Things happen. Unfortunately, they happen all too often to your carpet. When they do, you have options for cleaning up the mess. This is true even for juice spills. Sure, you may think you’ve caused some serious damage and, let’s face it, cranberry juice can stain easily if you’re not careful about getting the mess cleaned up.

The key is to get to the spill as fast as you can so it doesn’t have time to set into the fibers. Once the juice soaks in and absorbs into the material, it can be significantly more difficult to clean up. That’s why you need to act quickly and keep some of these cleaning methods in mind as you work towards eliminating the mess.

Blot Don’t Wipe

The first thing to remember is never to wipe the stain away. Always blot the area first. Blotting prevents the liquid from getting ground further into the fibers and creating a stain that can be tougher to remove. It’s one thing to pick up the juice that’s been spilled on the carpet; it’s another to make sure that the stain doesn’t set in.

Blotting is an effective way to absorb any excess moisture while lifting the potential stain from the fibers so there’s no visible evidence of a spill later on.

Household Cleaners

The immediate “go-to” for juice spills and stains is to grab a store-bought cleaner or carpet shampoo. But you still need to be very careful about how you work on picking up that spill.

First off, blot the stain with a cloth or paper towel in an effort to remove all of the moisture quickly and completely. Once you’ve picked up as much of the juice as you’re able, add some warm water to the area. Not a lot though, you don’t want to saturate the carpet by getting it too wet.

Now blot some more as the water will help to dilute the juice and prevent the stain from setting. After you’ve picked up as much as you can, you may then grab your chosen household cleaner.

Spray your cleaner on the area or, if it’s a carpet shampoo, mix some half a teaspoon with some warm water and stir it around. Place whatever you’ve chosen to use directly on the stain and let it sit briefly.

Then, you guessed it…blot some more. Do it repeatedly until you see the stain starting to disappear. Rinse the area with warm water. It’s not a lot remember. Then cover the area with a clean towel and place some heavy pressure on the area. Let it sit and dry. Give it a few hours.

Finally, remove the heavy object and the towel and the stain should be completely eliminated.

Homemade Cleaners

So let’s say you don’t have a household carpet cleaner or shampoo readily available at the house. That’s okay too, you can make your own cleaner that will be just as effective at removing that spill without any residual evidence that it was even there.

Again, you want to make sure you blot the stain with a paper towel or clean cloth. Absorb all of the excess moisture from the spill as possible.

Now, grab a dishwasher detergent and mix it with some warm water. Not too hot, just warm. Comfortable enough to put your hand into, if it’s too hot for your skin it’s too hot for your carpet fibers.

Add that mix to the stain and blot at it again. Be sure not to spill too much water into your carpet. You don’t want to get it too wet. Keep blotting at it to see the stain fade.

Next add 1 1/2 cups of white vinegar to 1 2/3 cups of warm water. Mix it well and then put inside a spray bottle. Start spraying it on the stain. Now apply the detergent and water to the area again.

Blot some more. You’re always blotting. Now get some more water, add nothing to it and clean the stained area with the detergent and vinegar and use a damp cloth or towel to clean the affected spot entirely.

Lay down clean and dry cloths or paper towels, apply heavy pressure and let it sit for a few hours. This allows all of the residual moisture to be soaked up.

Professional Cleaning

Sometimes you can’t get it all out yourself or maybe the stain is still slightly visible no matter how much you try to work at it. We can’t all remove carpet stains on our own and we need professional help.
Carbonated carpet cleaning can get those tough stains out easily, so after you’ve tried doing it yourself, try letting the professionals finish the job.