Tips and Tricks on How to Remove Stains from Upholstery and Carpet
Do you have food or drink stains on your couches, carpet, or your car’s upholstery? If so you’re in luck, in this article we’re going to go over some tips and tricks on how to remove stains from upholstery and carpet. Don’t worry, it’s only going to take 3 ingredients and the main one is reverse osmosis water or soft water.
The following will be the materials list that you’ll need:
- Citrus Degreaser-Zep or Simple Green Lemon Scent
- Hydrogen Peroxide-minimum of 20%
- Garden Sprayer or Spray Bottle
- Reverse Osmosis or soft water
- Drill
- Drill Brush
- Microfiber towel
You can easily get Zep or Simple Green at any local home improvement stores such as Lowes or Home Depot. The 20% hydrogen peroxide can be purchased from any Sally’s Beauty Supply, but make sure you get the clear, not cream.
A garden sprayer or a good spray bottle can be purchased at the home improvement store or places like Walmart. The reverse osmosis or soft water can be sourced from your faucet as long as you have either of those available.
A drill is needed to help agitate the stains, if you don’t have one, get one off Amazon along with a white drill brush and some microfiber towels. These brushes come in different colors, make sure you get white since those are not overly aggressive. Green and red brushes tend to have stiffer bristles and if used on upholstery or carpet, it may lead to damage to the fibers.
Once you have all your materials, let’s go ahead and assemble the solution. Make sure you wear rubber gloves and safety glasses. For every gallon of water you have in your sprayer, you will add 1 cup of de-greaser and 1 cup of peroxide. Mix thoroughly then test it on an inconspicuous area to make sure that discoloration does not occur. For heavy soiling or stains, pour in an additional ¼ to ½ cup of de-greaser and peroxide.
To treat stains, you’ll need to mist the affected area and let it dwell for a few minutes to allow the solution to break down the dirt and grease. You’ll notice that once you spray the stains, they will start to disappear. Next, you’ll take your drill and brush, agitate the stain to help release it from the fibers. To finish things off, all you have to do is take a microfiber towel and wipe away any remaining solution on the fabric. The stains should be gone!
If you’re wondering how this works, basically the de-greaser breaks down any oils from foods that are trapped in the fibers of the fabric. The peroxide will react with any organic matter within the fibers by oxygenating the area. You’ll notice bubbles after the solution is sprayed. That bubbling action also helps to dislodge the stain particles and let them float to the top. When you wipe it away, you’ll notice the soil is now on the microfiber towel.
Bonus Tip: Use this same solution to treat pet stains and odors. The hydrogen peroxide helps destroy the odor-causing bacteria and can also help safely bleach out discolorations on hard and soft surfaces.
