Carter's Carpet Restoration

Serving Placerville, El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Granite Bay, Cameron Park & Surrounding Areas

Hours of Operation

Mon - Fri: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sat: By Appointment
Sunday: Closed

Call Us Today

El Dorado Hills: (916) 933-7807
Placerville: (530) 642-9003

Simple DIY Carpet Cleaning Tips

Karen Carter

DIY carpet cleaning tips
DIY carpet cleaning tips
DIY carpet cleaning tips to remove make-up, wine and wax.

It’s easy to freshen up your home with these simple DIY carpet cleaning tips.  Below are three simple tips for removing some of the most common carpet stains, make-up, wine and wax.  You should always have a few clean, white cotton towels on hand for unexpected carpet spills.  Why white and why cotton?  Cotton is an excellent absorbing fiber and white towels won’t transfer color.

Remove Make-Up from Carpet

Ever spill liquid make-up on your carpet?  Here’s your first DIY carpet cleaning tip – blot, don’t rub.  Absorb as much of the liquid make-up as possible with a clean, white cotton towel by pressing down into the spill.  Don’t scrub the spill.  Scrubbing will certainly remove some of the make-up, but it will also spread the make-up around eventually making the spot larger.  Next, get the spot slightly damp with a moist towel.  Now apply some white foam shaving cream to the make-up stain.  White foam shaving cream has properties similar to soap, it’s foam will help lift away the spill without leaving a heavy residue.  Use the moist towel to rub the spot in a circular motion.  The shaving cream will help to break down stain.  Finally, mist the spot with a spray bottle of water or simply wipe the area with a damp towel.  You can repeat this process until the spot is removed.

Remove Red Wine from Carpet

Wine is one of the most common household spills.  Believe it or not, the best DIY carpet cleaning tips to remove red wine is to treat the spill with white wine.  Here it is again, use clean, white cotton towels to soak up as much of the liquid as possible.  You can even stand on the towel to help soak up more red wine.  Then open up a bottle of white wine.  Gently sprinkle the white wine over the spilled red wine.  How much white wine you will need depends on how much red wine was spilled, use your best judgement but don’t saturate the carpet with white wine.  Again, use your clean cotton towels to absorb the wine.  Try to blot with a section of dry, clean towel each time you press down.  The dry towel will pull the moisture out of the carpet, removing the wine in the process.

Remove Wax from Carpet

Candle spills happen.  If you spill wax on your carpet don’t panic.  The DIY carpet cleaning tip in this case is to let the wax cool and harden.  Once cool, pick away as much of the solid wax as you can.  Next, plug in your iron and grab the notorious clean, white cotton towel.  When your iron is hot, cover the wax spill with the towel and then press the hot iron over the towel.  The iron should re-melt the wax and the towel will absorb the freshly melted wax.  Repeat this step 2 to 3 times and then let the carpet come to a normal temperature again.  Most carpet is synthetic and it will actually melt if exposed to excessive heat.  You must watch closely to ensure you are removing wax and not melting carpet fiber.  Once most of the wax has been removed, any remain bits can be trimmed out with a pair of scissors.

Most of the time these simple DIY carpet cleaning tips will freshen up your carpet in between professional cleanings.  Be prepared for the unexpected and keep a supply of clean, white cotton towels on hand.  Vinegar is also a great, natural and neutral DIY carpet cleaning solution to use for small spots and stains.

Share this post

We're Ready to Help!

Call us, and we'll be there to help!

At Carter’s Carpet Restoration we offer 100% free estimates! Call us or complete our quote form.