Many people's Valentine's Day led to a romantic evening or night. This may have included massage oils, candles and chocolate dipped strawberries. However, while you may only want the memory of the night to exist in your head, the stains left behind on the carpet may be a constant reminder. Ideally, you will want to remove the stains as soon as possible. However, if you just noticed them or have no idea how to remove them, you might just be getting around to cleaning them now. Here are a few ways to remove the stains left behind on your carpet after a wild Valentine's Day.
Massage Oil
You and your partner may have been giving each other massages, and unfortunately, the oil could have dripped onto your carpet. Lifting oil from carpet can be challenging. The fibers absorb the oil and water and soap may not be enough to lift it away. As such, you need to use a product that breaks down the oil and causes it to dissolve. Follow these steps to remove massage oil from your carpet:
- Dampen the spot with a few drops of water. Do not over saturate the area or you could cause the oil to spread. However, you want the carpet fibers to be damp so it begins to release the oil.
- Add a few drops of rubbing alcohol to a clean cloth. Ideally, the cloth should have some texture to it, rather than being soft. Cloths with texture include towels and dish rags. If you don't have any cloths with texture, wad up a brown paper bag and use that.
- Rub the rubbing alcohol into the affected area. Rubbing with a coarse cloth helps to release the oil, while the rubbing alcohol helps to dissolve it. Continue this process until the stain has lifted.
- Once the stain is removed, dab at the affected area with a clean, water-dampened cloth to remove rubbing alcohol residue.
- Allow the area to thoroughly dry before vacuuming or walking across it.
Candle Wax
Candles may have been used to set the romantic mood in your bedroom. But if they were left lit for too long, wax may have dripped on your carpet. Luckily, wax can be removed. Here is how you can remove candle wax from your carpet:
- Cover the affected area with a clean, light-colored cloth. Heat your iron up to a warm setting, and then run just the tip of the iron over the affected area. The wax will begin to melt and transfer from the carpet to the cloth. Continue this process until it is clear that no more wax is being removed.
- Fill a plastic bag with ice cubes and place the bag over any softened wax that still remains. This will cause it to harden. Scrape away the excess hard wax. You can use your fingernails, a plastic butter knife or a plastic scraper.
- Clean any remaining stain with a dry-cleaning solvent. You can purchase this in the laundry aisle of any grocery or big box retailer.
- Use a water-dampened cloth to dab the area and remove any soap residue.
- Allow the carpet to dry before walking on it or vacuuming it.
Chocolate
If you and your love were feeding each other chocolate dipped fruit or candies in bed, you may have missed the mouth and chocolate droppings ended up on the floor. If you didn't catch it right away, the chocolate may have been stepped on or melted and is now embedded into your carpeting. Follow these directions to remove chocolate from your carpet:
- Use a butter knife to scrape away as much of the dried chocolate as you can. Be careful not to smear it though, or you will end up with a bigger mess.
- Vacuum the affected area to remove any chocolate flakes that remain after scraping.
- Cover the chocolate-stained carpet with a few clean paper towels or a clean, light-colored cloth.
- Heat up your iron on the lowest setting and do not turn on the steam. Gently move the iron over the paper towels or cloth, The chocolate should begin to melt and stick to the paper towel. Repeat this process with clean cloths or paper towels until no more chocolate is lifting.
- Apply your preferred carpet cleaner to any stain that remains. Scrub the affected area to remove any remaining stain.
If you notice chocolate, candle wax or massage oil on your carpet, you will want to act quickly to remove the stain. Unfortunately, despite your best efforts, you may not be able to lift all stains. If you have attempted to remove the stain following the above instructions and it doesn't lift, it may be time to call in a professional carpet cleaning service. They have solvents and industrial-grade carpet cleaning tools that help them remove some of the most stubborn stains.
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