01/15/2015
The most common holiday carpet stains, according to a cleaning institute survey, conjure up a bacchanalia. In order, they are chocolate, fruit punch, grease, wine, candle wax, vomit, beer, gravy and butter.
Those might be the most common, but they are not — according to Cross — the worst.
“The most difficult are curries, mustards, spices — especially in Indian food — with yellow. Some soy sauces are also bad,” Cross said. “Then there are synthetic stains such as Kool-Aid and Code Red. Those are dyes.”
Less common but more of a nightmare is benzoyl peroxide. The chemical, found in acne medicine, doesn’t show up as a stain until it is wet, which has led some homeowners to accuse carpet cleaners of creating the stain when they wet the carpet.
For all stains, Cross and the cleaning institute have an answer: blot, dilute, blot.
Absorb as much of the staining material as possible with a white towel. Then blot out the spot with warm water and a tiny bit of dish detergent. Finally, dry the spot by blotting — never scrubbing.
And make it snappy.
“The longer you wait, the harder it will be.