Tips For Removing Soot From Your Carpet

With winter in full swing more and more families are switching their fireplaces to add a little extra warmth and atmosphere to their cold nights. But electronic or not, fireplaces produce soot, and that means your carpet can become a victim of soot stains.

Soot stains are incredibly tricky and can become ground into the fibers of your carpet very easily. On the whole you want a professional to take care of any soot stain that you find on your carpet or upholstery, but until they can come in and clean, here are some tips for mitigating the damage.

1. Sprinkle some baking soda or corn starch over the stained area. Both are absorbent powders and can help soak up any loose or surface particles.

2. After letting it sit for an hour, vacuum the powder with a vacuum cleaner.

3. Moisten a clean cloth with some dry cleaning fluid and blot the stain area to moisten the area, and help lift some of the stain. Allow the area to dry.

Be careful when blotting the stain because allowing too much moisture into the stain can cause it to run and spread. Anything that’s left to the stain should be handled by one of our professional cleaning crews who have the experience, skills and equipment to get these difficult types of stains out completely.

Red Wine Stain Removal

Out of all the stains your carpet can suffer, red wine is probably the worst. For the most part you’re going to need a professional carpet cleaner to get a particularly bad red wine stain out, but here are some ways you can mitigate the initial damage once it happens.

Firstly, you’re going to want to blot the stain with a clean white cloth. Don’t wipe and risk grinding the wine into the fibers of the carpet, just blot the stain to soak up any excess wine. And make sure you’re using alternate side of the cloth so you’re always blotting with a clean section of cloth.

Next pour a little water over the stain and continue blotting. The water will help dilute the wine and make soaking up the stain easier. But be sure not to pour too much water. You don’t want to waterlog the carpet and end up spreading the stain further.

Now you’re going to want to make a baking soda paste. With a 3-1 ratio of baking soda to water, mix up some baking soda paste and spread it directly on the stain. Wait until the paste dries and then vacuum up the paste. A good majority of the coloration should left with it.

The remains of the stain can be handles a number of more traditional ways. You can attempt using a carpet stain remover, but be aware that not all carpets respond the same way to chemical stain removers. So it might be time to call in some professionals if the stain is still lingering. Luckily American Carpet Clean is easy to get in contact with to get a free quote.