Carpets and rugs create a warm and welcoming atmosphere while providing a comfortable surface for walking and sitting. In this article, we’re going to go over how to get blood out of carpet, how to remove any blood stain, and make homemade carpet cleaners.
Carpet is unmatched in its ability to help insulate your floors by preventing energy loss – and protecting your toes against cold floors in the winter. Unfortunately, carpet has one major drawback versus wood or tile floors: a blood spot, burst pen, naughty pet, or a spilled drink can ruin the fabric.
Learn how to get rid of some specific stains (blood, nail polish, pet, vomit, and red wine) and recipes to fight them, in case your all-purpose cleaner is struggling to get the job done. Learn a variety of general all-purpose homemade cleaner recipes that should work for most stains.
How to Get Blood Stains Out of Your Carpet
What could be worse for a room than a stained carpet? Think about it – you have your furniture arranged just the way you like. Sun is shining in through the windows. The color scheme is spot-on. Martha Stewart is knocking at your front door asking for design tips.
And then, you see the blood stain. You remember where it came from, clear as day. The spilled cut foot or the little wound. Your kids, parading through the room after soccer practice.
Fido, when he was a puppy. It may be a small stain, but you notice it. Suddenly, your five-star setup feels like a cheap motel on the side of the highway. All your hard work, ruined!
Not all stains are created equal. For simple stains, our DIY carpet stain remover works very well. However, some stains can be nearly impossible to get out of carpets. Here are some difficult-to-remove stains, as well as the best ways to get blood out of your carpet.
How to Clean Blood from Carpet
Blood from stubbed toes, scrapes, and other minor cuts can leave small but noticeable stains on your carpet. Try to remove the stain as soon as it occurs since fresh blood is much easier to be removed. The longer the blood stain has to dry the harder it will be to get out of the carpet.
Dish soap can be a useful cleaner when trying to remove blood from any carpet or rug. Simple directly applied liquid laundry detergent will also work if the spot is rather small.
If the stain dries, use steel wool or a similar brush to remove any remaining dried blood. Next, dish soap and cold water. Blot the blood with the mixture until the stain is gone.
If you’re finding that dish soap and water doesn’t quite do the trick, you might need to apply a harsher chemical to get the results you want. Ammonia does a great job at removing blood stains, but use it in moderation so you won’t discolor the carpet if you use too much.
For stubborn carpet blood stains, mix ammonia with warm water, and blot the stain. Next, apply a clean sponge dipped in cold water. Dry and repeat as necessary until the stain is gone. We have also tried some blood carpet cleaner with hydrogen peroxide, but we found them too aggressive with a tendency to bleach the rug.
Alternatively, you can mix hydrogen peroxide with dish soap and apply it directly to a smaller blood spot. This simple peroxide-dish soap carpet cleaner works really well on blood but also on urine stains. Period blood does come out of clothes and carpet with a little scrubbing and the right cleaner.
The ammonia recipe or the hydrogen peroxide recipe may also remove Sharpie from carpet. Dabbing the area with a cloth dampened with alcohol may also get rid of the unwanted stain. Repeat applications may be necessary, especially if the mark is big.
How to Make a Homemade Carpet Cleaner
Simplicity is usually the way to go. Why overcomplicate things? Sure, you might end up needing to run down to the store to pick up bottled carpet cleaner, but you might as well try some easier methods first. Why not use some of the ingredients you have at home to make your own?
You might remember this mixture from your high school science experiment. A combination of vinegar and baking soda not only creates an impressive papier-mache volcano, but it’s often the best way to clean a variety of stains.
Vinegar removes the stains while the bake soda neutralizes odors. You can use this mixture for stains that are hard on the eyes (like a wine stain) as well as one that smells bad (like a pet stain).
Mix warm water, white vinegar, and baking soda. The mixture can be applied from a bowl or mixed in a spray bottle for easier application. Spray the affected area with the baking soda and vinegar mixture and let sit for five minutes before blotting with a clean cloth.
In a lot of cases, especially on dried blood stains, this is going to do the trick. The faster you apply the solution, the better the results, and the less likely that you’re going to see a long-lasting stain.
But what if you have a stain that has been an eyesore in your living room for a while?
For dried or set in stains, use a mixture of dish soap and vinegar. Mix dish soap and white vinegar with warm water. Soak a clean cloth in the solution and dab at the stain.
Use a second, dry cloth to dab the liquid and alternate between dabbing the solution on and patting it dry. Wet the entire stain with cold water and dab it dry after you’ve applied the solution and dried it several times.
Be patient with this process because you might have to do it a few times before the stain starts to fade. It’s been there for a while, after all, and stains like to stick around! Persevere, keep applying, and dabbing, and sooner or later you should start seeing the stain start to fade.
How to Clean Nail Polish from Carpet
Spilled nail polish is notorious for ruining carpets, especially in bathrooms or girls’ bedrooms. If the nail polish has just spilled, quickly blot away any excess polish using a clean microfiber cloth or paper towel.
