Rugs and carpets have a rich history, only part of which is known. Ancient rugs are very rare because the earliest rugs were made of organic fibers. Organic fibers disintegrate Most of us have stained a carpet at one time or another. Food, juice, paint, kids, pets--these are just a few of the hazards that beset many poor carpets. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to combat and remove tough stains. Be sure to test an unseen corner of your carpet before trying any of the following solutions to make sure that the solution works for your carpet and doesn't hurt the color or fabric. Here are a few of the most common stains and ideas for removing them:



Water, ammonia, and dish detergent:

1) Blot with a white paper towel to remove as much of the blood stain that you can and neutralize by spraying the stain with a solution of 1/2 cup cool water and 1 Tbsp. of clear ammonia, making sure not to wet the backing.

2) Blot with a white paper towel to remove excess moisture

3) Mix 1 qt. cool water and 1/4 tsp. of dish detergent, like Dawn or Joy, that doesn't contain bleach or lanolin (Dawn, Joy, etc) and Spray onto stained area.

4) Work the solution in by blotting the area and rinse with a spray bottle of cool water.

5) Apply a 'pad' of paper towels and place something heavy on top, like a few heavy books, to absorb the moisture.*

*If all of the stain does not come out, add 3 percent hydrogen peroxide to the ends of the carpet and let it set for 1 hour. Repeat step number five.

Hydrogen peroxide and boiling water:

1) Pour hydrogen peroxide onto carpet.

2) Blot with clean white cloth and follow immediately with boiling water. Blot again, and stain should be gone.

Peanut Butter:

1) Put a spoon of peanut butter on the gum.

2) Use Spoon to mix it into gum and let stand for three minutes.

3) Rub with spoon to loosen and wipe with a wet rag with a picking motion.

4) Take a rag and wash the spot.

Ice: Put pile of ice on gum and let melt until gum is hardened (freeze it). It becomes brittle, and you may be able to remove it. If this doesn't work, try another option.

Lighter Fluid: apply lighter fluid on for a few minutes and wipe-the gum should come out.

WD-40: soak carpet with the WD-40 and rub. If it doesn't work the first time, try again. It should come out after a couple of applications.

Lighter Fluid: put lighter fluid on for a few minutes and wipe-the wax should come out.

Warm iron and damp, white cloth:

1) Get as much wax as possible off the carpet--scrape and pick at the wax after it has dried.

2) Dampen a clean white cloth and squeeze out excess water.

3) Place over the wax and apply warm iron over cloth. The steam melts the wax and it adheres to the cloth. Repeat until the steam pulls the wax completely off.

Vacuum, water, and ammonia:

1) Mix a solution that contains 50% water, 50% ammonia, and a few drops of liquid soap.

2) Spray on stain and let it sit no more than a few seconds. Use a wet-use vacuum and suck up the stain.

3) Repeat until stain is gone, and then vacuum wet area until it is dry.

Paint Thinner: Dip toothbrush or pour a small portion onto stain. Dab or scrub stain until it is gone.

Club Soda: Pour soda onto spot and dab with cloth. Repeat if needed until stain is gone.

Pine-Sol: Dip toothbrush in pine-sol and scrub.

Non-Aerosol Hair Spray: treat stained area with non-aerosol hairspray and blot with a clean white towel. Repeat as many times as necessary to remove ink.

Lipstick

Ivory Soap: Rub with warm, wet cloth onto stain. Work until stain is gone.

Coffee and Tea

Soda Water: pour onto stain and blot dry; repeat until stain is gone.

Red Wine

Soda Water: pour onto stain and blot dry; repeat until stain is gone.

Salt: Poor a lot of salt on area and let it soak up the stain. Vacuum shortly after.

Juice and Kool-Aid

Salt: sprinkle salt onto stain and it will dissolve the liquid. Vacuum right after and the stain should be gone.

Hydrogen peroxide, warm water, and cloth:

1) Mix hydrogen peroxide, small amount of dish detergent, and hydrogen peroxide.

2) Pour or spray solution onto stain and let sit. Blot until stain is removed.

Pet Stains

Rubbing alcohol: pour onto urine stain and let dry; this kills bacteria and odor.

Baking Soda: pour baking soda over stain and let sit. Vacuum after it has soaked stain up.

White Vinegar: sprinkle stain with white vinegar. Wait three minutes, sponge from the middle of the stain out, and blot with clean, dry cloth. Repeat until stain has been removed.

Shaving cream (foamy): Spray white, foamy cream onto the spot. Let it sit for three minutes, and then blot.