Getting Red Stains Out of Carpet

Everybody knows that the toughest stain to get out is anything the color of red. People often argue which thing is worse. It could be anything from fruit punch to a red colored soda. The truth is that no red stain can be easily removed. This may sometimes be true even with professional help.

There are unique chemicals in red dyes that are used in foods. You may notice you always end up with a red tongue or lips from drinking fruit punch. What these chemicals do is leave behind a residue that bonds with anything they can seep into. This can be anything. They are often the cause of ruined children's clothing.

The worst thing that can happen with red is that it ends up all over your carpet due to a spilled cup. Most parents will preach to only give your child a big girl or boy cup in the kitchen. Well kids are quick and it doesn't always end up in the kitchen. Bottles and training cups are also known to leak if the seal is jarred away.

Well, do not count on a steam cleaner or carpet shampooer to do the job. Not even the best of them can completely remove the stain. However, they may lighten the stain to a lighter pink color. Many professionals can not remove these stains. Unfortunately, most of use aren't ready to buy new carpeting when this happens.

There is one method that will work. Sometimes it may take a few tries to completely remove the stain from your carpeting. As always, do a test area before applying any chemicals directly to a large area of your carpet.

Ammonia is a strong cleaning agent and should be diluted with water when cleaning carpeting. Always remember to work in a well ventilated area. Ammonia can be substituted with with any glass cleaner, but I highly suggest not using this on light colored carpet. The blue color may transfer and leave you with a new stain to get rid of.

You will also need a few old white towels. Use towels that can be recycled or thrown away because the red stain will be transferred onto the towels. If you use an other color it can cause the dyes in the towels to be transferred onto the carpet, as well.

You mix a solution of ammonia and hot water. The solution should be equal parts and in a pourable container. After the mixture is ready, apply the solution directly to the stain. You will need to let this sit for fifteen to thirty minutes. You can then blot away any excess color with one of your white towels.

You will also use a hot steam iron. You can use this with or without the steam option. You will place a clean white towel over the stain and let it sit. Once the iron is fully heated place it directly on the towel. The heat from the iron will pull the color off of the carpet and into the towel. Hold the iron in place for approximately forty second and lift it off. You will need to repeat this process several times. The key is to keep the towels clean so that the red is not transferred back onto the carpet. After a few tries your carpet should be as good as new.