How to Handle a
Coffee Stain or Spill
on Your Carpet
If you have a fresh coffee spill
on your carpet ...
... quickly grab some white paper towels (or a white rag) and blot up as much coffee as you can, right away!
Remember not to wipe or scrub your carpet — just blot!
Scrubbing can cause irreparable damage to your carpet's fibers.
How to Remove Spilled Coffee from your Carpet
and Prevent Staining
You love to enjoy your morning cup of coffee in the living room before taking on the day.
But, one day, you accidentally knock over your coffee cup, and coffee spills all over your carpet.
Think of it this way: coffee can actually be used as a natural dye for different kinds of fabrics. You can find articles online on how to dye fabric with coffee — deliberately.
So, the properties that make coffee a good natural dye may leave bad stains and sticky residues (especially if you use cream and sugar) on your carpet if it's not taken care of right away. So, time is of the essence if you spill coffee on your carpet.
But don't worry. If you act quickly, you can avoid some of the permanent staining problems.
This article gives practical advice for handling a fresh coffee spill on your carpet. You might call it a first-aid guide to preventing stains.
In just a few minutes, using only a couple of household items, you can handle a coffee spill.
It might be a good idea to create a "carpet first-aid kit" and store it in a convenient place in your home, ready to go for that next spill.
Important: Before trying any DIY cleaning solution on your carpet, always test the solution on a small, out-of-sight area of your carpet — maybe at the very edge of your carpet by the baseboards behind some furniture.
Note: Although there are commercial products you can get at the store that can take on coffee stains, in this article, we'll focus on using inexpensive, common items you may already have in your home.
We will use:
- - 3% hydrogen peroxide solution
- - cool water
- - an all-purpose plastic spray bottle
- - clean, pure-white towel or rag
- - shop vacuum wet/dry (optional, if you have one)
Step 1: Blot the spill area of the carpet with white rags or towels
Using purely white cloth rags or paper towels (towels with no pretty patterns or colors or dyes), blot as much of the coffee spill as you can. It is helpful to blot from the outside of the spill towards the center to prevent spreading the coffee spill. (Remember not to scrub carpet!) Once you've gotten most of the coffee spill soaked up, pour a little cool water over the stained area, and blot the liquid again. Repeat this once or twice more.
If you have a wet/dry shop vac, now's a good time to vacuum up as much liquid as possible.
Step 2: Let's use a
3% Hydrogen Peroxide solution
One of the easiest ways we know to help remove coffee stains from carpets is to use a 3% Hydrogen Peroxide Solution. This substance acts as a gentle bleach, so remember to always test it on YOUR carpet in a small, hidden place to make sure the hydrogen peroxide doesn't cause your particular carpet to lighten or change color in that spot.
Most carpets have a solution dye, so they won't discolor with hydrogen peroxide.
After you've tested your particular carpet for colorfastness, and you've blotted or wet-vacuumed up as much of the spill as you can, use a spray bottle to spray the area with the hydrogen peroxide solution. Spray a moderate amount, but don't soak the carpet.
If you don't have one of those handy spray bottles, you can use a clean white rag or towel to dab the hydrogen peroxide solution onto the stain. That will work too.
Let the hydrogen peroxide sit on the stained area of your carpet for a while — until it has naturally dried.
Now you can rinse the area by spraying or dabbing the area with cool water. Again, blot with a clean white towel or rag. You can GENTLY lift and pinch the carpet fibers in that small area until the dampness is almost completely removed.
It's ok to repeat the steps once more if you still see a light brown stain on your carpet.
Conclusion
If you are in doubt about tackling coffee spill and stain removal yourself, give us a call. We'll be happy to help.
For any type of stubborn stains, you might need a professional carpet cleaner with the tools, pro solutions, knowledge, and experience to remove stains of all kinds.
To arrange for a professional carpet cleaning, contact us today for a free estimate.
832-581-5555
We're here to help!
Thank you for reading our article.
We hope you find it to be helpful.
If you have any questions about this article, or suggestions for another article — anything related to cleaning carpet, upholstery, tile and grout, and maintaining a healthy home — please feel free to contact us.
