Even the most careful people can accidentally spill something or end up staining their floors. It may feel like a disaster, but if you act quickly and take appropriate action, you should be able to clean up the stain and if you’re lucky remove all traces of it.

Each floor type will have a specific way to clean stains in order to not cause further damage. Here we take a look at some of the more common stains and how to remove them as quickly and as effectively as possible. Stains can be disheartening, especially if the floor is new or you’ve bought a specialist floor such as Karndean Flooring.

Carpets

Carpets might seem as if they would be hard to remove stains from. Considering you can’t just wipe away like you can with other floors. You may be worried that the stain will be absorbed by the carpet and will be a permanent feature. However you can make a simple cleaning solution from household items that will help clean up anything from wine stains, to mud and even sick stains.

Using Ammonia

You can remove stains from your carpet by using a sponge dipped in a solution of ammonia and warm water. To make the solution mix one part ammonia with two parts water. Once you have sponged the affected area, leave to dry then vacuum.

Vinegar

Vinegar is probably one of the best, if not the best householditems that can clean stains on just about anything. The advantage of vinegar is that even though you may not have some stored away, it is very cheap to buy and is often more effective than more expensive, branded cleaners.

You can remove light carpet stains by creating a mixture of white vinegar and salt, rub the mixture on the stain, leave to dry and then vacuum.

For larger and darker stains, you can add a little bit of bicarbonate of soda to give extra cleaning power.

But what about tougher stains? For ground in dirt, mix together a tablespoon of vinegar with a tablespoon of corn flour to make a paste. Rub it into the stain using a dry cloth. This method takes time though, as you will need to leave it to set for about two days. After two days youcan vacuum up the mixture and the carpet underneath should be clean again. This method won’t work if the paste is disturbed so it’s best for quieter areas.

You may think one of the worst things you can drop on a carpet is paint. Well with vinegar you needn’t worry at all if the paint is still wet,just mix together 1 and a half teaspoons of vinegar, 1 and a half teaspoons of washing powder and two cups of water.

Unfortunately there’s not a lot that can be done with dried in paint, especially if it is a large amount. You could try scraping it away, but you may risk damaging the carpet underneath. That’s why it’s always a good idea to use a dust sheet when painting to catch any drips or spillages before they affect eh carpet.

On the bright side, if you do find that your carpet is damaged due to paint stains, you can always opt to replace the damaged part by finding a matching patch, rather than replacing the whole carpet, there are loads of flooring supplies in Chester for either case so you should be able to find exactly what you are looking for.

Wooden Floors

Removing stains on a wooden floor can also be easy, however much more care and consideration needs to be taken as you can end up causing more damage if you don’t do your research. It is a very bad idea to use water based cleaners on the floor as you can warp the floorboards.

The best way to remove stains from wooden floors is to use a hydrogen peroxide solution. This should be quite cheap to buy and will clean better than any branded cleaner. Hydrogen peroxide is also a mild antiseptic so not only will it clean your floor, it will also get rid of any nasty germs lurking.

To use the solution you will need to do the following:

• Find an old cloth and soak it with the hydrogen peroxide.
• Place the cloth on the stain and allow it to soak into the wood. This will bleach out the stain. Do not leave it for longer than necessary though as you don’t want to bleach the area.
• Remove the cloth and wipe up any excess.
• Allow the floor to dry.
• If this doesn’t work, you can always try sanding the stain out, although this may make the floor look a little uneven or worn.