Category Archives: Stain Removal

When to know to clean your rug

Published December 8, 2016 By Aladdin

Some people think that when rugs need to be cleaned they can just beat them against a hard railing to get rid of all the dust. However this isn’t the best approach because it doesn’t provide the most thorough clean. Most fine rugs are made of wool. Wool not only acts as a warm surface, but also as a filter for removing dampness, dust, and bacteria from the air. In many ways, a wool rug or carpet acts as an air filter. Unfortunately, that makes them susceptible to becoming quite dirty over time – so dirty that a simple beating won’t work at all to clean it.

How to know it’s dirty enough to warrant a cleaning

If you want to check how dirty your rug is and if it needs a professional clean, pick up a corner of the rug and kick it’s underside.. If dust and wool fiber fly out don’t worry, that’s normal. But if a massive cloud flies out – it’s probably time to get your rug professionally cleaned. Another cleanliness test can be conducted by rubbing the rug’s fabric f or 10 to 15 seconds, and if your hand comes off dirty, it certainly needs a clean.

Cleaning Methods

The best way to clean is by placing a rug in a utility room or area where you don’t mind getting dirty. A somewhat clean outdoor area is the best. First, vacuum both sides of the rug. Then shampoo the rug with cool water and soap – the best kind is a rug shampoo. Never use ammonia or a harsh detergent. Always test the shampoo against any color run in a small area of the rug first. Then use a soft long hair brush or a firm sponge that doesn’t shed. Brush or rub it against the rug in the direction of the weave when it’s fully covered in soapy water. Wash fringes as well, and always brush them away from the rug. Then rinse off the rug with water – you can use a window squeegee to get out all the excess water – but always do so in the direction of the weave. Lay out the rug flat to dry, and once the exposed side feels fully dry, flip it over to allow the other side to dry. If the rug is way too stiff, brush it gently or vacuum it lightly. If the stain still remains, take it to a professional rug cleaner.

Getting rid of Oil Stains

Published October 11, 2016 By Aladdin

You can remove any type of oil stain from carpets with this technique. Before starting these steps, gently blot a cloth or paper towel on the stain, taking care not to embed the oil deeper into the carpet- blot fromt he outside of the perimeter of the stain in.

Corn Starch or Baking Soda

Cover the stain with cornstarch or baking soda powder. They will soak up all moisture including oil.

Rub baking soda or cornstarch into carpeting – with just the right amount of pressure to make the powder penetrate into the carpet. If you’re dealing with a large stain use a large brush, and a toothbrush for smaller ones.

Allow the powder to set in

Leave it for at least 15 minutes – longer is fine, and then use a vacuum cleaner to suck it out of your carpet.

Drip liquid detergent onto the stained area

Rub it into the carpet with a small brush and put a tiny amount of warm water over the stain area and immediately blot it up with a cloth or sponge – there will be soap suds. Do this until the carpet is dry.

Let the Carpet dry outside

Check to see if the stain is still there, and if it is, repeat the whole process again. If it doesn’t work, move on to the next step.

Rubbing Alcohol

Place rubbing alcohol on a cloth and dab it onto the stain – the alcohol will ideally dissolve the oil. Once it’s dried, rinse the whole stain with oil, and then blot the oil up. If this doesn’t work, move on to the next step.

Dry Cleaning Solvent

Place dry cleaning solvent on a cloth or paper towel and test it on a small hidden area of your carpet. If the test doesn’t leave a mark, blot the stain with it, moving from the outside of the perimeter in to avoid spreading the stain around. Let the stain dry, and see if the oil stain is still there after some time. If it is, repeat the process again a few times until the stain has disappeared. If this still hasn’t worked, contact a carpet cleaning professional.

Common Carpet Cleaning Mistakes

Published September 17, 2016 By Aladdin

Here’s how to avoid making the most common carpet cleaning mistakes – spot cleaning carpets is something that every carpet owner has to do once in awhile. Whether your pet had an accident, or you spilled a glass of red wine, your carpet can sustain quite a proverbial barrage of stains. There’s a great combination of methods that you can use to remove the most common kinds of stains and spills (all of which you can find on our blog) but there’s also tactics that should NEVER EVER be used while you’re cleaning your carpets.

Check out the below tips to learn what any carpet or rug owner should NEVER EVER attempt while trying to get rid of a stain.

Colored Towels

Never use a colored towel to dab or soak up a stain! If you’re using a towel or rag that has color, you are risking the chance of the color bleeding or soaking down onto the carpet fibers – this is a phenomenon called color transfer. Never use a red or dark blue rag on a light colored carpet – this will no doubt stain it seriously – if you want to avoid causing color transfer, use a white cotton towel or white paper towels to do all the dabbing or soaking up that you need to do.

Over the Counter Carpet Cleaners

For the most part, avoid using any products advertised as Carpet Cleaner, whether it’s foam, cleansing liquid, or spray. These products often leave a hard to remove residue inside your carpet which, over time, attracts a bunch of dust and soil, leaving you with a gross brown spot inside an area that once looked clean. These soaps are tailor made to attract soil and dirt, and then get washed away with water – when over the counter cleaners are used, you won’t be able to properly wash away the soap, so it stays on your carpet fibers and continues to attract soil, causing a stain that you can’t remove.

Rubbing

Only blot stains on rugs – never use a rubbing motion to attempt their removal. This is one of the most common carpet or rug cleaning mistakes, since most people simply don’t believe that it really causes damage. Scrubbing stains on carpets simply just spread the stain around, creating a much larger and more diffused mess. Remember to blot the stain – don’t rub it. If you need more pressure when you’re blotting, stand on the blotting material pressing it down – this will help move the spill or stain to the towel you’re cleaning it up with.

