How to get stains out of carpet

Most carpet stains can be removed at home if you act quickly and use the right method. Most permanent stains are made permanent by the wrong first move: rubbing, heat or the wrong product. Here is what our cleaners do.

The golden rules for any carpet stain

1. Act fast. A fresh stain sits on top of the fibres. Once it dries or soaks into the backing, it is much harder to remove.
2. Blot, never rub. Rubbing pushes the stain deeper and frays the fibres. Press a clean white cloth or paper towel onto the stain and lift, working from the outside in so it does not spread.
3. Test first. Try any product on a hidden spot, such as inside a closet, to check the colour does not run.
4. Use as little liquid as possible. Soaking the carpet carries the stain into the pad, where it wicks back up later.
5. Rinse and blot dry. Soap left in the carpet attracts dirt and makes a new, darker spot. Finish with a little clean water and blot until dry.
6. No heat. Hot water, irons and hair dryers can set protein stains such as blood, milk and urine permanently.

What you need

• White cloths or plain paper towels
• A spray bottle of cool water
• Clear dish soap (no colour, no bleach, no moisturizer)
• White vinegar
• Baking soda
• Rubbing alcohol (isopropyl)
• An enzyme cleaner for pet stains
• A dull knife or spoon for scraping solids

Never mix products, and never use bleach on carpet: it removes colour permanently.

1. Coffee and tea

Blot up as much as you can. Mix one teaspoon of clear dish soap and one tablespoon of white vinegar in two cups of cool water. Apply a little with a cloth, blot, and repeat until the stain stops transferring. Rinse with cool water and blot dry. Old coffee stains with milk may need an enzyme cleaner.

2. Red wine

Blot immediately. Do not pour white wine on it; that only adds more liquid. Apply the dish soap and vinegar solution above, blot, and repeat. For a stubborn stain on a light synthetic carpet, a mix of one part 3% hydrogen peroxide and two parts water can help, but test it first because peroxide can lighten some carpets. Rinse and blot dry.

3. Grease and cooking oil

Scrape off anything solid. Sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch on the spot to absorb the oil, leave it for 15 to 30 minutes, then vacuum. Apply a little dish soap solution, which is made to cut grease, blot, rinse and blot dry. Repeat if needed.

4. Pet urine

Blot up as much as you can by standing on a thick pad of paper towels. Then use an enzyme cleaner made for pet urine, following the label; enzymes break down the uric acid that causes the smell, which vinegar and soap do not. Let it work for the time on the label, blot, and let it air dry. Never use ammonia-based cleaners: urine contains ammonia, and the smell can draw the pet back to the same spot. If the smell returns on humid days, the urine has reached the pad and needs professional extraction.

5. Pet vomit and feces

Remove solids carefully with a spoon or dull knife. Blot, then treat with an enzyme cleaner, blot and rinse. Disinfect the area afterwards if children play on the floor.

6. Blood

Use cold water only; heat sets blood. Blot with cold water, then a little dish soap solution. For a dried stain, a little 3% hydrogen peroxide on a cloth, tested first, can lift the last trace. Rinse and blot dry.

7. Chewing gum and wax

Hold an ice cube in a bag on the gum until it is hard and brittle, then scrape it off with a dull knife. For candle wax, scrape off the excess, then lay a paper bag over the spot and press a warm (not hot) iron on the bag for a few seconds so the bag absorbs the wax. Use a clean part of the bag each time. Treat any coloured wax residue with rubbing alcohol on a cloth.

8. Ink and marker

Dab rubbing alcohol onto a white cloth, not onto the carpet, and blot the ink. Change to a clean part of the cloth often so you lift the ink rather than spread it. Rinse with water and blot dry. Permanent markers may only fade, not disappear completely.

9. Makeup and nail polish

Foundation and lipstick are oily: treat them like grease. Nail polish needs acetone-free polish remover tested on a hidden spot first, because acetone can dissolve some synthetic carpet fibres. Blot, rinse and dry.

10. Mud and winter salt

Let mud dry completely, then break it up and vacuum; wet mud smears. Treat any remaining mark with the dish soap solution.

Winter salt leaves white tide-marks on carpets near entrances and on stairs across Toronto and the GTA. Mix equal parts warm water and white vinegar, blot it onto the salt marks, wait five minutes, then blot with clean water and dry. Salt crystals are abrasive and wear carpet down, so vacuum entry carpets often in winter and book a deep clean in spring.

What never to do

• Rub or scrub the stain
• Use bleach or bleach-based sprays
• Use hot water on blood, urine, milk or egg
• Pour on several products one after another
• Leave soap in the carpet
• Use coloured cloths, which can transfer dye

When to call a professional

Call a professional when the stain has spread or reappeared after drying, when there is a smell, when the carpet is wool or an expensive rug, when a large area is affected, or when you have tried twice without success. Professional hot-water extraction reaches the base of the fibres and the backing, where home methods cannot, and our carpet and upholstery cleaning team treats each stain by type before extraction.

We clean carpets, stairs, area rugs and sofas across Toronto, Etobicoke, Mississauga and Brampton. Carpet cleaning pairs well with a deep clean or a move-out clean; see our current offers for seasonal savings.

Keep carpets cleaner for longer

• Take shoes off at the door and use mats inside and outside every entrance.
• Vacuum high-traffic areas twice a week with slow, overlapping passes.
• Keep a stain kit (white cloths, dish soap, vinegar, enzyme cleaner) where you can find it fast.
• Book a professional carpet clean every 12 to 18 months, or every six months with pets.