At American Hometown Services, we offer a variety of cleaning services to maintain a high quality cleanliness at your home or business. One of those services includes carpet cleaning. Our technicians have the advanced training and experience it takes to professionally and thoroughly clean your carpets. We understand that you will need the information and tools necessary to maintain your carpets in between professional cleanings.

General Spot & Stain Removal Guidelines

When you are getting ready to work on removing any stain from your carpet, it is important to follow a few steps. First and foremost, you don’t want to use anything to remove stains that aren’t clean, white cloths. This way you don’t have to worry about the dyes from your washcloth transferring to the carpet you are working on. Next, you want to always work on a spot from the outside in. Gently blot, don’t scrub, from the outer edges of the spot and slowly working your way to the center for best results. Before using any chemicals or cleaners on your carpets, do a quick spot test on an inconspicuous area on your carpet to ensure the cleaning agent isn’t going to cause permanent damage to your carpet.

Common Spots & Stains Found on Carpet & How to Remove Them

There are some spots and stains that American Hometown Services commonly sees on carpeting. Here is a guide to best remove them.

Removing Fat-Based & Oil Based Stains from Carpet

Dish soap is an excellent tool when trying to remove a fat based stain from your carpeting. Just like with your dishes, the dish soap cuts through the grease and allows it to be removed from the carpet. Apply generous amounts of dish soap and leave it to do its magic for five minutes. Gently blot away the stain with a clean cloth. You can also use an absorbent ingredient like baking soda to remove oil and fat from carpet. Sprinkle the carpet with the absorbent and vacuum it up after several minutes, followed by using a dry-solvent cleaner to blot up the rest.

Removing Water Soluble Stains from Carpet

Any water-soluble stains like fruit juice, soda, alcoholic drinks, sugar and starch, need to be cleaned as soon as possible. Remove the excess solid matter left on the carpet before working on the stain. Once you have the area ready, mix one teaspoon of mild, non-bleach detergent with one quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray on the stain and let it stand for several minutes before using a damp, clean cloth to start working on the stain. Repeat as many times as necessary to completely remove the stain.

Removing Pet Urine Stains & Neutralizing Odors

When dealing with pet urine, blot up as much excess urine as possible. You will then need to use an acid mixture to break down the odor and urine. This can be done using vinegar or club soda. Mix one teaspoon of either with one quart of water and allow to sit on the stain before working to remove it.

Removing Old Gum from Carpet

Use an ice cube directly on the gum to harden it, followed by using a dull knife like a butter knife to scrape away the gum from the fibers of your carpet.

Carpet Spot & Stain Removal Guide in Quincy, Macomb, Hamilton, Warsaw & East Alton Illinois | Hannibal, Missouri

If you are having a hard time removing any spots and stains from your carpet, the trained professionals at American Hometown Services can help. Call us today to remove difficult stains from your carpet.