Don’t panic if you spot a stain on your carpet. Today’s high-quality carpet fibres allow most stains to be easily removed. However, which cleaning method depends on the type of stain.
React quickly
Stains in carpets should always be treated immediately. The earlier you fight the stain, the easier the removal.
- Absorb liquids immediately with an absorbent cloth such as kitchen paper, toilet paper, cotton towel, ...
- Remove solid substances with a spoon. Any remaining residue can be treated.
- The majority of stains can be removed using tepid water.
- When applying cleaning agents, follow instructions on the packaging. Put on a cloth first and not directly onto the carpet and always test first in an inconspicuous area.
- By working your way inwards from the outer edge of a spot, you can prevent the stain from spreading.
- Avoid rubbing the stain, only dab it, as this can cause the stain to spread and damage the carpet.
- After applying the treatment, blot the area as dry as possible by applying pressure with paper towels or absorbent cloth.
- Apply a thick layer of paper towels over the wet area and weigh them down to dry the carpet.
- Brush the pile with your fingers to restore the texture after the area has dried.
If you are in any doubt, please contact a local cleaning expert.
Warning: Chlorine-containing products risk bleaching your carpet.
Tepid water
Tepid water is lukewarm, meaning that it is neither hot nor cold to the touch. Tepid water consists of two parts cold water and one part boiling water, which renders a temperature of about 40 degrees Celsius, which is round about 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
Stubborn stains
Most of the stains on carpets can be removed with a towel and tepid water as described above. Some stains however are best treated differently:
- Mud: Do not use water to remove a mud stain from a carpet. It is best to allow sand, mud and suchlike to dry out. When the stains have dried out you can thoroughly vacuum clean them.
- Candle wax: Moisten the carpet around the wax stain with cold water. This makes sure that the grease cannot penetrate deeper into the carpet. Then heat the candle wax with a hairdryer to make it liquid again. After a short while you can dab up the liquid candle wax with a towel. Caution! Never use an iron to heat up and remove candle wax from your carpet. You’ll risk leaving burn marks.
- Burns or scorch marks: do not use water on these stains. The carpet material has been damaged and cleaning is no longer possible. Cut off the hairs. Take new carpet fibres from a spare piece and adhere this to the bald patch with glue. Special solutions exist to remove very stubborn stains. We recommend the products from James and Dr. Schutz: www.james.eu and www.dr-schutz.com