If you have carpets in your apartment, spills and stains can sometimes occur. When that oil accidentally dribbles on your favourite carpet, you might think there’s no way to remove it. In fact, there are a few sneaky tricks to try out before calling a professional. Oil stains are hard to fully remove – especially if you don’t clean them immediately. Take a couple of deep breaths and see how you can eliminate any type of oil stain on your carpet below:
1. Dab, don’t rub
Did you splash some olive oil on the carpet? The first thing you might want to do is rub it. Don’t let yourself do it, though. Rubbing will push the oil deeper into the carpet, making the stain bigger and harder to remove.
Grab some disposable hand towels and lightly dab the stain until you remove as much oil as possible. If there are any oily solids, use a dull knife to lift them away.
2. Sprinkle the stain with the absorbing powder
Be it baking soda, corn starch, or talcum powder, the absorbing powder on top of the stain can help suck the oil out of your carpet. Use a brush with soft bristles to work the absorbing powder into your carpet. Leave the absorbing powder on the stain for 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the stain’s size. It might take a few applications of the absorbing powder. Vacuum to remove the powder along with the stain. If this trick fails, try out the next one.
3. Soap it
When the previous method fails, it’s time to start a more serious battle. Make a mixture of one part soap and one part hot water. Ensure your soap is heavy duty. Start dabbing all over the stain and allow the mixture to sit for 2 to 5 minutes. Ensure you don’t overwet the carpet because that could lead to other issues such as mould or wet carpet smell.
You might need to repeat the process all over again until you manage to remove the stain. Once it’s removed, dab the stain again with a clean cloth and cold water to soak up the soap mixture. Dry your carpet fully once you finish cleaning. This will help ward off mould or mildew growth.
4. Call a professional cleaner
When everything fails, calling a professional is the smartest decision to take. Depending on the size of oil stains, getting them out of the carpet is often a headache. Professionals know how to remove any type of stains without damaging the carpet. Plus, they can do it in a safe way.
Professional carpet cleaners use specialist stain removal products and cleaners. They can’t work miracles, but they might provide the biggest chance of making your carpets look new again.
The final word
Removing oil stains from your carpet is possible, but it’s all about speed. Oil spills tend to set very quickly. If you don’t remove them right away, you’re more likely to find they becomestubborn stains later. If you have trouble dealing with oil stains, it’s always better to call a professional.