DIY stain removal on carpet and rug

DIY stain Removal – Things to avoid so you do not cause irreversible damage

You have just arrived at home and found your pet had an accident on the carpet. Could not be at a worse time as you expect important guests tonight and the accident is right in the middle of the lounge carpet. You MUST get rid of that mark. The word Elbow grease comes to mind – Nothing a good old scrub would not get rid of.

Sadly now – 2 weeks layer – all you see when you walk into the room is that ugly fuzzy mark on the carpet. Oh, how you wish you rather did not use that stiff nylon brush to scrub the carpet! There is now also a very light mark that forms a sort of a Halo around this devil of a stain. If we can take you back in time what would you do differently? Here are some pointers to remember before we load you into the time machine to send you back to just before you gave that mark all the elbow-grease you could – Let’s hope on your 2nd attempts you manage it better

What to do

1. Scare up any excess soiling from the carpet with a blunt instrument – but be gentle.
2. Use a neutral PH carpet spot remover – preferably one that is a specialist product for your type of carpet
3. Follow the instructions on the bottle
4. Dab the stain with an absorbent white cotton towel

  What NOT to do

1. Avoid using brushes to scrub at the mark
2. Avoid bleaching products or any product that reference “oxi” – it contains bleaching agents
3. Keep working at it – if it does not look better after a few short attempts you will unlikely be able to remove it and probably only make it worse

What to do if your basic attempts do not get rid of it? Give the professionals a call.

Think of it this way – How much is your carpet worth? The average good quality carpet costs between £60 – £100 per sq meter.

The price for uplift and installation of a new carpet comes to about £12 – 15 per sq meter – your room is probably about 12 – 15 sq meter – This means the carpet you may possibly damage has a replacement cost of £864.00 at the lower end and £1725.

The cost of a professional carpet cleaner will be about £120 – £150 to do this for you and if you have not caused damage in your attempts at removing it, the stain maybe 100% removable.

Head over to the National Carpet Cleaners Association to find some pro’s contact details.  

Art of Clean is a specialist flooring and soft furnishing cleaning firm in Cambridge working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk, and Hertfordshire.

For further advice or information on our carpet and soft furnishing care please don’t hesitate to contact the Art of Clean team on 01223 863632 in Cambridge. Our services include Carpet Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning, oriental and area Rug Cleaning, Curtain Cleaning, Patio and Driveway Pressure washing, Leather Cleaning, Stone and Tile Floor Cleaning and Wood Floor Sanding and Restoration. We also supply new flooring and carpets through our sister company Art of Flooring. Our Dry Cleaning service is provided by Farthings Cambridge