Walking on a carpet is a great feeling and carpets make our home look pretty, but cleaning them and keeping them stainless is another issue that we battle almost every single day. Carpets get dirty very quickly as we tend to walk on them with our shoes and also spill all sorts of stuff on it. there are things like coffee which stain hard and are not so easy to clean.
Coffee stains can destroy the whole look of the carpet, making it look ugly and unwelcoming. Since we tend to get coffee stains on our clothes as well, cleaning out those stains and the ones on the carpet does not require different techniques. The best thing you can do when you spill coffee is to clean it up right away so that it does not stain deep; grab a couple of paper towels of a clean cloth and clean. As soon as you have removed all the liquid coffee from the area, you can focus on removing the stain. Leaving the stain for a long time means that it will become stubborn, making it difficult to remove. But there is a solution, and even though it will take more effort, you will finally be able to remove the stain (it might take more than one try). Remember, if you rub the stain, then the chances are that it will spread out instead of clearing up, so don’t agitate it.
Cleaning solution options
Before you tackle the coffee stain on the carpet, you need to figure out which cleaning solution you would like to use. Here are a few options:
Lemon juice
All you have to do is add two cups of water, make sure that it’s lukewarm, and then add 1/4th cup lemon juice to it. Freshly squeezed lemon juice will be most effective for this solution. Stir properly and the solution will be ready to use.
Vinegar and dish soap
One of the most common and effective solutions that you can easily make using home products; mix one tbsp dish soap and one tbsp white vinegar in 2 cups of warm water. Stir the solution until it is mixed well.
Club soda
You need to use club soda that does not come with any type of color or flavors. You can either spray the club soda on the stain or you can pour it directly on it.
Commercial solution
You will find many stain removal solutions in the store near you, try one that you think will be best suited for difficult stains.
Testing the solution
To make sure that your solution will work and that it does not fade away the color of the carpet, test it out on a small part of the stained area. Apply the solution and wait for around 25 minutes, then check the color of the area you applied the solution. If the color fades or the result is not what you expected, then opt for a different solution.
How to remove the coffee stain
The amount of work that you need to put in stain removal will depend on the type of carpet you have; if you have a normal carpet then you will be done quickly, but carpets like a shag carpet or ones with long fibers, you will have to apply a lot of work. Make sure that the stain is completely dry before you start to work with the cleaning solution. Start by:
Blotting up
First and foremost take a cloth and blot up the liquid on the carpet. Make sure to use the clean parts of the cloth to make sure that the entire coffee has been soaked up. To ensure that the stain does not spread, start dabbing up the liquid from the outside and make your way inside. Ensure that you do not scrub the coffee as you will end up damaging the carpet and the fibers.
Coldwater
Take a little cold water and pour it on the coffee stain and take a different cloth to clean up the liquid. Repeat the process, if the area affected is bigger, then it is best to repeat these steps at least a few times. Make sure that the carpet is not over saturated as you aim to dilute the coffee and clean it with a cloth.
Use the stain remover
Whatever cleaning solution you have opted for, apply that to the affected area. Make sure that you use a suitable amount of solution, but do not overdo it as because of it, more dirt can get attached. Give the carpet a good amount of time to dry up. Once it is completely dry, vacuum so that the fibers can become fluffy again.
Keep an eye
You will need to keep a watch over the area where the coffee spilled so that you can check for reoccurrence. The stain will come back if the coffee had reached deeper into the carpet than you thought, or maybe you did not apply enough cleaning solution. to make sure that this time you get the entire liquid out, place a towel on the affected area and place a heavy weight on top of it, then repeat the steps mentioned above.
You find an old coffee stain or one that is persistent and keeps popping up, and then apply some water on the area. in case you have a wool blend or a wool carpet, then make sure that you add a little ammonia to the water you pour on the stain (one tbsp ammonia to 1 cup water), or you can ask professional carpet cleaners for advice. Blot the water solution on the carpet and leave it for at least 5 minutes. To clean the carpet and dry it off, the first blot with water and then blot with a dry towel or cloth and repeat the process a few times, and then let the carpet dry completely.
If you are not sure about the type of carpet you have, then the safest way to clean is to mix dish soap into water (3 drops vs. 1 cup). Blot the solution into the carpet once and then start blotting water and a dry cloth, alternatively and let dry.