No one can deny the heavenly aroma of coffee in the early morning. Coffee is the go-to beverage for many people since it is probably one of the first things that is served on the breakfast table. Not only is coffee served on the breakfast table, but it can also be served to guests who are lounging in the living room, which can happen to have one of your favorite carpets as well.
Accidents do happen and sometimes, spills cannot be avoided. That includes coffee spilling on your favorite carpet, which may, of course, lead to an ugly stain. Coffee stains though are not something to fear. Removing coffee stains from a carpet is not as complicated as it may seem. It can take up, however, a bit of your time. With the right technique though, you will be able to remove that ugly stain without much of a fuss.
Cleaning coffee stains using dishwashing liquid
The important thing about coffee stains is that they should be a bit moist in order for them to be easily lifted off the carpet. It is important that dried up stains be loosened by making them wet so that cleaning the stain won’t be so difficult. The easiest way to moisten and loosen carpet fibers to easily clean the carpet is to use a carpet solution. If there isn’t any carpet solution immediately available though, you can always rely on other cleaning solutions such as dishwashing liquid.
Dishwashing liquid, actually, works pretty well on carpets of all colors. It does not have any harmful chemical that will affect the color or the fibers of the carpet. In order to clean the carpet of stains using dishwashing liquid, you can start by squeezing out a small amount of dishwashing liquid onto the stained portion of the carpet. Start adding cold water to the dishwashing liquid as you start working up a lather on the stained portion.
You can use either a scrubbing brush or a toothbrush to scrub off the coffee stain. Make sure that you use a circular scrubbing motion and that you do so starting from the outer portion of the stain going towards the center. Doing this makes sure that the stain doesn’t scatter to other parts of the carpet. You may have to repeat the procedure a couple of times, making sure that you rinse the brush every now and then. When the stain has lightened, you can wipe the whatever is left with a clean towel. By this time, the stain should easily come off.
Cleaning coffee stains using hydrogen peroxide
Another cleaning solution that you can use aside from dishwashing liquid is hydrogen peroxide. In fact, hydrogen peroxide is quite absorbent which makes it a good cleaning solution. Care should be taken when using hydrogen peroxide since this can only be used for light-colored carpets. Hydrogen peroxide is also a good bleaching agent so using it on dark-colored carpets may ruin the color of the carpet.
Mixing equal portions of hydrogen peroxide and dishwashing liquid to water and pouring it on coffee stains can be a quick and efficient way to remove coffee stains from a carpet. Soak the stain in this solution for around five minutes and wipe away the stain with paper towels after.
Cleaning old stains
Old stains may often appear dry on a carpet. Dried stains though aren’t much difficult to clean either. Since coffee stains are easier to remove when they are wet, all you will have to do is moisten the stain since the chemical composition of coffee doesn’t change when it dries up.
You can use hot water to moisten the coffee stain since hot water can easily the molecules of the dried-up coffee stain. This will make it easier for you to remove. After moistening the dried-up coffee stain, you can use dishwashing liquid or hydrogen peroxide to clean the stain using the same procedure mentioned above.
Coffee stains mixed with creamer or milk
Black coffee stains are one thing. Coffee stains that are mixed with creamer or any kind of dairy sets things on a slightly different level though. It’s not that these stains are harder to remove. It’s just that dairy has the tendency to decompose and when it does, it gives out a foul odor which you wouldn’t want to have on your carpet.
When it comes to stains that have dairy products mixed in them, it is better to use enzymatic commercial cleaners that can actually break down the dairy products. Examples of these brands are: Nature’s Miracles (which is also great for pet stains), Oxiclean, and Ultrazyme Enzymatic Cleaner.
Alternative Cleaning Solutions
The downside to using commercial cleaners is all those chemicals that can harm the environment. Caring for the environment is being put in the forefront when it comes to global priorities. Avoiding the use of commercial cleaners is considered to be a personal commitment into helping lessen damage to the environment.
Other than that, another reason why alternative and natural forms of cleaning solutions should be used is that they are milder than commercial cleaners. Commercial cleaners can be too strong at times that they may cause damage to certain types of carpet fibers such as wool, wool blends or other types or organic fibers.
The use of lemon juice and white vinegar mixed with water can be a good alternative to commercial cleaners. They are, in fact, as reliable as commercial cleaners in the market.
If you have the extra cash, you can also consider buying a high-quality portable carpet cleaner. These are quite lightweight and convenient to use.
As much as you try to avoid coffee spills and stains on your favorite carpet, certain situations cannot be totally canceled out. These kinds of situations should not be feared though since there are practical solutions to these kinds of problems. As long as precautions are followed, knowing what to do and what to use will certainly make carpet maintenance less tedious and less difficult.