DID YOU KNOW that the horror of spilling something like grape juice, Kool-Aid and other fruit drinks doesn’t have to be that… horrific?

So you have kids, grandkids, or neighbour kids come over, and they want something to drink. They surely don’t want water.  That’s pretty boring stuff. They want something fruity, sweet, and with lots of coloring. Like deep blues, or reds. You know, the stuff that can really stain a carpet or furniture.

And the inevitable occurs. The kids love what you give them, but after all, they are…well…

 kids. So something gets spilled. For some weird reason, this never happens on a hard, tile floor. It happens right on the rug.

What to do?

Step #1
First of all, don’t panic. Gather your senses.

Step #2
Start blotting. You want to use white cotton or paper towels, with no print or dyes, and blot – blot – blot! No scrubbing!!!!!!  Most of any spotting or staining substance will come right out because the towel you are using is more absorbent than the carpet the drink was spilled on. Oh, did I mention…NO scrubbing.

Step #3
It may be appropriate, with some coaching from your carpet cleaning pro, to do some spotting. Use a spotting product, like a mild neutral detergent spotter, recommended by your carpet pro. Apply a small amount to the spot and keep blotting. Never scrub. Scrubbing can damage the carpet fibers and you can’t fix that. Keep blotting.

Step #4
Did I say keep blotting? Keep it up! You may need to apply more approved mild detergent spotter. One thing you do not want to do is apply too much moisture, as that gets into the backing of the carpet and into the pad, creating other problems.

Step #5
Once the spot is gone, it’s time to dry the carpet. How to do this? Keep blotting, of course! But also aim a fan on the spot and let the air current remove more moisture.

Is the spot still there? It may be a stain, very tough to remove. It is definitely now time to call your carpet cleaning pro!

Best case scenario
When anything happens, like spilling grape juice, red wine, mustard or other tough-to-remove substances, call your carpet and furniture cleaning professional. He has what it takes to get the job done right the first time.

Make that phone call especially for pet “accidents.” Your carpet cleaning pro knows exactly what you need to keep your rugs and carpets spot and stain free!