Let’s face it. A coffee lover who needs a cuppa double shot latte before turning on the computer to work in the morning would have experienced spilling coffee on the carpet. Not a good start to the morning, isn’t it?
No fret. Although coffee stains are difficult to remove and cause unsightly stain mark, they can be removed if you act on them quickly using the right steps.
Below are quick emergency tips to guide you what to do when spillage occur.
Step 1
Don’t panic. This is not a life and death matter. Stains are best tackled when it is fresh. Immediately take many pieces of tissue or kitchen paper and put them on top of the spilled coffee to absorb excess fluid from the carpet. Apply pressure on the tissue papers to absorb the spillage instead of wiping or rubbing the stains as you may end up spreading the stains to a wider area.
Repeat the above step till excess fluid is totally removed or until no more fluid can be removed from the carpet.
Step 2
Take a clean white cloth and blot the stain with cold water. Work on the stain from the outer edge of the stains towards the centre. If stains can’t be removed, you may mix a teaspoon of mild detergent, like dishwashing detergent, with a cup of warm water. Take another clean white cloth and blot the coffee stain using the detergent solution. Blot till stains are removed.
Step 3
Rinse the stain by blotting with a clean damp cloth to remove excess detergent residue in the carpet. Repeat this step till detergent residue is removed as soap residue tends to attract dirt.
If stain is still visible, add few drops of vinegar into the detergent solution and blot. Rinse the stain after blotting by repeating the rinsing step above.
Step 4
Take many pieces of tissue paper and lay them on the damp stain. Apply pressure on the tissue to absorb the remaining fluid from the cleaned carpet. If a hair dryer is available, use it to dry the damp carpet to prevent carpet from clumping together when it becomes dry.
We do not recommend customers using hydrogen peroxide or bleach to remove stubborn coffee stains as these strong chemicals may cause more damage to the carpet. If you are in doubt and need extra assistance, it is best to always contact reliable professional carpet cleaners for advice and assistance as soon as possible, to increase the chance of removing the coffee stains.