Stains and spillages are an inevitable part of life. However, if your carpet succumbs to one and you haven’t got time to get it sorted before friends or family visit, it’s good to know that there are a few ways you can cleverly disguise stains for the time being. Here are some top tips for hiding those pesky carpet stains until the professionals come out to fix them.
1. Warm soapy water
In some cases, you can improve the appearance of stains in a carpet by gently dabbing them with a cloth soaked in warm, soapy water. However, although this may help to make the stain look less noticeable, it might only remove it from the surface of the carpet and not deep down within. You’ll still probably need to call in the carpet cleaning professionals to get rid of the stain completely.
2. Iron out the stains
When you’re in a fix with an accidental stain, some people swear by using an iron and a damp towel or cloth. All you need to do is simply place the damp towel over the stain, while running an iron over the towel, releasing the steam. The process can be repeated to enable the stain to transfer to the towel or cloth. Again, this probably won’t remove all of the stain, so it should only be regarded as a temporary measure until you can get it properly sorted by the professionals.
3. Powder power
Some people find that a quick solution to lighten a dark stain in a carpet is to apply a small amount of talcum powder to it. Alternatively, silicon powder works in the same way, and can help to absorb some of the stain if you dampen the area before applying some powder to it.
4. White wine for red wine stains
Any carpet owner will testify that one of the worst things you can spill on your beloved carpet is red wine. Even worse, you’re about to host a gathering, and in a rush to get everything ready you accidentally knock a glass of red wine over just as your guests start to arrive. While there’s no time to get the professional carpet cleaners over, you can help to diminish the appearance of the stain in the meantime.
One of the oldest tricks in the book is to apply a small amount of white wine to the red wine stain. While this might seem counterintuitive, some people claim that it can make a big difference. This is probably because white wine contains an enzyme that can neutralise the red wine stain, making it less obvious and easier to remove.
If you don’t have any white wine to hand, then some people claim that soda water works in a similar way. The effervescence in the soda water can help to lift the red wine stain, while the high salt content of the drink can prevent the wine stain from setting further into the carpet.
5. Cover up
Trying to remove or reduce the appearance of stains in a carpet should always be done with caution. There’s no guarantee any hacks will work, and in some cases you might end up creating more of a problem than the original issue. If in doubt, it might be better to put up with the stain until a carpet cleaning company can come out to fix it.
In the meantime, you can do a few things to help cleverly disguise the stain.
Depending on where the stain is located and how extensive it is, you could strategically cover it up with a rug or a coffee table. Stains located towards the edge of a room or next to furniture can also be removed from sight by placing a large plant pot over them.
6. Move furniture around
Since most stains are the result of food or drink being dropped or spilled, usually whilst sitting on the sofa, a chair or at a table, you might be able to hide the stain temporarily by shifting the furniture a little to cover it up.
However, if there are lots of stains in different parts of the room, you might need to get creative and consider rearranging the furniture to make the marks less noticeable. There are added advantages to this. Moving furniture around can help to give your space a fresh new look and feel, without costing you a penny. It can also be beneficial for your carpet, as it can prevent foot marks from setting into the carpet from furniture that remains situated in the same position for a long time. Moving furniture around also prevents a carpet from succumbing to an uneven colour, which can sometimes occur if parts of a carpet are exposed to more light than others.
7. Change the lighting
Clever use of lighting can help to conceal unwelcome stains and splodges present in a carpet, so if a bright lamp is thrusting an unclean area of your carpet into the spotlight, move the lamp to another part of the room to divert attention away from the troublesome area.
8. Mask stain odours
The problem with carpet stains is that as well as being visible, they might also become noticeable through their smell, so no matter how well you cover them up with furniture or other items, their odour might still be present. Opening windows can help to remove any stale odours from a room, but you might also wish to consider lighting scented candles to create a more pleasant aroma, if you have guests coming over.
If you have enough time, you could also try applying some baking soda to the smelly stain and leaving it for a few hours, or if the smell is very strong, leave the soda overnight, then vacuum the powder away. This can help to neutralise any odours, although it might only work temporarily, and if the smell isn’t tackled properly, you could find that it returns again. The only really effective way to get rid of unwanted carpet odours is to get professional help, with expert cleaners being able to use highly effective deodorising solutions that can eliminate odours, as well as banish the source of the stain at the same time.
The good news is that when you contact our carpet cleaning London business, you won’t have to wait long for our experts to come out and get to work removing any stains present in your carpets.
