Spot Cleaning Carpet

Most of the stains we get on our carpets are small and probably do not merit a professional cleaning service.

Instead, you can spot clean a carpet easily with just a few steps and avoid having to pay large fees for an entire carpet cleaning.

Cleaning the Stain:

Swiftness is key when it comes to spot cleaning any stains in a carpet. Once the stain has set in the carpet’s fibers, it will be impossible to get out with even professional services. If the stain is still wet, you will want to get a rag and blot out as much of the stain as you can before you can start spot cleaning the carpet.

For stains that have dried, vacuum the area of carpet where the spot is. You can use a spoon to scrape off any chunks of food or debris that is stuck in the carpet. Then, you are ready to spot clean your carpet.

If you don’t have any carpet cleaning solution, you can mix up a solution of 1 TBSP liquid dish soap into 2 cups of warm water. Other cleaning solutions, like Borax or OxiClean, will also work well.

Using a squirt bottle, spray the spot cleaning solution onto the stained area. Let it soak into the stain for about 5 minutes.

Blot the Spot:

Once the spot cleaning solution has had time to set, blot out the liquid with a clean white cloth or rag. See how much of the stain you can get out with this method.

When the stain is gone, rinse the carpet with clean water to remove your cleaning solution from the carpet.

Drying the Carpet:

If you don’t have a wet/dry vacuum to use when spot cleaning a carpet, you can use a cloth to dry the area. Just press a thick cloth over the damp area of carpet. Let it sit overnight to pull out any remaining liquid in the carpet fibers. Remember that letting carpets stay wet for too long can actually harm them.

Spot Cleaning Tips:

Always Clean With a Clean White Cloth:

The idea when cleaning the carpet is to transfer the stain from the carpet to the cloth. If the cloth is white, you will better be able to see how effective your spot cleaning methods are.

Blot Stains Don’t Rub:

If you rub or scrub the stain, you will spread the stain not to mention risk damaging or fraying the carpet fibers. Always test any spot cleaning solutions on a small piece of carpet first, preferably an area that is hidden.