Nothing can be more frustrating than having your carpets cleaned by a professional cleaner and then spilling something on them or having a pet accident the very next day. It always happens when you least expect it and always when it’s most inconvenient. This is such a common scenario in our industry that I want to take the time to address just a few concepts that will really save you time and frustration when an accident happens on your carpet. These accidents may range from pet spots to food and soda spills, but none-the-less leave an impression that irritates us until we do something about them.
First of all, try to immediately soak up or clean as much of the spot as possible with a dry or slightly damp towel. If you are able to use a vacuum cleaner to suck-up some of the loose debris, then do it. However, use the hose on the vacuum cleaner to extract. Do not run the vacuum cleaner itself over the spot in case you force debris deeper into the carpet or in case you smear it onto other areas of the carpet that are not affected.
Secondly, do not use house hold soaps, bleach, or other chemicals to clean the spot or affected area. This is a widely misunderstood concept. Using house hold soaps, cleaning agents or other unapproved chemicals can A-permanently stain your carpet with color loss, B-void the carpet warranty and/or C-delaminate the backing of the carpet.
My third tip is pretty simple, but in most cases works better than anything else. If you have a spot that needs immediate attention, call a professional to come out and clean the area. If the cleaning company cannot make it out until the following day, then place a wet/damp towel over the spot on the carpet to keep the affected area moist. Spots are typically harder to get out once they are dry, but if kept moist they usually have better results.
I would recommend my fourth and final point to most people with newer carpets in their homes. Ask your cleaning company to Scotchgard the carpet and even the furniture. You will be so happy you did whenever that spill does come.
Carpet stains are when spots have soaked into the fibers and have discolored the fibers themselves. There is a lot a good cleaning company can do, but there is never a guarantee. This picture was taken at the IICRC Jon-Don Carpet Cleaning Seminar where technicians put together a list of common stains they see on a regular basis. After mashing all the different substances into this carpet square, they spot-cleaned with various cleaning agents and were able to clean them all out. The second picture is the clean square. I promise this is not photo shopped.
First Choice Cleaning offers an excellent spot cleaning program for its customers. Whenever individuals have First Choice clean their home, technicians leave a bottle of “Spot Out” behind, which is an IICRC approved spot cleaning agent. Just in case there happens to be an “accident” the very next day, they have the proper cleaning agent with them. And if our customers ever need help, we are always there for them.
David Pollard (First Choice Cleaning & Restorations)