• Home
  • About
  • Archives
  • Buttons
  • Contact

KnockOffDecor.com

DIY Home Decor and Project Ideas

Search

  • Pottery Barn
    • Pottery Barn Kids
    • Pottery Barn Teen
  • Ballard Designs
  • Anthropologie
  • West Elm
  • Restoration Hardware
    • RH Baby & Child
  • Blog
  • DIY
  • Subscribe

How to Clean Old Carpet Stains: 7 Effective Secrets

4:12 PM By Julia Carlisle

clean old carpet stains

Whoever said “Don’t cry over spilled milk” probably knew how to clean old carpet stains.

All jokes aside, as long as you get to the milk right away, it probably won’t stain your carpet unless it has time to dry. So, if you’ve been wondering how to clean old carpet stains, you’ve come to the right place.

Seven Tips on How to Clean Old Carpet Stains

We’ve compiled seven effective secrets to help you clean that dirty carpet, or at least lift the effects of a stain.

These range from scrubbing techniques to what works best in a DIY carpet cleaner, so you can cover all your bases when it comes to knowing how to clean old carpet stains.

1. Vinegar

That’s right, vinegar is often the stuff of magic. Mixing white vinegar with water is a great way to remove a carpet stain that is water-soluble, which means that the stain is able to be dissolved with water.

The vinegar assists in lifting the stain and getting the water to do its work. Examples of water-soluble stains are milk, berries, mud, and jelly.

2. Blotting

This tip has to do with the way that you scrub a stain out. “Blot, don’t rub” applies to the carpet too!

Blotting works because you further saturate the stain with your cleaning material. Blotting also keeps the stain in one place instead of moving it around by rubbing the carpet.

3. Hydrogen Peroxide

Another stain remover is hydrogen peroxide. This is especially helpful in removing blood, whether it’s from a paper cut or a bicycle tumble.

Hydrogen peroxide has a lot of strength, so loosening your stain with water and detergent is important before applying this directly to your stain.

4. Scraping

This is another scrubbing technique you can use for different stains.

Scraping is effective if you have an old stain that has dried, leaving a kind of crust. Examples of this are glue, blood, candy, and gum.

5. Ammonia

Ammonia is a stain remover you can combine with water to remove special-water soluble stains, just like vinegar but for different stain types.

These would be stains like wine, coffee, chocolate, and mustard.

6. Outside-In

The Outside-In technique is another way to attack stains when scrubbing. Similar to blotting, working at a stain from the outside and moving in towards the center will help contain the stain to one area.

This way, you minimize the risk of creating smears.

7. Keep Your Carpet Clean

Finally, it’s important to maintain a clean carpet regardless of stains. Making sure to clean your carpet whether it’s with your own tools or with professional carpet cleaning services keeps your carpet nice 24/7.

Assess your carpet every year to year and a half and see if your carpet could use a good cleaning.

If you have a good sized family or have regular foot traffic or pets, cook at home frequently or open your windows often you should at least try to suck out any grease and dirt that has settled into your carpet fibers.

Having a good carpet cleaning machine on hand for a once-over every now and then can go a long way towards keeping your carpet clean and in good shape for years to come.

Squeaky Clean

And now you know a little more about how to clean old carpet stains! With these seven tips, you’ll be well equipped for the next impending carpet mishap, whether it’s a food spill or a puppy accident.

If you liked this post, check out some of our other ones, and keep coming back for new content.

Filed Under: Blog

Sew Your Own Relaxed Roman Shade Longevity Matters: How Long Should a Roof Last?

About Knock off Decor

KnockOffDecor brings you home decor ideas, design tips and guides to care for your home. We feature tons of inspiring ideas and creative project tutorials from talented DIY bloggers. Come stay awhile, be inspired and create the  home you love!

Categories

Anthropologie Houzz Pottery Barn Teen
Ballard Designs Inspiration Restoration Hardware
Before & After Kate Spade RH Baby & Child
Crate & Barrel Land of Nod Serena & Lily
CB2 Magnolia Market Urban Outfitters
Decorate Makeovers West Elm
DIY Organization williams-sonoma
Entradas es Español Other Wisteria
Grandin Road Pier 1 World Market
Hacks Pottery Barn Z Gallerie
Horchow Pottery Barn Kids

Copyright © 2021 · Powered by Knock Off Decor

Privacy Policy & Disclosure
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.