Thursday, February 3, 2011

Clean Up Coffee Spills on Carpet

Many of us enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee first thing in the morning. It is a great way to start the day, and you can’t really beat a piping cup of morning joe. Unfortunately, coffee can also be a real mess maker too. We have all done it. You are walking around all groggy, at the crack of dawn, with your eyes half open only to trip over the dog’s toy and spill that fresh cup of coffee right on the carpet. Sometimes we get lucky and it is just a few drops, but other times the whole cup flips out of your hand only to dump the entire contents on the floor. We all know how dark and stainy coffee can be, so this is one of those common messes that looks tough, and most people have trouble cleaning. The nice thing about it though, is that coffee stains just look bad, and if you have the right stuff, and follow the correct procedure, it can be quite easy to completely remove any signs of coffee from your once nice-looking carpet. It doesn’t matter if it is a fresh spill, or one that has been set it or even attempted clean with another product. You will just use a slightly different method depending upon the age and quantity of the spill.
The first thing you will want to determine is the size and severity of your spill. Once you have adequately scoped the situation, you can gather your arsenal. For a small stain, you will only need two things, some Quick n Brite and a terry cloth towel. If your about to tackle a larger spill, then you will also want to have a Super Shammy on hand.
SMALL SPILL
If there are only a few drops of coffee on your carpet after your clumsy morning episode then consider yourself lucky. This will be a quick and easy mess to clean up. Grab your terry cloth towel and gently blot the coffee to remove any excess that has not yet soaked into the carpet. This step will make your job a little bit faster and easier. You are welcome to skip it if you like punishment. After you have blotted up any stray liquid, then it is time to get out the Quick n Brite. You can use a heavy solution spray, or either the liquid or paste full strength on this type of mess. Heavy solution in a quart spray bottle is the easiest, so that is what we recommend. Simply spray the cleaner generously onto the affected area. Once on their, work it in just a bit with your fingers or some sort of brush. After that, just let it sit for a minute, and then come back with your terry cloth towel. This time you will not be gentle. Use the towel to buff the stain out. You will see right away that the coffee is lifted out of your carpet, and transferred to the towel you are using. After just a single application most will be left with a ridiculously clean carpet with absolutely no trace of coffee. In some rare instances, or for a tougher or darker stain, you may need to re-apply by repeating the steps.
Quick n Brite works amazingly well, and it is safe to use on any carpet, Unlike many carpet cleaners offered in stores, this one does not work by using bleach or any other harsh chemical. You never run the risk of making a bigger mess or flat out ruining your carpet when you use Quick n Brite. It is hard to believe, but this little known cleaner will actually make this and hundreds of other cleaning jobs easier and quicker to accomplish. Buy it for that wicked coffee stain, and then use it over and over again on the many other things it is good at.
LARGE SPILL
If you are extra clumsy, and were not able to stop the cup from tipping, then you probably have a much larger spill to clean up. If it is a fresh stain, then you will want to get a Shammy right away. The quicker you get at the spill with your Shammy, the smaller the rest of your job will be. Place the Shammy over the spill and press down to absorb the coffee. A Super Shammy is like a sponge cloth, so it is super absorbent, but will never drip, so it is ideal for cleaning up spills. It may take more than one shot with the Shammy to get up all of the coffee, so once it is full simply wring it over the sink, rinse it clean, and then go back and do it again. Don’t worry, because contrary to what you might think, a Shammy is actually more absorbent when slightly wet, so there is no need to get a new one in order to keep soaking up the coffee in your carpet.
Once all of the excess liquid is eliminated, then you can start cleaning the stain. After the initial stage, cleaning a large spill is done in much the same way a small one is. You may want to opt for full strength liquid instead of the spray bottle with diluted cleaner though. This will help to clean it in less steps, since it is a bit stronger. Simply pour the cleaner of the area of your carpet that is currently brown with coffee and work it in. You would want to let it sit for a couple of minutes this time and then you would go in with your towel and buff the area clean. A larger spill may require 2 or three applications in order to completely clean the area, but many will be spotless in just a single application. If the stain was super big, you could also use a steam cleaner to eliminate the stain. Just add liquid Quick n Brite like you would any other carpet cleaning solution, and be amazed at how much better it cleans and how soft and fresh it leaves your carpet.
SET IN STAINS
Set in coffee stains will be harder to remove, but not at all impossible. As a rule of thumb, the quicker you clean it the easier it will be. But when you are using Quick n Brite, you can be sure that no coffee stain is too tough, and no shade of carpet is too light. For set in stains, the only difference is that you will probably have to clean the area more than once in order to get it all the way clean. This is not always true, but in general, set in stains take more work than fresh ones.  This is an environmentally friendly cleaning solution that is totally safe around children and pets. It has no harsh chemicals in it and it is 100% biodegradable. Try it for yourself, and discover how easy cleaning can be.

Source : http://tips.simplygoodstuff.com

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