This is your step-by-step guide to how to remove carpet stains. You may occasionally need to buy a good stain remover or hire a professional carpet cleaner, but you can get out many carpet stains without spending a dime, because water is one of the best cleaning solvents. There are also other things around the house that you can use as well.

Carpet cleaners will tell you that "spots" are removable, while stains are permanent. We will not stick to the technical definitions, and in any case, the appearance of carpet stains can be improved even when the stain cannot be fully removed. Follow these guidelines :

Blot liquids, don't rub them in! Use a clean white cotton cloth or plain white paper towels. Once you have removed the liquid, rinse the spot with water and blot again until dry. Repeat if necessary to remove more of the stain, but don't scrub the area, or you may damage the carpet and set the stain in more permanently.

For semi-solids, such as peanut butter, pudding and such, scrape and lift gently with a spoon. Rinse the remaining spill out and blot dry.

Dried solids should be broken up and vacuumed. Repeat until it is all gone, then rinse with water and blot dry.

Whenever you are not sure how to get out carpet stains, try water first. If you need something more, go to the page on Carpet Stain Removers.

When using a cleaning solvent, apply it to a cloth first, then work it in from the outside of the stain to the center, so you don't spread the spot. The procedure is to apply the cleaner, extract (blot), rinse, extract, and repeat until you can't get out more of the stain. Always extract solvents completely, and dry the carpet quickly when you are done. If there is any stain remaining deeper down in the carpet, quick drying prevents it from wicking up to the surface.
A Carpet Stain Removal Secret

One of the most useful tools for removing carpet stains is a shop-vac. With a wet/dry vacuum cleaner you can quickly suck up spills, but more importantly, you can repeatedly flush the area with water and suck it out. This is much more efficient than blotting with a cloth, and less likely to cause damage to the carpet.


Scottsdale Carpet

Your tips are good but still some stains are hard to manage.

Wow! I don't know why I read this because my wife and I have somebody to do the cleaning and laundry. But still I find your article very informative though. All I know is that the best way to clean the carpet is by using vacuum cleaner, supposed I'm right but anyways, nice job posting this. cheers!