuum cleaner.

Besides being a great cleaning solution in your carpets, hydrogen peroxide can also come in handy for a number of other household tips.

Remove Stains using Club Soda

Old stains from pet accidents and red wine spills can be easily eliminated with club soda.

The reason club soda is such a great cleaner is because it’s in just about every home and grocery story, making it one of the most accessible things to use. Believe it or not, club soda is actually an old standing carpet stain remover. So here’s how you can utilize some club soda to get out some pesky stains that you just can’t manage to get out using other cleaning methods.

The Best Way to Clean Carpet Stains with Club Soda

Turn the tap on and pour a bit of club soda over the stain, then wait 10-15 minutes, depending on the severity of the stain, before blottin (with a microfiber cloth or paper towel).

• Light stains: Blot after 1-2 minutes.
• For moderate stains: Wait 5 minutes before blotting
• Hard-to-clean stains: Spritz with club soda and blot every few minutes until stain is gone.

Club soda is safe for your carpet fiber, so it is a wonderful alternative to all those harsh chemicals. As always, be sure to test a cleaning solution on a small, hidden area of your carpet to make sure it doesn’t cause damage before applying it to the entire stained area.

Removing Red Wine Spills with White Wine

White wine can be used to counter the staining effect caused by the tannins in red wine, so it can be sponged with on stained articles of clothing. It may sound counterintuitive but this actually is a fab way to remove old red wine stains.

Steps for applying White Wine on Red Wine Stains

• Apply white wine on the affected surface to dilute and dissolve the pigmentation of the red wine.
• Blot lightly on the stain with a clean microfiber cloth or paper towel.
• Rinse and blot Step 1 and 2 more times until the stain finishes, or nearly finishes, fading!

Rinsing and Blotting

Once you’ve managed to soak or transfer as much of the red-wine pigment as possible out of your carpet material, rinse by doing the following:

• Mix equal amounts of water and liquid dish soap in a spray bottle.
• Spray or mist the solution lightly over any residual discolorations and remove any excess moisture by blotting carefully using another clean cloth or paper towel.

If necessary, use a steam vacuum cleaner made specifically for commercial carpets to extract all of the moisture without further damaging your carpet investment.

Borax

Searching for a homemade carpet cleaner that will be light on your flooring material but will still take the stains out of an old carpet? Look no further than Borax.

Borax is a mild, slightly alkaline product that can eliminate carpet stains. This substance doesn’t have any dangerous substances in it, but it still needs to be handled and applied with caution.

How to Mix Borax for Stains

Mix borax with warm water, in such a proportion that it is dissolved completely.

• Add some drops of liquid dishwashing soap to boost its cleaning capability.
• Shake the mixture gently when it’s ‘dirty’, then apply it to your stained spot.

Applying Borax

Spray on carpet stain, using from outside of stain to middle to avoid spreading.

• Allow it 10-15 minutes for deep injection penetration and to start to break up hardened particles.
• Flush the spot with cold H2O and blot away the moisture with paper towels or a microfiber cloth.
• Ventilate the flooring to allow for proper drying and prevention of residue.
• When you need to deep clean and reduce dust, borax is an overlooked carpet cleaner. That makes it an easy one to recreate and one that won’t damage your carpet fibers.

Tips On Maintaining Commercial Carpets

Keep your carpets looking and feeling fresh with these easy tricks

When you take care of your carpets, you help them last longer and continue to look beautiful throughout their life. What follows, then, are a few of the best tips for maintaining your commercial carpet.

Vacuum Frequently

Frequent vacuuming helps prevent dirt and soil from becoming embedded in the carpet to help maintain the carpet’s original appearance. By regularly vacuuming, you can prevent dirt from making its way deep into your carpet.

Perform Seasonal Deep Cleaning

You’ll have to do another walk-thru to determine how much of a disaster the job is before constraining what went down on this walk-thru.

• Spring: Clean up winter debris using professional-grade tools.
• Summer: Clean thoroughly again to combat mold development.
• Fall: Keep the leaves as part of your extra cleaning checklist at bay by being extra mindful of cleanliness.
• Winter: Get ready for bad winter weather with 1 more, final, whole house clean-up.

Address Spills Promptly

Don’t let stains set in. Use the carpet cleaning tips we covered today to help prevent tough stains in the future. Just make sure to always test a small, hidden area of your carpet with any cleaning solution to make sure it doesn’t harm the fibers. Following these pointers will allow you to maintain your commercial carpet looking clean and new time and time again.

If you can’t tackle old stains on your carpet, then you should hire a professional. Compare the expense between the DIY method and hiring the experts to handle the commercial carpet cleaning services for your schools, hotels, and other large areas. Using these tips will help you combat those old stains.

If you want your business to be cleaned from top to bottom, then call ThoroClean. Contact our team member today to find out more!