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How to Remove Carpet Stains

Nothing makes your heart sink like seeing a stain slowly spreading across your freshly vacuumed carpet, which is why we’ve put together the ultimate three-step guide about how to remove carpet stains. With some fast action and a little vinegar, your carpet will be stain-free in no time!

Close-up of a person blotting a carpet spill with a folded paper towel.

Step One: Jump into action!

The first step in how to remove carpet stains? Move as quickly as possible! Grab a handful of paper towels and begin to gently blot up the stain, whether it’s coffee or Kool-Aid. When you think you’ve gotten most of it, fold over another towel and press on the stain for another 30 seconds to get down between the carpet fibers.

A person blotting a carpet spill with a folded white dish cloth, with a nearby bowl of a lemon and water mixture.

Step Two: Remove the worst of the stain with soapy water

Once the excess liquid is blotted up, it’s time to deal with the remaining stain. Add a teaspoon of a gentle dish soap into about two cups of warm water. Using a white cloth or a strong white paper towel, dip the cloth into the soapy water and then repeatedly and gently blot the stain from the outside in. If your cloth or paper towel is beginning to turn the color of the stain, rinse it out or replace it and keep blotting! Once you can’t see any color on the carpet or on your cloth, set the soapy cloth over the stain and put some sort of heavy object on it for about ten minutes. If this takes care of the stain, congratulations! If not, move on to step three.

A person blotting a carpet spill with a folded white dish cloth, with a nearby bottle of white vinegar.

Step Three: Bring in vinegar for stain removal if soap isn’t enough

It’s time to welcome our favorite household cleaning product to the stage: vinegar. If the soapy water wasn’t enough to completely tackle the stain, it’s time to mix two cups of warm water with one cup of vinegar. Continue blotting the stain until the cloth is no longer picking up any color and the color is no longer visible in the carpet.

Comments (3)

Thanks for the the wonderful tips I really can use them!

Soda Water in a spray bottle is also good for dog pee stains. First blot with paper towels and then spray w/soda water and blot with heavy paper towels. Does the trick.

Everyday I’d look at the three dark stains on my carpet and just walk over them wondering what to do. Then on line I saw, your review on, How to Remove Carpet Stains well I said why not try it. The blotting plus, it WORKS! And I thank you.

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