There are a lot of little joys that come with having children. From their first steps to the day they graduate college, we’re always eager to see how they grow and to let them know how proud we are. However, not all of life’s moments are so magical. Younger kids, and even teenagers, have a tendency to leave a mess wherever they go. But what do you do when this mess gets all over your carpet?
First, remember that your kids are human. Then, check out this list of some of the most common stains you’ll encounter and how to clean them.
1) Colored drinks
It’s no secret that kids love brightly colored things. Balloons, TV shows, toys… juice. While you may find their enchantment with their blue or red tongue oddly endearing, it’s a completely different story when your carpet sports those colors. To remove the colored drink stains, immediately blot the spill with a dry towel, pulling up as much moisture as you can. Make sure you’re blotting, not scrubbing. Scrubbing will only spread the stain. Once you’ve absorbed as much liquid as possible from the area, mix white vinegar, soap and water in a misting spray bottle and spray on the spot. Let it soak for about 10 minutes and then blot again with a clean, dry towel.
2) Chocolate
We all know that too much sugar can make kids go berserk, but who are we to deny our babies one of life’s greatest pleasures? Sharing a piece of chocolate can be a bonding moment – at least until you find out that munchkin’s dropped a piece and sat there while it melted into your carpet. Don’t avoid these special moments. Instead, when you find yourself facing a chocolate stain, scoop up and blot as much of the residue as possible, then vacuum any dry particles. Afterwards mix 1/4 teaspoon of mild liquid dish soap with one cup of warm water and apply it to cloth. Gently work the fabric on the carpet from the outside of the mark towards the center. Let the solution stay for about 5 minutes and then blot it dry.
3) Chewing gum
A few studies, like the one from Nutritional Neuroscience, suggest that chewing a gum helps us to be more alert and concentrated on the environment around us and even to multitask, especially when we are sleepy (who knew?!). But when a gum gets stuck on a carpet, it’s nothing but an eyesore. To expel it, dab an ice cube on the gum and let it sit there for 1 minute, which will make the gum hard. Once hard, you should be able to pull it off the carpet carefully. You may need to do a little scraping, but if you do, be sure to use a credit card or the dull side of a butter knife.
4) Blood
Did your children hurt themselves while you were at work and you came home to a mess on the carpet? Help your loved ones to heal their wounds, but also try to act as quickly as possible to remove the stain. Remember to use cold water instead of hot, mixing it with a grease-fighting dish detergent in a spray bottle. Then follow the same steps as described for colored drinks.
5) Crayons
Kids feel very creative all the time and want to impress you with their art. But you don’t want to see those drawings on your carpet… To get rid of crayon stains, take a wet sponge with some baking soda on it and lightly wipe out the marks. Alternatively, run a warm iron over them through a towel folded many times.
6) Ink
Your darling is learning how to write his or her first letters and you couldn’t be happier, but ink spilling is unfortunately inevitable at one point or another. Save your carpet by responding fast and blotting (not scrubbing!) the spill with a clean towel and some rubbing alcohol. Let it sit there for about 30 minutes and then rinse it with warm water and vinegar.
7) Coffee
No matter how hard you try to control them, kids always want to copy adult habits to show how grown up they already are. If they drank coffee and spilled some on the carpet, blot the area to absorb as much liquid as you can. Then spray on clean water and keep blotting the mark until it’s gone. If you still have some staining, apply a foamy shaving cream to the spots and rub it lightly with a cloth.
8) Raw eggs
Did your precious ones decide to play around and throw eggs at each other? Or were they helping you make dinner when they accidentally dropped one? To get raw egg off the carpet, pour lots of salt over the affected area and let it sit. As the egg absorbs the salt, it will become very firm, which means you can scrape it off easily. You can also blot the stain with a mix of lukewarm water and a neutral detergent.
9) Acne medication
Those little spots can leave your teenager self-conscious, and a few words of encouragement and support always go a long way. The nervous and angry attention with which your teenager deals with their acne can lead to over-zestful tube squeezing. If they happened to launch a bit of their medication on your carpet, you can prevent bleaching by using anti-chlor. Red Relief or Red 1 should do the trick. Don’t forget to thoroughly extract it after 15-20 minutes with water. Some stains are just very hard to eliminate, especially if you’ve noticed them too late. Consult a professional carpet, rug and upholstery cleaning service company today for a free estimate. High Quality Carpet is open 24 hours, which means we can take care of your emergency promptly!
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