Top 5 Holiday Carpet Stains and How to Remove Them

For some people, the holidays mean their home becomes a revolving door with guest after guest, and party after party. As wonderful as it is to welcome people into our homes, sometimes our carpet takes a beating. Just because you experience stains on your carpet, doesn’t mean your carpet is ruined. In hopes to make your life a little easier and more stress free, we’re going to go over the 5 most common carpet stains created during the holidays and some trust worthy tips to get rid of them.

Santa Forgot to Wipe His Feet
Jolly Old Saint Nick left more than just presents under the tree... and now you have to clean it up! If mud is on your carpet, let it dry before treating it. Once it is dry, vacuum up the dirt as much as you can. The more vacuuming the better. Once you have removed as much dirt as possible, make a solution using the ratio of one teaspoon of mild dish washing detergent to one cup warm water. Use a light-colored cloth to blot the solution onto the carpet. The light-colored cloth will allow you to see the stain lifting. Do this until you no longer see the stain and then blot with a clean cloth to dry the area.

Aunt Cindy Spilled Her Red Wine
Spilled drinks are bound to happen at any holiday party and red wine is usually the most worrisome. Start by blotting the stain with a clean washcloth to remove excess liquid and to keep it from penetrating deeper into your carpet. Next, instead of using a harsh chemical found in your local cleaning supply aisle, combine warm water, a few drops of dish soap, and distilled white vinegar. Blot the area with the solution until the stain is gone. In conjunction with that, use a dry cloth to soak up any excess liquid.

Uncle Gary’s Gravy Boat Went Down
It’s all fun and games until Uncle Gary gets carried away with the gravy and it ends up on your beautiful carpet. First remove any excess gravy by soaking it up or scraping it off the carpet with a spatula or knife. Then apply an all-purpose stain remover and baking soda. The baking soda will help to absorb the gravy, and especially the oil in the gravy, out of the carpet. Let it sit for about 15 to 20 minutes and then vacuum. If the stain isn’t completely gone, tackle it with a combination of one tablespoon dishwashing soap, one tablespoon of distilled white vinegar, and two cups of warm water. Blot with the solvent until you no longer see the stain.

Your Sister’s Aunt’s Friend Brought Her Dog
Most of us love pets but we don’t love the special “surprises” they sometimes leave for us. If one of your “fur coated” guests happens to leave one of these on your carpet, first clean up the initial mess. If there is debris on the carpet, pick it up with gloves and dispose of it. If it is wet, use a cloth to soak up the liquid by blotting it. If the stain has already dried, you’ll need to moisten the stain. There are a lot of great cleaning products on the market that are especially formulated for pet stains, which you should then follow the directions accordingly if you choose to use one of them. If you prefer a more natural method, combine ¼ cup of distilled white vinegar with a quart of warm water and spray on the stain. Allow the vinegar to penetrate for several minutes and then blot until dry. This is a method that will neutralize the odor and the stain.

O’ Christmas Tree, O’ Christmas Tree
The smell of fresh pine is comforting and refreshing in a home during the holidays, but with that delightful tree comes nature at its finest- pine needles and sap. If sap ends up on your carpet, wait until it has dried to treat it. You’ll then want to use rubbing alcohol to blot the area. The alcohol will dissolve the sap, making it easier to clean. Next, combine warm water and a few drops of dishwashing soap and blot the stain with it. The sap should start to lift and once it is completely gone, use a clean washcloth and some cold water to blot the area.

There are a lot of methods that can be used to treat carpet stains, and these are just a few more natural approaches that we recommend. Now you can party ‘til your heart’s content since you have an arsenal of trusty carpet stain fighting methods.

Merry, Merry!

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