Ah, rain – for some it’s that perfect detail to a Saturday afternoon at home, while under a warm blanket, with a good book, and, of course – accompanied by a cup of tea. However, for others it can be a complete nightmare, especially for dog owners. Besides the “pleasurable” wet dog scent, there is something even worse that comes with rainy days – muddy paw prints.
Raise your hand if you have experienced the whole “My Golden Retriever came bursting through the door, right after we took a walk in the rain, and now I have mud on my rug” situation.
It isn’t a fun scene, right? Now, how many of you started to aggressively rub the fresh mud, in a desperate attempt to clean it up as quickly as possible? Well, that’s a wrong tactic.
So, if you:
Are battling mud stains on your carpet;
Want to know how to properly remove them;
Are looking for different methods,
You’re in luck!
In this article, we are going to talk about how to get mud out of your textile floor covering the right way.
Method #1: Dishwashing detergent
Something we all have in our house! The method does include using a baking soda mix, so make sure to keep some at hand.
Gather all of the bigger mud clumps from the carpet. It’s a good idea to use protective gloves to keep your hands clean.
Mix some baking soda with a bit of salt and apply the powder over the mud stain. Let the mixture sit there for a couple of hours to soak up all of the moisture from the spot. Then, vacuum away the powder.
Dissolve one tablespoon of dishwashing detergent in two cups of warm water and saturate the stain with the solution. You can use a clean cloth or a kitchen sponge for this.
Blot the excess liquid using a paper towel.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the mud stain is removed.
Sponge the carpet with some cold water and blot away with a paper towel.
Let it air dry.
Method #2: Vinegar
Not just for putting on your fish and chips, vinegar is a great cleaning tool, due to it’s high acidity. Great for other stains as well.
Time needed: 15 minutes.
Get a bowl and pour half a cup of vinegar, add a bit of dishwashing liquid (about a tablespoon) and mix well.
With the help of a brush, gently rub the solution on the mud stain.
Rinse the area with a clean cloth and cold water.
Repeat the whole process until the stain disappears.
At the end just dry the treated surface with a towel.
You can also use vinegar to get grease stains out of your carpets. Simply combine equal parts of dishwashing soap and glycerin, pour eight parts of water, and finally, add to the mix a few drops of white vinegar and stir well. Vinegar works wonders on red wine stains and dried cat urine stains too.
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They actually use this as disinfectants in chemists and it works great on stains. You can find it online and in some stores for just under £10.
First, do a spot test with the alcohol on a hidden area of the carpet, to see if there is some kind of reaction.
If there aren’t any signs of a reaction, like colour bleeding or discolouration, proceed to blot the stain with the isopropyl alcohol.
Finally, rinse the area with water and blot to dry.
Got some paint stains to clean along with the mud spots? Don’t worry. See different ways in which you can remove paint stains out of carpet using isopropyl alcohol other household products.
Method #4: Commercial stain remover
If all of your attempts to clean your carpet with these homemade solutions fail, just buy a commercial stain remover. It’s fairly simple to use, you just have to spray the product on the dirty area and allow it to sit. You can find information about the amount of time that the detergent needs, in order for it to work, written on its label.
After you’ve waited for the stain remover to do its magic, the only thing left to do is to wipe the carpet clean. You can use a paper towel, sponge, brush, or basically anything you have lying around. If the stain is still there, just repeat the process until it’s gone.
Removing red clay mud takes a bit more time, patience and preparation. So, follow the steps below for optimum results:
First, you need to let the stain air dry and remove as much as you can with a spoon. After that, vacuum the area.
Then, you need to pretreat the spot with a stain remover. Get an old toothbrush and work the product into the carpet fibres. Let it sit, according to the label instructions.
Now, proceed with the cleaning. You can make a homemade solution from various products, which you most likely have already in your cupboard, in order to successfully break down the red clay spot:
Put some liquid dish soap over the stain and leave it there overnight;
Mix a powdered dishwashing detergent with water in a paste and rub it on the stain. Let it sit there for a couple of hours.
Mix 2-3 tablespoons of salt with a cup of white vinegar and apply the mixture over the red clay mark. Leave to sit for about an hour.
Create a paste by combining powdered, bleach-free laundry detergent and ammonia. Treat the stain with it and allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
Spread liquid oil soap on to the muddy spot and wait for about 15 minutes.
Regardless of which solution, you’ve picked from step 3., you’ll need to rinse it with a damp, clean, white cloth. Dab rather than rub, so you don’t make the mud spot bigger.
Extra tip: If none of the above works, try mixing oxygen bleach and water to remove it. Remember to do a spot test, first. Apply the mixture on the affected area, wait for at least 1 hour and blot.
This is the proper method on how to get red mud tracks out of a carpet.
If you feel like it’s time to give your rug a deep clean, here is how to clean a carpet at home.
Arrange a professional carpet cleaning
If you simply don’t have enough time or the proper tools to handle the mud stains by yourself, consider getting a visit from a professional carpet cleaning technician.
Removing mud stains from your carpet may seem like a simple task, but as you can see for yourself, it’s definitely not. One wrong move and you can end up with a stain determined to stay on your carpet longer than you would like.
If the stain is fresh, you must resist the urge of tackling it right away as you would usually do with other stains. Have patience or you risk getting the stain deeper into the fibres.
Contact a professional cleaner or company if you think the mess is beyond your cleaning capabilities.
