Carpet Cleaning Tips for Holiday Spots and Spills in Birmingham AL

You have spent weeks cleaning your home for the holidays.  Now that the holidays are upon us, guests are arriving, food and goodies are being served and inevitably spills, spots and stains can occur in carpets and on upholstery.  Don’t let spots, spills of stains get you down this season!  Follow these Simple Carpet Cleaning Tips for Holiday Spots and Spills in Birmingham AL. 

Here are some General Tips for when a spill or stain occurs.

Try to treat the spill or stain as quickly as possible, so it doesn’t have time to set in or before the mess can get tracked all over your house.  Grab paper towels or a clean cloth and blot the stain.  Use a blotting motion; never rub hard or you might damage the fabric or pile.  Work from the edges of the stain toward its center to minimize spreading. (Note: You should always test your carpet in an inconspicuous place before applying water or other liquids.  We at Heaven’s Best suggest already testing your carpets and fabrics before the holidays so you know what you can and cannot apply to them.)

After blotting the spot, try wetting the spot with cool or lukewarm water.  Very hot water is your enemy for this type of cleaning.  Not only can it shrink wool carpeting, it is capable of "cooking" protein-based stains (containing milk, egg, or meat) till they are nearly impossible ever to remove. 

Here are some common holiday spills with specific instructions for how to clean them up.

Eggnog:  Though eggnog tastes sweet and innocent, it packs quite a punch when you drink it as well as if it is spilled. Therefore, clean eggnog up fast or it will produce an aroma that will put you off dairy products for life.  Start by working in a small quantity of a mild dish detergent solution (1 teaspoon to 2 cups warm -- not hot -- water).  Should a follow-up treatment be necessary, use white vinegar mixed 1:2 with water.  If you still detect an unpleasant scent heading toward Valentine's Day, try a pet-odor remover.

Red Wine:  Some folks swear by club soda as the antidote to red wine spills, while others claim that plain water is just as effective.  Whichever camp you belong to, you are doing your carpet a favor by rinsing it off as quickly as possible.  Just beware of trying to use white wine on the residue, or you'll end up with a truly vile sugar stain.

White Wine:  Being as it's almost colorless, white wine won't harm your beautiful carpeting, right? Wrong. Its relatively high acid content can cause off-coloring of the carpet. After blotting up as much as possible, sprinkle lightly with baking soda which is alkaline to help neutralize the acid.  Let it dry, then brush off or vacuum up the powder.

Coffee:  Coffee may be considered the perfect solution for how you feel the morning after the night before.  Coffee stains can be pretty stubborn if they get on carpets or upholstery.  Try to blot up as much as you can before applying 1 teaspoon of dish detergent mixed with 2 cups of lukewarm water. 

Cranberry Sauce:  The deep red of cranberry sauce goes so nicely with your new carpeting – Definitely not!  Scoop up as much as possible and blot with clean cloth or paper towels. Then sponge with 1 teaspoon white vinegar combined with 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol.  Repeat if necessary.

Chocolate: Yum yum Chocolate!  We love chocolate in our tummy, but it can make a real mess on carpets and upholstery.  In contrast to the advice for cleaning other stains, leave a chocolate-y carpet alone until the confection dries.  Gently scrape off as much of the goo as you can, using the edge of a spoon or blunt knife.  Then, apply a mild soap solution, rinse sparingly, and repeat as required.

Candy Cane:  Once again, scrape up the sticky candy solids, then dab on with the above dish detergent solution.  Follow up by blotting the soiled area of carpeting with clear water to remove the sugar residue (which may otherwise caramelize, resulting in just what you don't want -- an ugly brown spot).

Turkey Gravy:  Gravy spills, to our canine pets are not a problem at all, but on carpets or upholstered dining room chairs, can create quite a problem.  It is urgent to scrape up as much gravy as you can, blotting the rest with baking soda or cornstarch.  After 15 minutes, vacuum up the absorbent powder.  Then, treat any greasy spots that remain with dish detergent or dry cleaning solvent.  

Try these  Carpet Cleaning Tips for Holiday Spots and Spills in Birmingham AL, then call Heaven’s Best Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning if you still need help.  Heaven’s Best has excellent cleaning solutions and great rates.  Contact us at (205) 618-9150 for help with holiday spots and stains.  Don’t let spills, spots or stains get you down this holiday, call Heaven’s Best at (205) 618-9150.