Tis the season to be jolly…but the party season has the potential to leave a nasty stain on celebrations, so here are a few tips on how to mop up the mess this Christmas.
Whether it is a red wine spill, a turkey taking a tumble, or Santa leaving sooty footprints behind, there are a number of ways to deal with the results.
First thing first: blot, don’t rub a stain. Use a cleaning solution - most of our carpets are made with Polypropylene, which is bleach cleanable – with a clean cloth, paper towels, or a sponge. Rubbing grinds the stain particles into the carpet fibres, whereas blotting – putting a small amount of pressure on the stain – soaks it up. Blot from the outside of the stain and work your way in, because the opposite has the potential to spread the stain.
You don’t always have to use cleaning fluids. If you’re having a party, make sure the gin and tonic drinkers are well catered for and you will find the sloppiness of the beer and red wine drinkers becomes less of a hassle. Blotting a stain with a cloth soaked in tonic water is a great first step to cleaning the carpet. If necessary, mix it equally with white vinegar and let the solution soak in. Don’t forget, once you have cleaned the stain, to rinse the patch with warm water, give a gentle brush of the carpet and lay white paper towels over the area and weigh them down to absorb the water. This could take up to a day.
Another “wet” solution we have heard about is ordinary shaving cream, which some experts swear by. Apply the cream to the stain, leave for about 30 minutes, then use a dry white cloth, before spraying with a water and vinegar solution and wiping up with the cloth.
If you don’t fancy an operation that takes a day to complete, don’t worry.
Another tip is to sprinkle a powdered carpet cleaner, or even baking soda, on the stain. Leave it for at least 30 minutes – overnight, if possible – and then vacuum the powder when you are done. The great thing about baking soda is that it also absorbs the odour. Salt has also been known to absorb the stain, if you have neither baking soda nor powdered carpet cleaner available.
Sometimes, we find that the stain isn’t one caused by drinks being spilled. Imagine the horror of discovering a party guest has done the unthinkable and dropped chewing gum onto the carpet. First, take a deep breath. Yes, it’s disgusting, but it’s not the end of the world (even if it is the potential end of a friendship).
All you need to tackle this is an ice cube, which can be used to harden the gum before prying it off the carpet.
In a similar vein, we are all fond of a candle or two at Christmas, the potential for a wax spillage can again create a mess that will have hosts pulling out their hair. Four things are needed for the first aid for the carpet: an iron, a white cloth, a paper towel, and a butter knife. Put the cloth on top of the wax, the iron on top of the wax, and warm it up. Scrape off the wax with the knife. Next, lay a white paper towel over the surface area and iron the paper. The wax should bind to the paper and be gone with a few applications. Be extra careful not to hold the iron down for too long, to avoid burning the carpet.
With so many options available for cleaning up the stains that Christmas can bring, there is no reason to worry when “ho, ho, ho” becomes “oh, oh, no!”
To find out more about the Flooring Superstore, please visit: www.flooringsuperstore.com.