Stains are every one’s worst carpet cleaning nightmare. Whether its coffee you spilt in the office or wine on your carpets and rugs at home, nobody wants to have to clean a stain. But there steps to take to get rid of a minor stain before it sets in. A stain is when there is a discoloration on a material caused by the active chemical agents in the staining solution. Fabrics are more susceptible to stains because fibers excel at trapping in moister and particles, but stains can also occur on any type of floor or surface in your home and office. So what should you do if you accidently spilt a liquid that can stain your carpets or floor surfaces?

1. Act quickly: The sooner you start soaking up the liquid by blotting a carpet or using an absorbent cloth on a harder surface the less time the staining solution has to set in. Liquids with high acidity such as wine or fruit juice will stain quicker.
2. Don’t rub the stain: This will force the staining liquid deeper into the fabric or spread it along hard surfaces. By blotting instead of rubbing you are picking up the liquid with an absorbent cloth as opposed spreading it.
3. Find a solution: Every liquid is different therefore some stains require different solutions. But for your home there are some simple and green stain removing solutions you can make. For example, white distilled vinegar when mixed with water or club soda can be a great stain fighting solution. Harder surfaces such as linoleum or hardwood can be cleaned with water and a hint of dish soap.
4. Deodorize: Some liquids that can stain may cause unwanted odors. For short term relief use an air freshener of choice in the room the stain is in, but do not spray the stain directly. To deodorize the stain you will want to sprinkle baking soda over the stain and then vacuum it up the following day.
5. Scotch Guard: To prevent future spills from staining your carpets, area rugs and upholstery you should consider Scotch Guarding. Scotch Guard is a chemical that creates a repellant coating around the fibers of your fabric so that it is harder for a staining liquid to penetrate the fibers.