Spot Removal Tips
Tips for the Homeowners on Spot Cleaning Carpet
There are 2 basic types of stains: Wet stains and Dry stains.
Wet stains are the ones that you catch right away. Dry stains have been sitting for quite a while.
In regard to stains, the only stains you should ALWAYS leave to a professional carpet cleaner are:Nail polish, INK, Dye and products with dye in them.
We recommend Procyon Soap-Free carpet spotter for most food and beverage spills. Procyon is NOT RECOMMENDED FOR WOOL CARPETS. We recommend Avenge for protein-based carpet and upholstery spots (Animal accidents, vomit, feces, etc.).
We recommend Above & Beyond Carpet Care's - Responsible Care Spotter for wool carpet cleaning It is approved by the wool-safe program and is derived from natural plant extracts. Click here to download our Spot Cleaning Guide or our Guide to Pet Stains.
We recommend Procyon Soap-Free carpet spotter for most food and beverage spills. Procyon is NOT RECOMMENDED FOR WOOL CARPETS. We recommend Avenge for protein-based carpet and upholstery spots (Animal accidents, vomit, feces, etc.).
We recommend Above & Beyond Carpet Care's - Responsible Care Spotter for wool carpet cleaning It is approved by the wool-safe program and is derived from natural plant extracts. Click here to download our Spot Cleaning Guide or our Guide to Pet Stains.
For Wet Spots
- Use a terry cloth towel that has been previously washed –never bleached—and won’t bleed. (We prefer a large bath towel for most stains. The reason is that you need enough absorbent material that can be folded and used many times.)
- Fold the towel in half, place over stain and STEP on the towel. Repeat. Re-fold towel to a dry area, lift towel, and feel for moisture. Repeat if needed. If the spot is still wet, continue folding and stepping until dry. (This method works best if your carpet has had a protectant applied either at the factory when new or at your last cleaning.) 90% of the spot should be gone at this point.
- Use Pro-Cyon for most food and beverage spills and use Avenge for pet stains.
- Use the appropriate spotter directly to the fiber and gently spray/apply from 1- 2” above the spot. Apply enough to completely coat the fibers, but not too much so that it saturates through to the back of the carpet.
- Use the bottom of the bottle to agitate the product into the carpet (the smooth bottom works well without damaging the fibers.) Slowly wipe across the carpet in different directions if needed, but never scrub the fiber.
Follow each treatment by stepping on a folded dry towel. Every spot treatment needs to be followed by a fold-step blotting.
For Dry Stains:
- Use Pro-Cyon for most food and beverage spills and use Avenge for pet stains.
- Use the appropriate spotter directly to the fiber and gently spray/apply from 1- 2” above the spot. Apply enough to completely coat the fibers, but not too much so that it saturates through to the back of the carpet.
- Use the bottom of the bottle to agitate the product into the carpet (the smooth bottom works well without damaging the fibers.) Slowly wipe across the carpet in different directions if needed, but never scrub the fiber.
Follow each treatment by stepping on a folded dry towel. Every spot treatment needs to be followed by a fold-step blotting.