Of all the carpet cleaning jobs that professional carpet cleaners get hired for, removing carpet stains is one of the top requests. Whether a stain occurs because of spillage, dropped food, or an accident from a new puppy to name but three, each type of stain must be dealt with the correct way.
The danger is that many homeowners will listen to those who know little or nothing about carpet cleaning or may rely on one of the many stain removal myths circulating. What can happen is the stain will be treated using a substance or liquid solution that does little to remove the stain, and in the worst cases will damage the carpet, making the problem much greater and invariably more expensive due to a new carpet possibly needing to be purchased.
The correct course of action would normally be to call a professional carpet cleaning company and hire them to come around and remove the stain. Whatever that fee might be, it will always be less than the cost of a new carpet. Alternatively, you might choose to deal with the stain yourself, having fully researched how, including asking for advice from a professional carpet cleaner.
If so, you must ensure that whatever you are going to use to treat the carpet stain is recommended, especially as it pertains to your carpet’s materials. No matter what you choose to do you should consider the following seven factors when dealing with stains on your carpets.
Factor #1 – What Created The Stain?
The first and most obvious factor to consider is what the stain is. In other words, what is the substance that is currently staining your carpet? From that knowledge, you can then plan how best to get rid of it.
Factor #2 – How Long Ago Was The Stain Created?
A factor that could make a difference as to how, and how easily a carpet stain can be removed is how long it has been there. Logic tells us that a stain created five minutes ago should be easier to remove than a five-day-old stain.
Factor #3 – What Are The Characteristics Of Your Carpet? (E.G. Pile Thickness, Materials)
Regardless of what the stain might be, it is imperative that, before you use a carpet cleaner or stain remover on it at any time, you must know what can be safely used based on the carpet’s materials and pile type. Get this wrong and you could damage your carpet irreparably.
Factor #4 – Was The Stain Treated In Any Way Immediately?
What could make a difference in how you might remove a stain on your carpet, and how easily, is if anything were done at the time to mitigate its effect? This includes dabbing up spillages and anything being poured on it such as water or a homemade carpet cleaning solution, for example.
Factor #5 – Is There A Suitable Stain Removal Option You Can Use?
This is the point where you determine whether any carpet cleaners such as a commercial stain removal solution will be able to remove the stain you have on your carpet. Remember, whatever you use must be suitable for both the stain removal and the carpet’s materials.
Factor #6 – Is Covering The Stain An Option?
In scenarios where you deem it impossible to remove the stain, you could take choose the option to simply hide the stain. This will be most possible where the stain is at the outer edges of the carpet, or where a rug could be placed to cover the stain.
Factor #7 – Would be Calling In Professionals Be The Answer?
Your final consideration, and the one where you have the best chance of having the stain removed, is hiring professional carpet cleaners to remove it for you. This also negates many of the other previous factors, plus gives you peace of mind that you would not be risking your carpet by trying to remove the stain yourself.
