Blood. Mud. Oil. Red wine. Urine. Pet stains. Coffee. Ink.
And that’s before you’ve even reached the hallway.
Have you ever had the feeling that your carpet’s more like a work of modern art than something you’d want to walk on? And that’s not to mention your sofa, which looked so Scandi-chic when new, and before you accumulated kids, a red wine habit, and gave up on training your dog to keep his muddy paws in his basket.
We all know the feeling – the lurch of dread as you watch that glass of red wine sink slowly but surely into the fibres of your best cream carpet. Who hasn’t had a well-meaning friend offer ‘helpful’ advice on the best way to remove stains – anything from hurling salt at the growing red wine stain (which is now starting to resemble a map of Africa) to countering it with a bottle of Chardonnay. Where are those Stain Devils when you need them? And didn’t your nan once say something about shaving cream and a pint of milk?
You’ve tried everything to remove the stain:
Yak milk. Angel tears. Even bleach.
How will you ever invite friends round now that you’re almost allowed to entertain again? How will you tempt people to step onto this carpet to create more stains of their own?
And landlords, we feel your despair. How will you ever rent your property when the carpet’s more Jackson Pollock than Kardashian? What exactly were the last tenants doing with the ketchup and mustard on the three piece modular? And it’s anybody’s guess what that kidney shaped mark in the corner is…
So how can you prevent an Axminster-related disaster after your kids have had a ketchup spraying contest, your other half’s walked in bicycle oil and your Uncle Bob has quite literally spilled the beans?
Here, without delay, are our top tips for what NOT to do when trying to remove stains from carpets or upholstery.
It’s important not to rub or wipe stains such as red wine as you will damage the carpet fibre and end up spreading the spill onto an even bigger surface area. Carpets made of natural materials such as wool, and expensive silk weave upholstery are already fragile.
We at Oakeys Cleaning Ltd advise that the best way to help stain removal and help stop further damage is to reach calmly for the paper towels and some warm soapy water. We recommend first blotting a fresh spill, then using a clean cloth to dab away the stain with good old warm soapy water, before calling in the professionals.
The worst thing you can do is to grab wildly for salt, white wine or Vanish foam as this seals the stain to your carpet and makes the stain much harder for us to remove.
Now is not the time for chemistry experiments.
Yes, those polypropylene carpets may claim to be easy-clean, but bleaching the stains out just means that all the carpet around them looks grubby in comparison, leaving an unsightly moonscape of blotches that resembles bad porridge.
So stop. Go no further. Put down that bottle of vinegar.
All carpets are not the same, and all stains are definitely not.
It’s a science, plain and simple. Pure chemistry. We at Oakeys Cleaning Ltd could wax lyrical about the best ways of stain removal because we care, we know, and we’re in the stain removal business.
You could say we know our Axminster from our elbow grease.
Depending on the type of carpet – from pure wool to nylon mix – each one needs a specific treatment. Which means you need to treat each stain according to its PH level (remember those school Chemistry lessons?)
It’s really important that the carpet or upholstery needing cleaning should be cleaned at the appropriate pH level that does not harm the fibre or the finishes. So blood, which is acidic, needs to be neutralised, whereas something alkaline like coffee requires treating with a product containing a more acidic PH level.
A carpet cleaning expert will know how to maintain a pH level that effectively cleans the surface, without damaging dyes or fibres. Protein fibres such as wool and silk will tolerate the absorption of a limited amount of mild acid, whereas nylon, polyester and acrylic fibres can tolerate moderate alkalinity. Using strong acids and alkalis can adversely affect dyes. So it’s important not to experiment at home with different products or you may end up doing more harm than good!
Don’t hesitate to call in the professionals if you want to avoid your carpet being spoiled. Contacting a reputable carpet cleaning service provider like Oakeys Cleaning Ltd immediately after the spillage occurs will help avoid expensive damage. The worst stains to remove are dried in old stains - the longer the stain is left in your carpet, the higher the chance the stain will have integrated into the carpet fibre.
So don’t delay – call in the experts.
Call us at Oakeys Cleaning Ltd and we’ll treat your carpets and upholstery to our specialised stain removal service – with no extra charge for our all-inclusive survey so that there are no nasty surprises when it comes to getting the bill.
We will assess the extent of the stain and give you a quote based on what we see, so that you have peace of mind knowing what is and isn’t possible before being charged.
Our stain-removal service is perfect for both domestic and commercial use. Landlords can rest assured that carpets and upholstery in their rental properties are looking clean and fresh for new tenants.
Contact us for a no obligation quote at Oakeys Cleaning Ltd - your local and regional cleaning specialists.