How to Clean Carpet Stains Easily and Effectively

Carpet stains can be a real nuisance, but they don't have to be. With the right knowledge and tools, you can easily and effectively remove even the toughest of stains. A great way to start is by using a mixture of white vinegar, Dawn dish soap, and water in a spray bottle. Start by filling the bottle with water, then add a few drops of Dawn dish soap.

Next, sprinkle a layer of dry baking soda on the stain. Finally, mix one cup of white vinegar with one cup of water and a few drops of dish soap in the spray bottle. The vinegar will foam when it touches the baking soda, which will help clean the stain. No matter how cute your four-legged friend is, the stains of excrement and urine it leaves behind certainly aren't pleasant. To remove pet stains from carpets, use a carpet cleaner that contains enzymes, such as the Bissell Professional pet stain and odor removal formula.

This formula not only erases the stain, but it also destroys odor-causing bacteria to prevent your pet from dirtying the same place over and over again. After applying the cleaner, use a clean, damp cloth to gently scrub the stain until no more stain appears. Rinse the area thoroughly with a clean, damp cloth, spray it with clean water and, if necessary, dry it and cover it with a damp cloth for up to 12 hours so that the enzymes in the formula have more time to act. Remove the cloth, fluff the battery and air dry it. Common household items such as baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and white vinegar are safe, natural remedies that work well for cleaning carpet stains. For tougher stains, you'll need carpet stain removers that do the job without damaging your carpet.

You might think that an old carpet stain would be easier to clean than a fresh one, but in reality the opposite is true. This is especially dangerous if you choose to steam clean the carpet yourself, as many rental units aren't powerful enough to extract all the water from the fibers. Once you are sure that everything is dry, including the subfloor if necessary, you can reinstall the carpet. If you have a rug made of wool or it's a thick shaggy rug, you should consider contacting a professional to take care of the work. Before you throw in the towel and start pricing a new carpet, here are some field-proven tips to help you remove old stains from carpets:

• Use common household items such as baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and white vinegar.
• For tougher stains use carpet stain removers that do not damage your carpet.
• If steam cleaning yourself make sure to extract all water from fibers.
• If rug is made of wool or is thick shaggy rug consider contacting professional.

Learn how to remove stains from carpets as well as why some stains reappear and how to prevent them from reappearing. If the stain reappears or if it is a much larger spill then next step should be professional carpet cleaning by extracting hot water. The last thing you need is for the cleaning cloth to react with the stain or cleaning product and transfer dye to carpet.

Bleach can damage other types of carpets; check with manufacturer if not sure what type of carpet have. For harder special water-soluble stains may need additional cleaning power of hydrogen peroxide. Whether it's recent spill or one that's been inactive for months cleaning carpets doesn't have to be difficult if know what doing. But here Carolyn Forté executive director of Good Housekeeping Institute's Cleaning Laboratory explains how successfully remove most common carpet stains such as red wine spills food stains and pet dirt using traditional carpet stain removers and cleaning products for home some which probably already have on hand. Before looking for nearest bottle of cleaning solution keep in mind best solution for cleaning carpets usually water. If had to lift large part of carpet may prefer have professional installer come reinstall ensure that carpet re-stretched properly. You should also try cleaning treatment on unvisible part of carpet before start cleaning.