Keeping your carpet clean doesn’t just mean vacuuming regularly. It’s also knowing how to clean up a spill or mess right away to keep your carpet clean from developing stain spots. But I hate to be the one to tell you. Once the stain sets, it can come back. I’m not sure why, but I’ll have a big spot come back a few weeks after I have my carpet cleaned

Spills That Stain

I remember when my daughter spilled a large orange soda on our realtor beige carpet.  I blotted it as best could, and had a professional come in and steam clean it within a week. It looked great at the time. A few weeks later, though, a darker brown spot showed up.

So what you need is to deep clean immediately. If it happens often, you may wish to invest in a spot treater machine or special spot treatment chemicals.

Now, most places will tell you to blot instead of scrub because you want to get the liquid off the carpet as quickly as possible. A lot of stains will come out with club soda or mild dish soap in water.

Messy Stuff That Doesn’t Stain

Have you ever dropped a slice of pizza topping side down? I have. You need to clean off the grease without rubbing it into the carpeting. So for grease or anything grungy, you will want to mix a cup of warm water with 1/4 cup of mild liquid dish soap. Then take a soft rag and get it damp. Press the damp cloth into the grease stain. Leave it on for a few minutes. Then take the dry side of the cloth and blot it dry.

The important thing is to not grind the food into the carpet.  After it dries, then vacuum well.

When All Else Fails

I’m sorry to be gross, but I have cats. Ok, that’s not what’s gross. I was sort of used to furballs but didn’t like it. And I got bad about scrubbing rather than blotting the stain. Then one of my current cats did the butt scootch.  THAT is gross. And yes, cats can do that too.  She was leaving skid marks.  Thankfully she doesn’t do that anymore.

I tried using some stain treatment stuff that I bought at the store. I’m sure you’ve seen it as well. And I was using it on the orange soda spots. It didn’t really seem clean to me.  And I couldn’t keep hiring someone to come in and steam clean the carpets once a month.

So I broke down and bought a Shark floor cleaner off of QVC. I’m not sure that model is available anymore. I think it does a great job and I use it about every five to six months.

You will need to figure out what works best for you and your situation. Just remember to stay on top of blotting your stains so they don’t set. And then vacuum it when it’s dry to fluff the carpet back up.