Toughest Stains to Remove

Published September 1, 2016 By Aladdin

Many carpet owners understand that the severity of stains vary based on what kind of liquid caused the stain to start with. While dirt and mud can pose one problem, red wine or oil can be a whole different nightmare. Some kinds of stains can be removed with relative ease, while some other kinds of stains require quite a bit more effort, as well as some specialized cleaning tactics. Then there’s the worst kinds of stains – that really do require intervention from a carpet and rug cleaning professional. In this blog entry, I’ll review the 5 worst possible carpet stains – and how to deal with them.

Red Wine Stains

Even if red wine has been proven to contribute to heart health, it certainly won’t help your heart when your carpet becomes immersed in the red liquid. We recommend blotting up fresh wine spills to remove as much liquid as possible, and then using a clean cloth to dab away the stain with a cleaning solution made of a tablespoon of hand safe dishwashing liquid, a tablespoon of white vinegar, and two cups of warm water. Make sure to sponge off the carpet with water after using the solution to avoid making it smell like vinegar. If this stain is proving extremely tough, use a mixture of one part handwashing liquid, two parts hydrogen peroxide, and extreme elbow grease – just make sure to test it on a small area of the carpet first to make sure it doesn’t damage or bleach it – and always make sure to wipe it off with a slightly wet cloth after using it.

Pet Related Stains

If your pet follows the call of nature on your carpet or rug, soak up as much of the liquid with newspaper or towels as soon as possible, wash it with cold water, and let it dry. We recommend using a store-bought cleaner or odor neutralizer – however, some stains might require a bit more effort. Don’t use any stain removal tools that add any heat to the carpet, as heat will set the stain in place. If this strategy doesn’t work initially, then re wet the carpet, and spray it with an enzyme cleaner (you can find these at many pet stores) directly on the stain. Let the cleaner soak in overnight, then soak it all up with paper towels. If none of these work, consider using a wet vac.

Blood

We recommend dabbing blood stains with a solution made of two cups of cold water and a tablespoon of hand dishwashing soap. If this doesn’t work, dampen it with a teeny amount of hydrogen peroxide – of course, making sure that it doesn’t stain or bleach your carpet or rug. Leave the hydrogen peroxide on the stain for up to an hour, and dab at it with a cloth – try repeating this as many times as you can. If hydrogen peroxide doesn’t lift up the stain, contact a professional cleaner – the sooner you deal with a blood stain, the better, as it’s much easier to remove before it dries and sets in.

Long Lasting Stains

If you have a stain that’s remained on a carpet or rug since before you can remember, make sure to enlist the efforts of hydrogen peroxide based cleaning products – and if this doesn’t work, a professional wet vac cleaning service. We can’t promise that even these strategies will work on stains that have long established their home on carpets or rugs, but we can say that in these situations, hiring a professional cleaner is the best bet. The only other alternative is to place furniture on top of the stain to hide it.

Bleach

This is the worst possible stain. Put protective rubber gloves on, soak up the bleach stain with a cloth, and then use the cold water and dishwashing liquid solution to dab the stain up from the outside. Bleach will lighten the color of your carpet, so it needs to be diluted, removed, and soaked up as soon as possible if you want to avoid any long lasting damage. So if you see bleach spill on your carpet or rug, spring into action as soon as possible – otherwise, prepare to get used to an oddly colored blotch that you can always cover up with furniture.

How to remove blood from carpet

Published August 3, 2016 By Aladdin

Accidents around the home happen. It’s just a fact of life. If you scratch yourself while cleaning, or your dog accidentally scratches it’s paw, you might leave a bright red trail of blood across the rug. In case this happens, it’s imperative that you act immediately! If you follow the steps that I detail in this blog entry – as soon as possible – your carpet (regardless of it’s material of pile type) will find itself fresh and clean, good as new. Additionally, there’s another very effective method that works fantastically on dried blood stains.

Removing Fresh Blood from Carpets

First Step

The first thing to do, as soon as you notice a stain, is to blot the area with an absorbent paper towel to absorb and remove any excess blood that hasn’t soaked into it. Make sure to BLOT – not to scrub or rub – as doing those things will only spread the stain and make it worse.

Second Step

Place a few drops of mild liquid dish detergent into a bowl or bucket with a few cups of cold water. Make sure to use as cold water as possible, as hot water will only set the stain into the fibers of the carpet, making the discoloration almost impossible to get rid of. Make sure to be somewhat careful and discerning regarding the amount of drops of dish detergent that you mix in! Any soap that remains after cleaning will just attract more dirt, and the blood stain will become a dark spot.

Third Step

Make a white rag or cloth wet with the home-made cleaning solution, and gently use a sponge to apply it to the top of the stain – again NOT rubbing or scrubbing it. Keep wetting the cloth and blotting the stain until all the blood comes up from the carpet. You might need to repeat this step a few times depending on the size or depth of the stain.

Fourth Step

Using a dry section of absorbent cloth or paper towels, blot up all the water from the carpet to allow it to dry as much and as fast as possible. If the stain covers a large area, aiming a fan into the room to circulate the air faster, or using a hair dryer on it’s cool setting could help hasten the drying process. By quickly drying the area, you will reduce any of the chances that blood that got deeply set within the carpet’s pile will come back up and become visible after the surface stain was removed.

Removing Dry Blood Stains from Carpets

Immediately take a stiff, bristly brush to the stained area and brush it firmly to help crumble the stain up, and then vacuum all the remaining particles up. Then, move to the Second Step of the tips for removing fresh stains from carpets detailed above.