How to Remove Carpet Stains

Today I have a cleaning post for you.

Let's start out with our before and afters, shall we?

Looks pretty good, eh?

I first saw this carpet cleaning method over at DIY & Crafts and I pinned it for a time when I would need it.

Well as you can tell in the before picture, I needed it :)

This was our apartment in California. This was our family room area, just after walking in through the front door.

When we first moved in they had just cleaned the carpets.

It looked beautiful.

Then, slowly over a period of a few months these black spots just started appearing.

We didn't realize until much later that the big palm tree-type trees outside our apartment would drip a sap-like substance that would get tracked into our apartment. We would always take our shoes off when we got home, but most of the time the shoes would just get tossed and end up on the carpet...hence the spots. This was the only area in the apartment that looked like this, and it was so annoying because it was the main area people would see when they came over.

One day I just decided to tackle these ugly spots and it worked!

What I used:

1 part vinegar

2 parts water

a damp cloth

an iron

Mix the vinegar and water and pour into a spray bottle.

Spray the spots you would like to remove.

 Place a damp cloth over the spots, put your iron on the steam setting and place over the cloth.

Let it sit for about 30 seconds.

 And that's it!

There were a few spots I did have to spray and steam a few times to get the stubborn stain out, but for the most part it was quick and easy.

Here are a couple more before and after shots for you.

 And one more :)

Since moving to our new place I haven't had any spots pop up anywhere yet, but if they do, I know how to handle them :)

If you found this cleaning post helpful, make sure to check out my other cleaning posts:

How to Clean Car Mats

Tested: Bathtub Cleaner

How to Clean a Shirt Collar