You need to remove sap from carpet. It’s a common problem as the holiday season wraps up. Here is an unconventional way to remove sap from carpet.
How To Remove Sap From Carpet
As the holiday season comes to a close, you will certainly find yourself with quite a bit of cleaning up to do. It’s a fact, holiday spills happen. And the carpet clean-up can range from red wine removal to getting wax out of carpet. One of the most common holiday carpet issues is sap left behind from a Christmas tree. Most carpet spots can be easily cleaned with a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water, but sap is different. It’s sticky and tacky and this can present quite a problem when it gets on your carpet.
The first thing to know when attempting to remove sap from carpet is to lift, not rub. Basically, pinch the sap with a paper towel or your fingers and lift up. Rubbing the sap will just spread it around to more carpet fibers, making the problem worse. Remove as much of the sap as you can by “lifting”.
Obviously, you won’t be able to remove all the sap from your carpet by lifting. The next step sounds a bit unconventional but it works. Get some WD-40. It’s a common, house-hold product with a variety of uses. Most people have it on hand, but if you don’t it’s readily available at most retail locations. WD-40 does offer some “green” products – check out their web site to learn more!
Spray a SMALL amount directly onto the sap and repeat the lifting process. Use a paper towel and your finger tips to pinch the sap and lift up. Again, don’t rub! Rubbing will only spread the sap around. Keep in mind, that the WD-40 is a solvent that contains oil. This is not something that you want to stay on your carpet, so think of removing the sap from your carpet as a 2-step process: first remove the sap and then remove the solvent. Continue to apply SMALL amounts of WD-40 and lifting the sap with a paper towel and your fingers until the sap is completely removed.
Finally, remove any remaining WD-40 with clear Windex or a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water. Simply, spray the area that has WD-40 and then use a clean paper towel to absorb the cleaning solution and the solvent. Click here for a detailed description of how to spot clean. Stand on a towel over the area you are cleaning and remember to move it frequently, so you are absorbing with a clean portion of the towel. The weight of your body adds extra pressure and absorbing power.
