Christmas dinner – for many – is the biggest and most important meal of the year. It is also often shared with more friends and relatives than any other occasion. Plus, it’s a great opportunity to show off your beautiful home, but as enjoyable as it is, it’s also nice if you can keep your home (including carpets and soft furnishings) clean and stain free. Today’s blog will tell you how to do this and will also give you some quick and easy tips if a spill/stain does occur…
Be prepared!
Firstly, be prepared. This might help you avoid a spillage in the first place. Our 2 top tips are:
- Always carry food to the table on trays as there is less chance of spillage (it also adds a touch of sophistication, we think!).
- If you have young children try protecting the carpet under the table by laying something over it first. A plastic sheet, or an off-cut of carpet will help to protect the carpet so you can enjoy your meal without having to fuss over every dropped roast spud or drop of juice!
I’ve spilt something – how do I avoid it turning into a stain?
Should something be spilt onto your carpet, don’t panic! For the majority of water based stains (i.e. tea, coffee, fruit juices, wine, and some basic food stains) you can use the following method:
- Firstly, either soak up the liquid with an absorbent cloth or scrape up any excess food with a blunt knife or spatula. Just be very careful not to damage the carpet pile by scraping too hard.
- Next, dampen a cloth with a little water and dab this onto the area. Again, no rubbing!
- Then repeat step 2 with a dry cloth to again soak up any of the moisture.
- Leave to dry!
Please note, you DON’T need to use fancy cleaning products on the spill. They might temporarily disguise the area but as soon as the soap in them dries, it becomes sticky attracting any dirt and dust that’s floating around.
I can still see Christmas dinner stains – what next?
If the above method doesn’t work, you can try a detergent solution (1 tsp of gentle detergent to half a pint of warm water). Apply this to the area using a plain cloth or paper towels. Then use a damp towel and blot the area until nothing more is transferred to the cloth. Finish blotting with a dry towel to remove any excess moisture.
If the food contains some form of oil like brandy butter or cream, follow with an Ammonia solution (a tablespoon of household ammonia solution to a cup of water). Dab into the stain, rinse and blot dry.
PLEASE NOTE: Before trying out the above, always test the detergent/ammonia solution on an inconspicuous area of carpet prior to treating a stain to ensure you don’t cause any unnecessary carpet damage.
The carpet should be looking a lot better now, but if you are still having problems, then give Careclean Essex a call on 01245 323989 for free advice/to book in your free quote. Although our cleaning machines are packed away from Friday 20th December until Thursday 2nd January, our holiday team are ready to take your call and book in your free quote for first thing in January.
Hope you have a super Christmas!
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Careclean was established in 1984 and has a vast knowledge of carpet and upholstery cleaning and maintenance. We post a weekly blog, which often includes carpet and upholstery cleaning tips and guidance on keeping your home clean and healthy. Click here to check out our blog. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date on all the latest news and offers.
