STAIN
FIRST AID

1. Blot it up. Press a clean white cloth or paper towel onto the spill. Work from the outside edge in, so it doesn’t spread, and keep turning to a dry section.
2. Apply a mild soap solution. Mix ¼ teaspoon of clear, plain dish soap (no bleach, no added lotion) into 1 cup of lukewarm water. Never use laundry or dishwasher detergent: they can contain brighteners or bleach that permanently mark carpet. Put a little on a white cloth, not straight onto the carpet, and press it onto the spot from the outside edge in. Leave it for 3 to 5 minutes, then blot.
3. Blot again. Blot with a fresh white cloth. You should see the colour moving onto the cloth.
4. Rinse and dry. Dampen a clean white cloth with cool water, press it on the spot and blot. Do this 2 or 3 times so no soap is left. Leftover soap makes the spot get dirty again quickly. Then dry it under a weighted towel for several hours, ideally 6 to 8.

Avoid

• Rubbing or scrubbing. It frays the fibres and spreads the stain wider.
• Chlorine bleach. It removes carpet colour permanently.
• “Oxy” boosters and oxygen stain sprays. If any is left in the carpet, it can bleach or yellow it over time.

1. Blot it up. Blot with a plain white cloth from the outside in. Press firmly, lift, and move to a dry section each time. For a big spill, a wet/dry vacuum pulls out more wine first.
2. Dilute with cool water. Dribble a little cool water onto the spot, then blot. Repeat a few times. Each round thins the wine left in the fibres.
3. Apply a mild soap solution. Mix ¼ teaspoon of clear, plain dish soap (no bleach, no added lotion) into 1 cup of lukewarm water. Never use laundry or dishwasher detergent: they can contain brighteners or bleach that permanently mark carpet. Put a little on a white cloth, not straight onto the carpet, and press it onto the spot from the outside edge in. Leave it for 3 to 5 minutes, then blot.
4. Blot again. Blot with a fresh cloth until little or no colour transfers.
5. Rinse and dry. Dampen a clean white cloth with cool water, press it on the spot and blot. Do this 2 or 3 times so no soap is left. Leftover soap makes the spot get dirty again quickly. Then dry it under a weighted towel for several hours, ideally 6 to 8.

Avoid

• Coloured or patterned towels. The dye can transfer to wet carpet.
• Chlorine bleach, “oxy” boosters and oxygen stain sprays. They can bleach or yellow the carpet.
• Rubbing. Blotting lifts the wine; rubbing drives it in.

1. Soak it up. Put a thick pad of white paper towel or a white towel on the spot and stand on it (on furniture, press down hard with your hand). Swap in dry towels and repeat until almost nothing transfers. Press and blot; don’t rub.
2. Rinse with cool water. Pour on a small amount of cool water, just enough to dampen the spot, and blot it back out with dry towels. This dilutes what has soaked in. No soap, vinegar or household cleaners at this stage: some enzyme cleaner labels warn they can stop the enzymes working or leave a stain.
3. Apply an enzyme cleaner. Use an enzyme cleaner made for pet urine; pet stores carry them. Check the label says it’s safe for your carpet or fabric: some aren’t for wool, silk or leather. Use as much as the label says: most say to soak the area so the cleaner reaches as deep as the urine did. On furniture, wet the fabric well but don’t flood the cushion. Leave it for the full time on the label, and don’t mix it with other cleaners.
4. Let it work, then dry. When the label’s time is up, blot up the extra, or leave it if the label says to. Don’t rinse it out. Let the area dry completely before anyone walks or sits on it. Once the waiting time is over, a fan can speed up drying.

Avoid

• Steam cleaners, hot water or a hair dryer on fresh urine. Heat can set the stain and smell, stops enzyme cleaners working, and can push urine deeper. (Professional hot water extraction after enzyme treatment is a different process.)
• Ammonia, bleach or vinegar cleaners. Urine contains ammonia, so these can smell like a toilet spot to pets and draw them back. Never mix cleaners.
• Air fresheners and scented sprays. They hide the smell from you for a while, but your pet can still smell it, and nothing is removed.

1. Let it dry completely. Wet mud only smears. Blot up any standing water (don’t rub), then leave it until it’s fully dry and crumbly, which can take several hours or overnight.
2. Break it up and vacuum. Break up the dried mud by tapping it with a brush or the back of a spoon: tap, don’t scrub. Vacuum slowly in several directions, and repeat until no more comes up.
3. Apply a mild soap solution. Mix ¼ teaspoon of clear, plain dish soap (no bleach, no added lotion) into 1 cup of lukewarm water. Never use laundry or dishwasher detergent: they can contain brighteners or bleach that permanently mark carpet. Put a little on a white cloth, not straight onto the carpet, and press it onto the spot from the outside edge in. Leave it for 3 to 5 minutes, then blot.
4. Blot. Blot from the outside in with a clean white cloth.
5. Rinse and dry. Dampen a clean white cloth with cool water, press it on the spot and blot. Do this 2 or 3 times so no soap is left. Leftover soap makes the spot get dirty again quickly. Then dry it under a weighted towel for several hours, ideally 6 to 8.

Avoid

• Wiping it while it’s wet. That grinds the soil deeper into the pile.
• Adding water before the dry mud is vacuumed up. It turns back into mud.

1. Vacuum the loose salt. Vacuum slowly to lift as many crystals as you can before any liquid touches it.
2. Apply a vinegar solution. Mix 1 part white vinegar with 2 parts lukewarm water. Dab it onto the white marks with a white cloth (don’t soak) and wait 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Blot. Blot with a clean white cloth. The white haze should start lifting onto the cloth.
4. Rinse and dry. Dampen a clean white cloth with cool water, press it on the spot and blot. Do this 2 or 3 times to clear the vinegar and dissolved salt. Then dry it under a weighted towel for several hours, ideally 6 to 8.

Avoid

• Scrubbing. It frays the fibres and grinds the gritty salt and dirt in deeper.
• Soaking the carpet. Extra water carries the salt into the backing, and it wicks back up as it dries.
• Dish soap on salt marks. Some ice melts react with soap and leave a sticky film.

1. Lift off the excess. Scrape up anything solid with a spoon, then blot liquid oil with a dry white cloth. Don’t add water yet.
2. Optional: soak up fresh oil. Sprinkle cornstarch or baking soda over fresh oil to soak some of it up, and leave it for 15 minutes.
3. Vacuum the powder. Vacuum it up thoroughly. Repeat the powder step if the spot still looks oily.
4. Apply a mild soap solution. Mix ¼ teaspoon of clear, plain dish soap (no bleach, no added lotion) into 1 cup of lukewarm water. Never use laundry or dishwasher detergent: they can contain brighteners or bleach that permanently mark carpet. Put a little on a white cloth, not straight onto the carpet, and press it onto the spot from the outside edge in. Leave it for 3 to 5 minutes, then blot.
5. Blot. Blot from the outside in with a fresh white cloth. Repeat the soap step while oil keeps transferring.
6. Rinse and dry. Dampen a clean white cloth with cool water, press it on the spot and blot. Do this 2 or 3 times so no soap is left. Leftover soap makes the spot get dirty again quickly. Then dry it under a weighted towel for several hours, ideally 6 to 8.

Avoid

• Water on its own. It spreads oil instead of lifting it.
• Heat, like an iron or hair dryer. Direct heat can melt synthetic carpet fibres and spread the oil further.