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By: Enrique Cleanotto
If you have a carpet, you can count on spilling something
on it at some point in time. Getting the stain out is a
matter of timing and know how.
Carpeting and Stains
Carpeting has come a long way over the years. The first
carpets would get stains from practically any contact. They
were a nightmare to get out, if you could even do so. As
the years passed, the quality of carpeting has improved
particularly in relation to their resistance to stains.
While this makes life easier for you when a stain occurs,
you still have to put in some work.
One of the biggest issues that you need to focus on in
the removal of stains is time. Simply put, procrastination
will kill you and your carpet. If you spill something on
the carpet, you need to deal with it NOW. The longer the
stain sits, the more likely it is to soak into the fibers
of the carpet. If you spill it, clean it immediately even
if the spill occurs during a party or some gathering. You
will be glad you did so.
The second step is, ironically, not to clean the carpeting
per se. Instead, you should focus on removing the excess
liquid. This should be done by blotting the area with a
towel of some sort. To blot, lightly press up and down on
the stain. Do not swirl or spin the towel over the spill.
This will only spread the stain out and make cleaning it
a more difficult task.
Once the excess liquid is removed, it will probably be
necessary to apply a cleaning solution. Despite the claims
on the bottle of cleaner, it is important to understand
the cleaner may adversely affect your carpet, to wit, it
may change the color. First try the cleaner in a small,
out of the way area such as a closet. Once you apply the
cleaner, look at both the carpet and your towel to see if
any color has transferred. If everything appears okay, then
it is time to remove the stain.
When addressing the stain, it is best to work from the
outer edges towards the middle. The idea is to remove the
stain, not spread it to a larger area. When rubbing the
stain, do not use the bigger hammer theory. Pushing harder
on the stain will not help remove it and may actually damage
the weave of the carpet. Use a consistent pressure and go
slowly. Getting the stain out is important, but not if it
results in a patch of carpet that looks like it was run
over with a lawn mower.
If you have a carpet, you will also have stains. Deal with
them immediately and you should be able to keep your carpeting
in reasonably good shape.
About The Author
Enrique Cleanotto is with http://www.carpetcleaningyeti.com
- carpet cleaning information and companies.
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