Greener Ways To Clean Carpet Stains

Carpets are tough to clean, you can’t always be there for every spillage, but the ones you are there for you can take immediate steps to help stop a stain from forming and lingering on for life. But what about if you have animals or children running about?

Some of the cleaning chemicals available at the supermarket can be harsh and unusable if you’re worried about babies and puppies licking or eating the foaming cleaner or simply just having their skin irritated from the formula. Well there are greener alternatives available and you probably have all the things you need in your kitchen cupboards!

Wet Stains

The most important part of stopping a fresh spill from setting in to a stain is to absorb as much liquid as possible. Use paper towels or a white cloth to absorb as much excess liquid as you can through blotting; scrubbing at the stain will only grind the spill deeper into the carpet at this point and may even spread the stain further. Always blot the stain from the outside in. Alternatively, a steam powered carpet cleaner from best at hire is a low cost rental that can often do the trick too.

Mixing up Magic

Most stains that are on your carpet can be cleaned with a homemade solution using white vinegar, water, baking soda, liquid detergent and, if you would prefer to have it scented, a few drops of your favourite essential oil. Mix the solution in a spray bottle and spray onto the stain after blotting, rub the solution gently working from the outer edges on the stain to the centre, blot and repeat until the stain is lifted. You can also use a little warm water to help lift the remaining spray solution from the carpet, blotting with paper towels or a white cloth.

Red, Red Wine.

Red wine is a toughie but if you’ve managed to blot most of it away you’re off to a good start! Next you need to sprinkle the stain liberally with salt – the salt will absorb the excess liquid and turn pink. Sweep or hoover up the salt then applies a mix of 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water to the stain by spraying it on to the stain. Blot with a white cloth, wring and repeat until the stain is lifted.

Cleaning Out Old Stains

While you may think a stain is set for life and that the only way it will ever go away is to move furniture over it or to have new carpets in don’t worry, you can try a greener way of cleaning it out first. This will require a little more effort than fresh stains as you will have to lift the carpet and spray the stain from underneath with the (made of equal parts) white vinegar, water, baking soda and liquid detergent. Using the same method as for fresh stains, spray the solution on to the back of the carpet and begin your cleaning from there, removing the base of the stain and letting the carpet dry before laying it down again and continuing to clean the stain from the top.

These simple and green ways of cleaning should help your carpets look as good as new, just remember to test your green cleaning spray on a hidden piece of carpet first to make sure there will be no discolouration.