Most owners of an area rug will eventually have to deal with the unfortunate circumstance of getting a stain or nasty odor in their rug. When this happens people tend to panic thinking that their precious rug is ruined or will need to be cleaned by a professional.
As long as you act quickly and have the right know how, you can rest assured that neither of these statements are true in most cases. Below are proven methods to get rid of some of the most common types of rug stains, and tips on how to remove nasty odors from your rug.
Removing Common Stains From Your Rug
How to remove pet stains from your rug
- pick up any solid debris, making sure not to smudge it onto other parts of the rug
- carefully blot any wet areas with a dry towel, being careful not to smear it deeper into the rug fibers until the area is almost dry to the touch (for stains that have already dried, lightly dampen the area before applying your rug cleaning solution)
- make a cleaning solution by mixing 1 part white vinegar to 1 part cold water and spray it onto the stained area. Try adding a few drops of lavender oil, lemon peel oil or any other essential oil that you enjoy to the cleaning solution in order to mask the strong smell of vinegar with a more desirable scent.
- let the cleaning solution sit for at least 10 minutes before drying it by blotting the area with a dry towel
- repeat this process until the stain is removed completely
How to remove coffee stains from your rug
- dry the area as much as possible by blotting the area with clean and dry cloths
- mix 2 cups of warm water with 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1 tablespoon of liquid dish detergent
- using a clean sponge or cloth, blot a little bit of the cleaning solution onto the stain and quickly dry it up by blotting with a dry cloth
- repeat the previous step several times until the stain is gone
- when the stain is completely removed, blot the area with cold water to remove any excess cleaning solution dry it with a clean cloth
How to remove blood stains from your rug
- dry any excess blood by blotting the area with a clean cloth
- mix 1 cup of cold water to 1 tablespoon of ammonia
- soak a sponge or clean cloth in the cleaning solution and dab it onto the stained area, letting it sit for about 10 minutes
- dry the area by blotting it with a towel or cloth and repeat the previous step until the stain is removed
- rinse the area with cold water to remove the cleaning solution and blot dry
When using ammonia in a cleaning solution, take extra care and only do it in a well ventilated room due to it’s toxicity. For wool rugs, replace ammonia with a grease fighting dish detergent as ammonia will destroy the wool fibers.
Note: this method can be used for other organic stains as well such as food, wine and fruit stains.
Removing Odors From Your Rug
- completely cover the effected area of the rug with baking soda
- using a soft bristled brush, lightly scrub the baking soda on the rug so it gets deep into the fibers
- place a second thicker layer of baking soda on the effected area and let it sit for at least 24 hours
- shake the rug outside to remove the top layer of baking soda followed by passing a vacuum over the rug to remove any excess baking soda
- if the odor still remains, repeat this process
- if there is still some odor remaining after repeating the process, lightly spray the area with a mixture of 1 part vinegar to 1 part cold water and add a few drops of your favourite essential oil for a nice scent
- let the solution sit for 20 minutes before blotting it dry
- repeat as many times as necessary until the odor is completely removed
- let the rug dry completely by keeping it in a well ventilated room and facing an electric fan towards it