If you’ve got light colored carpets in your home, the absolute last thing you’ll want to happen is a coffee spill. No matter how careful you are about carrying your cup of hot coffee, accidents always happen. Luckily, coffee is a relatively easy stain to clean, especially when compared to things like wine and mud. There are a few different ways of combating this type of stain and preventing it from setting.
The biggest takeaway from this article should be to act quickly. The sooner you begin working on the spill, the better the outcome will be. Waiting to clean, procrastinating or just ignoring it will only cause the stain to set, resulting in a discoloration in your once pristine carpet.
Coffee spills are relatively easy to tackle. One way to handle this type of stain is by utilizing some products that are probably just sitting in your cabinets. To create a DIY coffee stain remover, you will need baking soda, white vinegar, a mild detergent and a spray bottle.
This method is most effective when the stain is still wet. The key to this process is to try and gently absorb as much of the coffee as possible before the spill begins to dry. While the stain is wet, rest a dry sponge or dry paper towel on the affected area. Blot lightly to get the liquid out of the fibers. Remember: blot, don’t rub!
Next, place some detergent on the stain. Try not to rub the detergent into the fabric, as this may only exacerbate the stain. Fill the spray bottle with water and spray the area you were just cleaning before softly patting it dry with paper towels. Now, sprinkle baking soda on the area to absorb any moisture left over. After letting the baking soda sit for a few minutes, use a dry vacuum cleaner to clean it up. If this doesn’t sufficiently remove the coffee stain, treat the area with a solution made from equal parts water and vinegar.
A second way to approach this is to use a commercial stain remover. This is especially effective if the stain is old and has already dried up. When choosing a commercial cleaner, be sure it will work with the specific carpet fibers that your carpet has. There are products on the market that were developed specifically to target coffee stains, as well. Follow the instructions on the bottle, but as a general rule, dampen the affected area before applying the cleaning product.
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