Carpets continue to be the most utilized flooring material in most office spaces, buildings, and commercial establishments. And this is not some front-page story. Carpets offer a cost-effective alternative to hardwood floors, provide a safer, more soundproof option, and generally upgrade the professional appearance of your space. This is why carpets have remained the go-to flooring material for the longest time.

However, carpets, being made of fiber and all, can be tough to clean especially when stubborn dirt, coffee spills, and other stains come to the picture. Furthermore, the longer that these carpets remain untreated and uncleaned, the tougher it is to get those nasty stains out of the picture. Your common cleaning agent might not be able to do the work.

The number one rule when it comes to dealing with carpet stains is to understand what kind of fiber your carpet is made of. Different fibers call for different solutions, and therefore, different cleaning agents. What may work for one type of carpet may actually ruin another type, so identifying what your carpet is made of is critical to achieving good cleaning conditions afterward.

Furthermore, different stain culprits and nasties may also require different treatments so that is also something that you need to consider. 

So how should you go about the whole carpet stain cleaning process? Here is the lowdown on how to remove carpet stains.

Below, we have compiled a list of homemade solutions on how to treat various carpet stains. Since most of these cleaning agents are DIY, you can easily whip a cleaning solution to immediately treat sudden carpet stains. 

Preparing the solutions

Homemade cleaning solutions for synthetic carpets

• Detergent solution. Create this solution using ¼ teaspoon of clear dishwashing liquid and 1 cup of lukewarm water.
• Vinegar solution. Combine 1 cup of white vinegar with 2 cups of water.
• Solvent solution. Solvents are known for their strong cleaning properties. Pick an oil solvent. In any case, you can also use a nail polish remover just as long as it is not acetone-based.

Get a clean white cloth and dip it into the solution of your choice. Use this to get rid of the stains on your carpet. Avoid pouring the solutions directly on your carpet as it can cause even the slightest of damage.

Homemade cleaning solutions for natural-fiber carpets

• Detergent solution. Combine 1 teaspoon of clear dishwashing liquid and 1 lukewarm water.
• Vinegar solution. Mix ¼ cup of white vinegar with ¼ cup of water. 
• Ammonia solution. Put together 1 tablespoon of clear ammonia and ½ cup of lukewarm water. 
• Solvent solution. Similar to synthetic-fiber carpets, you can also use an oil solvent or a non-acetone nail polish remover for carpets made of natural fiber.

Once you have created your solutions, you can put them in spray bottles and use them to produce a light mist that you can spray directly to the stain. For the solvent solution, use a white cloth dipped into it to treat the stains instead of putting the solution into a spray bottle.

Dealing with different stains

Food and drink stains on synthetic carpets

Stains are commonly caused by food and drink spills, particularly ketchup, coffee, tea, chocolate, beer, milk, tomato sauce, juice, soda, and fruits like berries. Below is a quick instruction on how to work on this food and drink stains.

1. Using a clean white cloth or a clean white paper towel dipped into the detergent solution, work on the stain by pressing the cloth on the spot. Do this repeatedly, letting the cloth rest on the spot for a few seconds. Wait for 15 minutes. Using a different dry cloth, soak up the excess solution. 
2. Follow the step above, but this time, use the vinegar solution. This is to remove the detergent residue. 
3. Rinse the carpet by blotting a cloth that has been soaked in lukewarm water. Let the carpet dry entirely. 
4. Repeat the following steps if you see any significant improvement in your carpets.

Food and drink stains on natural carpets

Spray the coffee, beer, tea, ketchup, and tomato sauce stains using the solutions in this order:

• Detergent solution 
• Vinegar solution
• Detergent solution again
• Lukewarm water

Make sure to blot the carpet dry using a white cloth as an interval between sprays. You may repeat the process until the stain is gone. 

For stains caused by chocolates, berries, wine, juice, soda, and milk, follow the steps stated above but spray an ammonia solution first before the vinegar solution and then carry on with the rest of the instructions. 

Dirt and mud stains on synthetic carpets

1. For dry dirt, vacuum it first to remove as much of it as you can, reducing the amount of dirt that you have to scrub.
2. Using a clean white cloth or a clean white paper towel dipped into the detergent solution, work on the stain by pressing the cloth on the spot. Do this repeatedly, letting the cloth rest on the spot for a few seconds. Wait for 15 minutes. Using a different dry cloth, soak up the excess solution. 
3. Using another white cloth dipped in lukewarm water, dab this onto the spot repeatedly, taking care to let the cloth rest on the carpet for a few seconds to work on the stain.

Dirt and mud stains on natural carpets

1. Use the vacuum to remove any loose dry dirt on the carpet. 
2. Spray some detergent solution on the stain and then blot using a clean dry cloth. 
3. Repeat Step 2, but using the white vinegar solution. Blot again. 
4. Repeat Step 2. 
5. Spray some of the lukewarm water into the stain. Blot. 

Pet dirt stains on synthetic carpets

Cleaning urine and dog poop in your carpet may seem like a hard task, but it is not. It is just like dealing with food and drink stains. Follow the steps in that section when dealing with stains caused by pet dirt.

Pet dirt stains on natural carpets

For pet stains on natural-fiber carpets, follow the following simple steps:

• Spray the detergent solution onto the pet stain, then blot. 
• Follow it up using the ammonia solution. Blot again. 
• Use the vinegar solution this time, then blot again.
• Use the detergent solution again. Blot. 
• As a final step, spray some lukewarm water into the stain, then blot.

If you’re cleaning pet vomit on a wool rug, you might need more steps.

The steps are basically a repeated process done until you see the stain lightening or gradually become unnoticeable from your carpet. It can be a lot of work if you think about it, but if the stain is just small and you are able to work on the stain immediately before it dries up on the carpet, these solutions will do a fine job on your carpet.

The best option here, however, is still to get the help of professional cleaning companies that could easily get the job done. More than the tools and the equipment, they have the knowledge and expertise on how to effectively deal with the most stubborn of carpet dirt and stains using deep cleaning methods. They also follow certain safety measures to ensure that the cleaning process and treatment go smoothly and that any additional concern is prevented. Furthermore, at the end of the day, you can be sure that your carpet will be coming out looking good as new and smelling as fresh.