How To Clean Drink Spills From Carpet

Cleaning Drink Spills

Most carpet or upholstery nowadays, is stain resistant, and comes from the manufacturers with a protective coating already applied. A popular cliche, is that accidents do happen. They do, indeed. Children, or even adults, will inevitably spill drinks on your carpet or upholstery at some tine or the other. 

This could be just a minor inconvenience or it could develop into a major disaster, depending on what you do subsequently. Here are some pointers on how to avoid an ensuing potential calamity.

Three preemptive steps you need to take are: 

1. Be prepared 

Preparation includes anticipation of the kind of spills to be expected, and the nature and character of the types of stains that might have to be removed. Knowledge of the basic stain removal procedures, or alternatives to do-it-yourself measures, would be very important. It also entails having on hand the tools and materials that may be necessary to facilitate cleanup and stain removal. These may include:

• White absorbent paper or cotton towels
• A spatula or spoon
• A trigger spray bottle
• Liquid detergent soap
• White vinegar or dilute (1%) acetic acid
• A wet/dry vacuum

2. Be aware 

It is always useful to be attentive to situations where spills are likely to occur, especially where there are younger children involved. Particular care should be taken when red, green, purple, or orange drinks are involved. 

These are likely to contain synthetic azo dyes that could cause permanent stains if they are not removed quickly. Household members should always be prompted to report any drink spills as quickly as possible, so that corrective action may be taken. They should also be made aware of the essential steps to be followed, as advised in this article.

3. Act quickly 

It is fairly easy to clean drink spills from carpet when they are fresh and wet. Extensive dwell time facilitates chemical reactions between substances, and in the case of spills on carpet, this could lead to the formation of permanent stains. 

The original dyes on the carpet fibers could also be altered, leaving either a new coloration, or no coloration at all. So, hurry and blot up all spills as fast as you can. Use the absorbent towels. Change the part of the towel being used frequently, so as to avoid transferring any color that has been removed, back unto the carpet.

Reminders  

Remember that rubbing may cause the stain to spread, so blot, don’t rub. It is also best to work from the outside of the spot or stain, towards the middle, in order to control any bleeding or leaching. If there is a large amount of liquid present, it may be necessary to use a wet vacuum first. 

Also the spoon or spatula should be used to scrape away any solid or semi solid material that may be present. You may also need to flood the area with cold water before you can get rid of some kinds of colored solids. If you have to do this, be sure to dry up the liquid as completely as possible. Repeat the process using water alone, until the stain disappears. 

More Tips To Help You Clean Drink Spills

If it remains after repeated attempts, try using a mild household detergent like dilute dishwashing liquid. One ounce per gallon should be sufficient. Just follow the procedure above, using the dilute detergent instead of water. Some kinds of stains like urine, chocolate or coffee, that contain tannins, may need to be acidified first. 

In that case, apply the dilute vinegar or acetic acid solution, from a trigger spray bottle, then rinse with cold water and blot dry. If the stains remain after all of this, you need to call in a professional carpet cleaner. Be sure to tell him all that you have done while trying to remove the stain.