The Complete Guide on How to Remove Old Stains From Carpet

You’re throwing a party at your house over the weekend. As you look around your home, you’re noticing a lot of stains on your carpet that you haven’t seen before. Judging on how they look, they’ve been there for quite a while.

You try scrubbing at the carpet but no matter what you do, some of them just won’t come out. You’re not sure how to remove old stains from carpet so dish liquid and water is all you’ve got.

We can help you get your carpets squeaky clean before the party. Check out this guide to learn what you can do.

Find Out What Kind of Stain You’re Working With

Before you can clean the stain, you have to find what it is. There are two types of stains that you’ll run into. Water-soluble and special-soluble.

Special-soluble stains are your red wine, blood, coffee, chocolate, and gross enough, vomit. A lot of these can be dealt with by using a mixture of water and ammonia. Unless you have a wool carpet, in which case, don’t use ammonia.

You’ll run into water-soluble stains more often than not. These are your drinks, milk, ice cream, washable inks, and food dyes. White vinegar and water will do wonders for these types of stains. You can also use dish liquid.

Grab Your Cleaning Tools

Now that you know what kinds of stains you’re working with, you can gather your equipment to deal with them. You’ll need a little safety gear if you’re cleaning up something hazardous like bloodstains. Put on a face mask and a pair of gloves to suit this purpose.

You want to wet the carpet and use some kind of cleaner to break the stain apart. Soaking the carpet in solution will do more harm than good, however. If it doesn’t dry and manages to soak into the fibers, it may cause mold.

That’s why it’s recommended for you to put your cleaner in a spray bottle if it isn’t already. This will help you control how much you apply to the carpet.

Many people will tell you to scrub at your carpets with a scrub brush, but you’ll ruin your carpet fibers this way. Instead, get a microfiber cloth. They work well for blotting up stains and you can wash them and reuse them when you’re done.

How to Remove Old Stains from Carpet

We’ve gone over some basic cleaning techniques that will work for some, if not most, stains. There are some special ones, though, that need a little more attention. When you’re dealing with grease, blood, coffee, or ink, try out these techniques.

Grease Stains

You spilled greasy fries on your carpet a couple of months ago. While you picked up the food, you failed to clean up the grease stain that’s now become one with your carpet. You’re noticing it now and you’re ready to deal with it.

Go into your cabinet and grab the baking soda. Sprinkle the baking soda on the area until it’s covered and then head into your kitchen to boil a cup a distilled vinegar on your stove.

Once the vinegar is nice and hot, add half a cup of hydrogen peroxide to it, along with a teaspoon of dish liquid. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray a light coating of it over the baking soda.

Let the solution sit for a few minutes before blotting it away with your microfiber cloth. You may have to repeat this process a few times to fully pull the stain out.

Blood Stains

Blood can be annoying to get rid of but it’s not the end of the world if you have an old bloodstain on your carpet. Before we delve into how to clean it up, it’s important to note that you always use cold water to remove blood stains. Blood hardens when it’s introduced to heat so using warm water will make it harder for you to get the stain out.

Fill a spray bottle with some kind of grease-fighting dish liquid and cool water. Spray a good bit on the carpet without soaking it. Use your microfiber cloth to blot the stain away.

Coffee Stains

Depending on how often you start your day with a cup of coffee, you probably have a few stains sitting on your carpet that you’ve forgotten about until now. To loosen up these old stains, spray the carpet with warm water. Blot it with a cloth, starting around the outside of the stain and working your way inward.

Combine a tablespoon of vinegar, a tablespoon of dish liquid, and two cups of water in a spray bottle and apply it to the stain. When you can no longer see the coffee, dab the area dry with a microfiber cloth.

Ink Stains

Get a cloth and wet it with isopropyl alcohol. Dab the cloth on the ink stain. Don’t scrub at it or you’ll spread the stain around rather than get rid of the issue.

If you don’t have isopropyl alcohol laying around, you can also use hairspray or nail polish remover. Anything that’s alcohol-based will do. When you’re satisfied with your work, you can use a vacuum to get rid of the moisture.

Cleaning Old Stains Out of Wool Carpets

A lot of these cleaning methods will work well. That is, unless you have wool carpets. You can’t use harsh chemicals such as ammonia on them or you will ruin them.

You’ll need to go for mild dish soaps or look for products that are specifically catered to wool carpets. If you’re nervous about cleaning wool carpets, you can also hire Green Choice Carpet Cleaning to take care of it for you.

Keep Your Carpets Squeaky Clean

Do you need to give your carpets a little touch-up? Getting rid of set-in stains can be frustrating and difficult, but it’s not impossible if you use these tips on how to remove old stains from carpet. Impress your guests with your floors!

Are you constantly looking for new ways to keep your house neat and organized? Check out our blog daily for more articles like this one.