Rubbing or smearing the polish will cause it to spread and set faster. For small stains, non-acetone fingernail polish remover or rub alcohol is often able to get the polish out without damaging carpets. Rubbing alcohol can also be used to clean your microfiber couch from stains.
For large or set-in stains, the cleaning solution you need to get nail polish out of carpet might be an arm’s length away: hairspray. Hairspray can be effective at removing nail polish.
First, wet the carpet stain with water. Then, spray about 15-20 squirts of hairspray directly onto the stain. Using a clean toothbrush, scrub the stain for 2-3 minutes. Repeat this process until the stain has disappeared.
Have you thought about using window cleaner to remove nail polish stains? Spray window cleaner onto a sponge or cloth, then rub it into the stain and scrub in a circular motion. Rinse with water and let dry. Remove as necessary if you’re finding that one application does not remove the stain.
How to Clean Pet Stains from Carpet
The problem with pet stains is that odors can linger long after the stain has gone away. Because of this, it is essential to use a cleaner that will not only get rid of the discoloration on the carpet but also prevent pet odors from lingering.
Overall, your best bet will be to use the all-purpose mixture of vinegar and baking soda. The vinegar will take care of the stain, and the baking soda will help to remove pet odor from carpet.
How to Clean Red Wine from Carpets
When it comes to red wine it is very similar to blood stains, the longer the liquid soaks into the carpet, the more difficult the stain will be to get out. If you spill a glass of red wine, start by blotting the stain with a clean, dry cloth to remove as much of the excess liquid as possible.
Next, pour small amounts of cold water onto the stain and continue blotting, which helps dilute the remaining wine in the carpet. Apply a generous amount of salt onto the damp stain, leaving it to sit for several hours.
The salt will draw out the remaining moisture in the carpet and should eventually turn pink. When the salt is dry, scrape up the excess and then vacuum the carpet to remove any remaining salt.
How to Clean Vomit from Carpets
Vomit can difficult to deal with under the best circumstances. Begin by removing as much of the vomit as possible. Next, use clean rags to dab at and soak up any remaining liquid.
Sprinkle cornstarch or baking soda on the stain and let sit for 15 minutes before vacuuming it up. For small or minimal stains, applying club soda or a mixture of vinegar, dish detergent, baking soda, and water to the stain should remove it.
How to Clean Car Carpet
If the mixture below doesn’t do the trick, consider using baby wipes, dry cleaning clothes (like Dryel), club soda, or ammonia.
Cleaning car carpet is a two-step process. First, mix warm water, dish detergent, and vinegar in a spray bottle. Set the bottle aside so the mixture can set. Next, mix baking soda and warm water.
Start by using the toothbrush to apply the baking soda mixture to the stain. You’ll want to be gentle – aim for coverage. Let the mixture sit on the stain(s) for about 30 minutes.
Use a paper towel to blot the baking soda mixture. Absorb as much liquid as possible. The carpet should only feel slightly damp to the touch.
Use the spray bottle to apply the detergent and vinegar mixture, starting at the front of your vehicle and working your way to the back. Work the mixture into the stains (again, gently) with the toothbrush and let the solution sit for about 15 minutes. Last but not least, use more paper towels to dry the mixture.
The chemicals may leave a “cleaning” smell in your car, so consider leaving the windows open for the remainder of the day to let the vehicle air out.
How to Clean a Rug
While many carpet cleaning tricks can also work on rugs, you might need different cleaning techniques on area rugs versus their wall-to-wall counterparts. First, because they are moveable, rugs can be removed to be cleaned.
While this may be more difficult for large area rugs, the ability to move a rug to clean it – including taking it to a professional – can make them easier to clean than other carpets. Many professional cleaning services submerge or wash the entire rug at the same time as opposed to spot treatment, which can prevent discoloration in areas that have been spot treated as well as refresh the whole rug.
However, it is essential to note that many rugs do not have stain resistant or repelling coats applied. While stain repellent is now considered a standard feature for carpets, rugs often lack this feature. Stains may seep in and set more quickly on a rug than they would carpet.
Treating and cleaning a stained rug can be done at home or by a professional. While effective, professional cleaning can also be expensive.
Rugs can also be spot treated at home in much the same way as carpets. To prevent areas of discoloration from the carpet cleaner always test the product on an inconspicuous area before treating the larger stain.
Let No Stain Ruin Your Day
Spilling anything – wine, food, nail polish or a small blood stain – can be a drag. Not only do you have to clean it up, but you have to do so knowing full well that if you do so improperly, you risk creating a stain that will be an eyesore for years to come.
On the bright side, now you’re equipped with a variety of homemade stain removal recipes and the know-how to use them. Whether it’s a freshly spilled glass of wine or the leftovers of salsa from years ago, you have the power to get rid of any number of stains.
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