Ohh Spot! Now What?

8 Simple Rules to Spot Clean Your Carpet

A couple Sundays ago, we had a group of friends over watching the Denver/New England  Football Playoff game and in the middle of the excitement, as the Denver Broncos scored their second touchdown, my son jumps and drops his can of soda on our brand new carpet, spilling the contents all over. 

     This scenario and other like these, happen everyday, so what can we do keep our carpets clean and stain free? Here are some easy steps:

1. Act Quickly! Most carpets available today have been treated with a stain-resisting treatments; so many spills can be removed if immediate action is taken. The longer the delay, the higher the probability of a spill becoming a permanent stain. Remember, staining is influenced by many factors, and no carpet is completely stain proof.

2. Blot liquids with a dry, white, absorbent cloth or white (no printing) paper towels.

3. Do not scrub the area! Scrubbing can cause pile distortion in the affected area. Continue to use a dry cloth or paper towels until the area is completely dry. For semi-solids, gently scrape up with a rounded spoon or a plastic putty knife. Solids should be broken up and vacuumed until completely removed.

4. Work from the edges of the spill to the center to prevent the spill from spreading. Do not scrub! Blot, absorbing as much as possible, and repeat if necessary.

5. If treating the spot chemically, identified the spot first, this will determine the chemical spotter to be used to remove the spot and follow the directions carefully.

6. As a precaution, always Pretest any spot removal agent in an inconspicuous area to make certain the solution will not damage the fiber or the dye. After applying several drops to the testing area, hold a white cloth on the wet area for 10 seconds. Examine the carpet and cloth for color transfer, color change, or damage to the carpet. If a change occurs, another cleaning solution should be selected.

1. Avoid use of any harsh chemicals, strong cleaners or “home remedies”. There is always some risk in spot removal of damaging the textile, irreversibly altering the stained color, or otherwise ‘setting’ the stain. This is especially true if using strong chemicals, improper products or procedures. Avoid overuse or over wetting the stain as this may cause it to spread or be absorbed deeper into the carpet pile fibers or fabric. Harsh rubbing or use of cleaners with optical brighteners will result in variations in color, pile direction, or shading. These changes may remain even after stain removal or following a thorough cleaning.

8. After the spill has been completely removed, rinse the affected area thoroughly with cold water, and blot with a dry cloth until all of the solution has been removed.

Follow these 8 simple rules to keep your carpet spot free.  If you are wondering what happened to my son, well, let’s say that he spent the last quarter of the game cleaning my carpet.

Contributor,

Jason Soler, A.C.E. Director of Training

Gem Supply Co.