Preventing Spills from Staining Your Carpet

Spills are a common threat for carpet due to the permanent stains and discoloration that they can leave behind. When a carpet suffers a spill that is rich in pigments, it is especially important for individuals to act quickly to limit the scope and severity of the staining.

Act as Quickly as Possible

Once a spill has occurred, you will need to act as quickly as possible to start cleaning it up. Otherwise, it could be more likely to leave a permanent stain on the fibers. When cleaning up a spill, it is important to use a gentle blotting motion. Individuals will often be tempted to use a scrubbing motion, but this may actually drive the pigments deeper into the fibers of the carpet.

Apply a Stain Solvent

After blotting the spill, you may want to add a stain solvent. Some of the spill will have soaked into the fibers of the carpet, and this can make it harder to remove. These solvents can help to dissolve the pigments so that they will be easier to remove from the carpet with shampooing. Keeping stain solvent readily available will ensure that you can apply this solution within minutes of the spill occurring so that it will be as effective as possible. Some of these solvents may be more effective on specific types of spills and you should consider the stains that are the most likely to occur to your carpet so that you can choose the right stain solvent.  

Allow the Treated Area to Dry Before Putting Rugs Back

It is common for individuals to have rugs strategically placed to help reduce the wear that their carpet sustains. However, if a spill gets under the rug, you will need to move it so that the carpet can be treated. Unfortunately, some homeowners may put the rugs back in place before the carpet has fully dried from being treated. This can trap moisture in the carpet fibers, which will lead to the carpet degrading. Placing fans or other devices to improve ventilation around the treated area can improve the drying rate.

Take Steps to Prevent Future Staining

Homeowners will often fail to appreciate the risk of their carpet developing a stain until a spill occurs. However, it can be possible to help to make the carpet more resilient against the effects of a stain. For example, there are carpet sealants that will be able to create a protective coating that can slow the absorption of pigments so that you will have more time to treat the stained section of the carpet before the pigments are permanently absorbed by the carpet fibers. To learn more about stain prevention, contact local carpet cleaning services.


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