No matter how careful as we try to be, accidents still happen, and we end up trying to figure out how to remove certain stains from our rental homes and offices before we vacate so as not to lose our bond.
Instead of experimenting with all sorts of chemicals and pricy cleaning agents, we’ve found the best ways to remove 10 common stains from your carpets.
Vomit
After removing as much vomit as you can from the carpet, you should sponge a mixture of dishwashing detergent and water onto the affected area. To remove the odour, you can use an enzymatic cleaning agent that breaks down the odour-causing proteins.
Urine
The first step to remove the urine odour from your carpet is to rehydrate the dried urine areas by pouring a mix of 2:1 warm water and white vinegar onto the carpet.
Use about 3 cups’ worth of the mixture to soak up the urine effectively, and stand atop a few layers of folded towels to transfer the moisture into your towels until no more moisture transfer is observed.
Rust
Sponge or spray some lemon juice onto the stain and leave it for no more than 10 minutes. Then mix five drops of dishwashing detergent into a cup of water and sponge this mixture onto the stain before blotting it dry.
Repeat this process several times and if the stain remains, you can replace the lemon juice with white vinegar and continue the repetition.
Crayon
You can soak rubbing alcohol in the stained area for 30 minutes before dabbing the stain with a white cloth until the stain is removed.
Alternatively, you can spray WD-40 over the stain and wait for several minutes before wiping the area. Afterwards, you can respray WD-40 and apply some dish detergent atop the sprayed area.
Work in with a small brush and the stain should completely disappear.
Chewing Gum
Pack some ice cubes into a ziplock bag, and place the bag onto the chewing gum for about 5 minutes to harden it.
Then, scrape off the chewing gum with a metal spoon and sponge the affected area with carpet stain removers.
You can also use dishwashing liquid along with eucalyptus oil to dissolve the chewing gum, replacing the need for an ice packet.
Mould
You will need to use an antifungal or antimicrobial cleaning agent to kill mould. Mould can use the carpet wool and padding as food sources, so it is important that you inject these cleaning agents into the padding itself.
Nail Polish
After removing as much nail polish as possible, blot the stain with a towel until no more colour transfer is observed.
Then, continue blotting the stain with a cloth soaked in nail polish remover from different directions. Finally, mix dishwashing detergent with water and sponge and blot the area and repeat this process with fresh water.
Fruit Juice
After soaking up most of the spillage with a sponge or a towel, spray the area with cold water and continue to blot dry by applying downward pressure on the cloth.
You can clear the stubborn stains by using a stain remover or by mixing one teaspoon of dishwashing detergent with one litre of water.
Blood
Blot the blood stain by applying downward pressure with a towel, and extract the blood with cold water bit by bit so that the stain does not spread.
Then, add a few drops of dish detergent and gently work into the carpet so that the carpet fibres are not damaged.
If a stain persists, you can use a carpet stain remover.
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