Blood

Blood is fairly easy to get out of a carpet (in very small amounts! ). Soak up with paper towels, put some cold water on the stain and work in with something blunt like the end of a wooden spoon, soak up again with paper towels. Repeat if necessary.

Dust Marks

These are the black marks that come up round the edge of carpets. They are caused by currents of air bringing dust up from underneath the floorboards. Cleaning will usually only partially remove them and they may reappear. Putting down paper and sealing the edges of the floor before a carpet is laid may stop them coming up.if you are renovating a house it is worthwhile vacuuming out the floor cavities, in older buildings you may have 150 years of accumulated dust sitting there.

Flood Damage

Water stains, ie. from burst pipes, should be treated professionally and quickly if a lot of water has gone on the carpet. After the cause of the leak is fixed mop up water with towels. NB. Many terracotta plant pots are porous and will slowly leak water. Floods from flood water or backed up drains need speedy and professional attention. Quite apart from damage to your house and it’s contents there is usually a risk that bacteria from the dirty water will cause illness. We suggest you contact your insurers or the National Carpet Cleaners Assoc. Tel No. 0116 271-9550 or [visit their web-site] for a company that deals with flood damage.

Food

Remove any excess then wipe with a cloth wrung out with a mild detergent.

Glue

It needs to be cleaned professionally, try and wipe up any residue.

Ink

Blot up any excess. Indian and other natural inks are very difficult to get out of a carpet completely but synthetic inks i.e. as used in shoe polish, can often be removed by a solvent such as surgical spirit. Put some on a clean white cotton cloth and gently dab at stain. For large stains get professional advice. For ball point pen marks use a dry cloth and methylated spirits.

Lily Pollen

If dry try and vacuum clean off excess, if wet soak up with dry cloths. Professional cleaning can often remove any residue but don’t attempt cleaning the stain yourself with detergents.

Make Up

Most make up is oil based, cleaning with a water based spot cleaner will just spread it around. We can usually remove mascara from carpets.

Milk

Though it will not permanently stain a carpet milk will give off a horrible smell if not completely cleaned out, may need professional cleaning.

Mud

Let mud dry completely, brush with a stiff brush to break up mud then vacuum clean off.

Nail Varnish

Do not try cleaning with water. Use a non-oily nail varnish remover or cellulose thinners and a dry cloth on very superficial stains, testing first on an inconspicuous part of the carpet. Get professional advice for larger marks.We can often remove nail varnish.

Pet Stains

Animal urine is often caustic and will permanently stain a carpet. As with drink stains soak up as much as possible. There are proprietary odour removers and neutralisers but professional cleaning may be needed. For upholstery and curtains dry cleaning is effective for removing smells.

Paint

Emulsion when wet should be rinsed off with water, when dry it can be broken down (if superficial stain) by rubbing with the blunt edge of a knife and then vacuumed cleaned off. You can use small amounts of white spirit to remove gloss paint but it can take the colour out of the carpet. If the paint is dry and superficial it can be snipped off with a sharp scissors though be careful not to make holes in the carpet.

Red Wine

As with other drinks blot up as much as possible with paper towel or a dry cloth. Sprinkle white wine (its acidity helps neutralize the stain) or water onto the stain and blot up again. Leave more dry clean towels over the stain with a dinner plate over them and leave while the stain dries, this will catch any more staining as it rises to the surface. Remove remaining stain with methylated spirits and a dry cloth. We do not advise putting salt on the stain.

Rust

Put lemon juice on the mark, leave for a minute then rinse off with water, repeat if necessary. If this is unsuccessful professional cleaning will normally remove the rust.

Tar/Oil

Remove stain with a spirit based cleaner, water will not disolve oil based stains.

Tea/Coffee/Drinks

Mop up as much as possible using paper towel or an absorbent cloth. Put a dry white towel or kitchen towel on the stain and stand on it. You can add more water and soak up again with cloths until the colour is gone. Leave more dry clean towels over the stain with a dinner plate over them and leave while the stain dries, this will catch any more staining as it rises to the surface. A cloth wrung out in a mild detergent or methylated spirits dabbed with a dry cloth may loosen up any residue left.

Soot

Soot is oily and cleaning with water and detergents is usually unsuccessful. Vacuum clean up as much as possible. small stains can be cleaned with a solvent based cleaner but large stains should be cleaned by a professional.