If you or anyone of your family member is a coffee lover, then coffee stains are probably always going to be a problem. Much more so if this stain will be on your carpets or upholstery. Don’t fret because there are simple steps that you could do to remove fresh coffee spills on your carpets or clean up those dried ones as well.
Before we proceed with the carpet cleaning tips, there are some properties of coffee that we need to talk about. These will help you in easily dealing with your coffee accidents and justify the cleaning methods that we will talk about later.
1. Water is most helpful in avoiding stains. Drying the excess coffee product in the carpet using a dry cloth or paper towels and then flushing or rinsing the area with cold water will help prevent the stain to be set on the carpet.
2. Heat should be avoided. As much as possible, hot or warm water should be prevented in using to clean the stain. This only sets the coffee – and other types of organic stain such as tea and blood – on the fibers of the carpet. Also, dry heat should be avoided like to the use of hair dryer to dry the carpet or the use of a steam cleaner to remove the stain.
3. Working with coffee stains should be from the outside to the center of the stain. This prevents spreading and bleeding further.
Now let’s talk about what actual products we can use to remove the coffee stains. These products are so easy to use and can be found in your household.
1. Clear soda. Clear soda can be poured in small amounts over the coffee stain in your carpets. You let it sit there for a few minutes to allow the soda and the coffee to react together, therefore removing it from the actual carpet fibers. Then you pat it with a dry clean cloth or paper towels.
2. Beer. Beer also has the property similar to soda that allows a chemical reaction with coffee and other organic stains to be removed when they become in contact with each other. Similarly, you let it soak for a few minutes before you tap the stain dry with a cloth or paper towel.
3. Vinegar. Another household item that you can use to remove coffee and other water-soluble stains, such as juices, beer, and tea, is vinegar. Using a towel moistened with undiluted white vinegar, pat the soiled area until the stain has been completely removed. For larger or more intense stains, you can soak the area with 3 parts vinegar to 1 part cold water and then rinse it with cold water and pat dry again.
These mentioned ingredients are best used for natural-fiber carpets that are considered to be very sensitive and delicate. Synthetic fiber carpets, however, such as those made of acrylic, modacrylic, nylon, or polyester, are more durable. Coffee stains that attach to these types of carpets can be removed using the following technique.
1. Blot the excess coffee using a clean, dry cloth. You can also place paper or dry cloth under the carpet to absorb extra moisture.
2. Mix 2 cups of cold water, ½ teaspoon dishwashing detergent and 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. Use this solution to soak up the soiled carpet area for about 15 minutes. The dishwashing liquid and vinegar can help break down the proteins of the coffee that has adhered to the fibers of the carpet to allow easy removal of the stain.
3. Rinse the area with cold water.
4. Use a sponge or absorbent dry cloth to blot up any remaining liquid.
5. Pat dry remaining stain using another clean cloth and rubbing alcohol.
6. Repeat these steps over the course of a few days until all the stain has been removed.
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