Some of the Basics to Carpet Care that everyone should know

Act fast.

• Most carpets today come with stain-resistant treatments.
• Spills can be removed if you get them right away.
• The longer you delay, the more difficult removing carpet stains becomes.

Blot liquids

• Don't rub them in!
• Use a clean white cotton cloth or plain white paper towels.
• Rinse the spot with water and blot again until dry.
• Don't scrub the area, or you may damage the carpet and set the stain in more permanently.

Use a Fan

• If you have a fan, leave the fan blowing on the area to dry it quickly.
• Otherwise set a stack of paper towels (white) on the stained area, or a couple clean white cotton cloths, and put something heavy on them.
• Fast drying assures you that any remaining stain deeper in the carpet doesn't "wick up" to the surface and become visible again.
• DO NOT DRY WITH HEAT !

• As soon as you see the spill, get water and flush the area.
• Extract the water (blot it up or use a shop-vac), then flush the area again. Repeat the process several times.

After cleaning the carpet with water, prepare a solution of one tablespoon baking soda mixed with a quart of warm water. Apply this to the area with a sponge or cloth. This will neutralize any remaining acid. Then you can rinse the area again, extract the water, and dry the carpet quickly.

Blood

• Blood stains on carpet will come out if you get to them quickly.
• Heat will set the stain, so use only cold water with your cleaning solution.
• Rinse and extract the blood with cold water. Use just a little at a time, so you don't spread the stain.
• Just add water, then blot it up with a clean white cloth or white paper towels.
• Alternately, you can suck the solution out with a shop-vac, which means less of a chance of spreading the stain.
• Try to remove the remaining stain with a solution of a few drops of Dawn dish washing detergent in a cup of cold water.
• Work it into the blood stain, but be careful not to spread the stain or rub so hard that you damage the carpet fibers. Damaged fibers hold stains.

Chewing Gum

• To remove chewing gum from carpet, get out your electric hair dryer.
• Heat the gum, being careful not to melt the carpet fibers.
• Use a piece of plastic wrap or a plastic bag to lift the softened gum away. Just allow it to stick to the plastic, then pull it up. This may get most of it.
• Next, apply Extra Strength Ben Gay, or another muscle rub containing methyl salicylate.
• Use plastic again, or a rag to pull more gum out. Repeat if necessary.
• Once you completely remove the chewing gum from the carpet, clean the area with a mild detergent solution (a few drops of dish soap in a cup of warm water will work).

Coffee

Use carpet coffee stain removers sold at Walmart and other stores. You can also try white vinegar. Heat the area with a hot, wet cloth, dab with vinegar, rinse, extract, and repeat. Dry the carpet well when you are done.

• Apply non-acetate fingernail polish remover to a white cotton cloth and dab the area, working from the edges towards the center.
• Leave it for a few minutes, then blot it, rinse it, blot it, and repeat if necessary

Kool Aid ( and other red Stains)

• It isn't always possible to remove Kool Aid stains from carpet. All "red stains" are difficult to get out, at best.
• The red coloring used in pop, candy, and other foods won't generally flush out with water.
• A shop-vac can suck some of it out if it is used quickly, before the spill enters the carpet fibers. To get out some or all of the remaining stain takes time.
• First, you need Dawn dish washing detergent - the original blue type. Put five drops in two cups of warm water. Moisten a white cotton cloth with this solution and lay it over the stain. Place a clothes iron on it, set on "low".
• Leave this for fifteen minutes. Don't press down. The stain should begin to wick up into the cloth. You'll see red on the cloth. Fold it to a clean part or use a new cloth, and repeat the process.

• To begin with, scrape as much wax out of the carpet as you can, with a spoon.
• Then put an ice cube on the wax to freeze it. Leave it there for a minute.
• The wax should harden enough to break it up and get more of it out.
• To get the rest of the candle wax out of the carpet, put a clean brown paper bag over the spot, and place a clothes iron on it, set on low.
• The wax will liquefy and transfer to the paper. Apply a new paper bag as often as necessary until you get out all of the wax.

• Make a solution of 1/4 teaspoon liquid dish washing detergent in one cup of warm water.
• Don't use laundry detergent, automatic dish washing detergent, or dish soap with lanolin or bleach in it.
• Spray or carefully spread the solution over the area affected.
• Extract the solution using a shop-vac, plain white paper towels, or a white cotton cloth.
• Rinse the area with warm water, extract, the apply the detergent solution again. Repeat as long as there is improvement in the pet stains.
• Then apply a solution of two tablespoons ammonia in a cup of water. Rinse, extract, and repeat. Blot or use a shop-vac until most of the moisture is out.
• Lightly apply a solution of one cup white vinegar in two cups of water. Rinse and extract.
• Dry the carpet completely by putting a layer of white paper towels over the spot and weighing them down with something that wont stain if it gets wet.
• Change paper towels until the carpet is dry.