Juice Spills

Who hasn't had juice spill on their carpet before? Removing a juice stain can be a difficult task, but following the instructions below will give you the best chance of removing the stain on your own without requiring professional help.

New Juice Spill

If the juice spill is new and still wet this is a much easier problem to resolve. The first thing you want to do is remove as much of the juice from the carpet as you can. A shopvac is ideal, but you can also soak up the spill with paper towels if you don't have a shopvac.

Once you have removed as much of the spill as you can, pour cold water (hot water may set the stain) onto the spill to dilute the juice. Repeat removing the diluted juice with a shopvac or paper towels. Continue this process until the stain is either gone or no more color is coming out of the carpet.

At this point if the stain is still wet and still has a visible stain left behind, cover the area in salt and let it dry overnight. Once dry, vacuum the salt which should have absorbed much of the remaining color. If you still have a stain left behind, follow the steps below to finish removal of the stain

Stain From a Previous Spill

A dried stain is a little more difficult to remove. However, it is still very possible to remove the stain completely depending on the condition of the carpet and the severity of the stain. Juice stains are acidic (usually between 3-4 on the ph scale). The most effective way to remove an acidic spill is to use an alkaline cleaner. It is often suggested to use vinegar to remove a juice stain. However, this is less effective since vinegar is also acidic. You will have much greater success with ammonia.

Mix 1 part ammonia to 8 parts water and mix the solution. With a white rag soaked in the solution blot the stain (don't rub or it will fray and damage carpet fibers). Also avoid pouring the solution into the carpet to leave as little ammonia in the carpet as possible. Continue to blot the stain with a rag soaked in ammonia until you can no longer get any more of the stain out.

If there is still a stain left behind, mix a paste of 1 part baking soda to 3 parts water and cover the stain completely in the paste working it in gently. Once it is dry, vacuum the baking soda which should remove some of the color. Repeat until no more color can be removed.

Once you are finished or have removed as much of the stain as possible, rinse the area with cold water and extract with a shopvac or paper towels. repeat several times to get as much cleaning solution out of the carpet as possible. Then cover the area with a stack of paper towels and place a heavy object over it. Leave until dry and then vacuum thoroughly.

If you still have a stain at this point, you will likely need to hire a professional to remove the remaining color from your carpet to avoid causing more harm than good with home remedies.

Warnings: Do not use ammonia on wool carpet or other delicate fabrics such as oriental rugs. Always test any solution in a small inconspicuous area first.