As the Christmas, New Year and other celebrated holidays approach, many will find themselves preparing and eating ethnic and traditional foods and goodies. Decorating the house and wrapping packages will weave its way into our busy schedules too. But each of these activities has the potential to cause unforeseen specialty spots and stains on your carpets and rugs. Please keep in mind that cleaning these odd types of soils may require more than just an all purpose cleaning agent.
Some of these specialty carpet stain makers include heated liquors and alcohol, sap from the Christmas tree, sugary teats with food dyes, fruits and dressings. I have seen bright red wrapping paper leave pink patches on white nylon carpet. Artificial grass craft paper contains dyed particles that can shake loose, fall to the floor and cause large green stains if they should get wet. Many of the simple and innocent looking items we see around our homes and businesses during the holidays can cause unsightly damage to our floor coverings.
For the residential consumer, the best advice I can offer is vacuum, vacuum and vacuum; dry soil removal plays a key role in the daily maintenance of your home. A well maintained carpet will usually have “stain resist” in place and a minimal amount of dry soil. Both will greatly improve the chances of removing spots and spills from the soiled areas. Some quick tips for cleaning up minor accidents are listed below.
- To avoid further damage always pretest cleaning products in an inconspicuous area first.
- Use a clean white towel to blot up excess liquid from spills and avoid rubbing.
- Blot on cleaning agents, never pour.
- Remove as much particulate material before applying spot cleaners.
- Work spots from the outer edge inward to avoid spreading.
Professional carpet cleaning companies usually carry a variety of specialty products designed to aid in the removal of stubborn stains. The IICRC can provide a list of trained and certified cleaners based on zip code. The website also offers a wealth of consumer information.