When you have 37 people in your home all at the same time, it’s bound to happen: a drink gets tipped over, and your carpet gets a colorful new stain that resembles the state of West Virginia. During the holidays, these things just happen. But don’t worry! This article from Mother Nature Network provides helpful tips on how to clean your carpet from 8 of the most common spills.
An elegantly carpeted living room provides a warm atmosphere for entertaining your near and dear. Unfortunately, it also seems to provide the perfect target for spills and stains caused by holiday goodies. Here are our emergency carpet-cleaning hacks, using materials you’re likely to have right in your kitchen cupboard, to help you cope.
Treat any spillage as soon as possible before stains can set – and before the mess can get tracked all over your house. Use a blotting motion; never rub hard or you might damage the pile. Work from the edges of the stain toward its center to minimize spreading. Test your carpet in an inconspicuous place before applying water or other liquids.
Your readily available tools: a clean white cloth or a sponge, together with a moderate amount of lukewarm water. Very hot water is your enemy for this type of cleaning. Not only can it shrink wool carpeting, it’s capable of “cooking” protein-based stains (containing milk, egg or meat) until they are nearly impossible to remove.
Eggnog. Though eggnog tastes sweet and innocent, it packs quite a punch when you enjoy a mug or two. Same thing when it lands on your carpet. Clean eggnog up fast or it will produce an aroma that will put you off dairy products for life. Start by working in a small quantity of a mild dish detergent solution (1 teaspoon to 2 cups warm – remember: not hot! – water). Should a follow-up treatment be necessary, use white vinegar mixed 1:2 with water. If you still detect an unpleasant scent heading toward Valentine’s Day, try a pet-odor remover.
Red wine. Some folks swear by club soda as the antidote to red wine spills, while others claim that plain water is just as effective. Whichever camp you belong to, you’re doing your carpet a favor by rinsing it off as quickly as possible. Just beware of trying to use white wine on the residue, or you’ll end up with a truly vile sugar stain.
White wine. Being as it’s almost colorless, white wine won’t harm your beautiful carpeting, right? Wrong. It’s relatively high acid content can cause off-coloring of the carpet. Sprinkle lightly with alkaline baking soda to neutralize the acid. Let it dry, then brush off or vacuum up the powder.
Coffee. Coffee may be considered the perfect solution for how you feel the morning after the party the night before. The perfect solution for coffee spills on the broadloom is application of 1 teaspoon of dish detergent mixed with 2 cups of lukewarm water.
See the full article for tips on cleaning your carpet from other spills, including deep red cranberry sauce, gooey chocolate, sticky candy canes and greasy turkey gravy.
