What To Do About Spills?
Spills are unfortunate but they are going to happen. Knowing what to do about them takes away our anxiety and helps maintain the beauty and health of our carpets, upholstery, and area rugs. Avoid using box store cleaning solutions as they often cause more problems than they are worth, some will even damage the fibers you are attempting to clean and only become visible months or years down the road. Here I am going to give you a simple and effective technique that is safe to use on most of your various fibers and fabrics with a few exceptions.
How about we get those exceptions out of the way right at the start. If you own anything made out of viscose, jute, or sisal I regret to inform you that there isn’t much you can safely do to clean it. Those materials brown out (cellulosic browning) and get water marks so easily that it makes professional cleaners weak at their knees. With viscose, professional upholstery and rug cleaners can usually clean it effectively if you have it addressed promptly, despite being a tricky and sensitive process. However if you have jute or sisal rugs they are essentially disposable materials and even the very best professional rug cleaners won’t be of any help. Your best approach to all three of these fibers is to simply blot up the spill with a dry absorbent cloth and then let it be.
The last note is about cotton upholstery, this can also brown out and get water marks but not as easily as the fibers mentioned above. If you are following the steps below and working on cotton then be sure to always use a quality spray bottle that is capable of producing a fine mist without dripping from the nozzle onto the cotton fabric. Test it away from the cotton fabric first. This is to evenly wet the material and avoid creating water marks. Browning out/cellulosic browning occurs in cotton fabric when it remains wet for too long, so be careful to finish the cleaning process by blotting with dry absorbent cloths.
Now that we have that out of the way I’m going to share with you a step by step process you can safely apply to many other fibers. You will need 5 tools in your kit: clean water, 3% hydrogen peroxide, liquid dish soap, a spray bottle, and dry absorbent cloths.
1) If the area is still moist from the spill, blot it with a dry cloth.
2) If the area is already dry or you have completed step 1 then blot it with a cloth that has been dampened with clean water.
3) If the spill left a stain that did not come up with the previous steps then put a few drops of liquid dish soap and 1 cup of water into a spray bottle and mist it onto the area, then blot with a dry cloth.
4) Repeat step 3 until the stain disappears being careful to blot with a dry cloth between applications.
5) If there is residual color left behind you can then apply 3% hydrogen peroxide to the affected area allowing it to remain moist until the desired result is achieved. This may take multiple attempts. Be mindful to lightly saturate the fibers without putting so much liquid down that it penetrates the backing of the fibers and fabrics. (Color loss/bleaching may occur around the spot after prolonged treatments on natural fibers).
6) If you own a home carpet cleaning or spotting machine rinse the area with clean water after no evidence of the stain remains.
7) If these procedures do not work then call a professional cleaning technician.
8) Test all natural fibers extensively in inconspicuous areas for color loss before attempting these procedures.
Pro tips: It is important to blot with a cloth rather than rubbing or agitating the spot in order to prevent spreading dyes from the spill onto fibers outside of the affected area as well as to prevent damaging the fibers from excessive agitation. Do not use anything stronger than 3% hydrogen peroxide as it can cause color loss, and when used on upholstery with foam cushions it can actually melt the cushions. Always finish your cleaning procedures by blotting with a dry cloth to prevent cellulosic browning on natural fibers and mildew/mold growth on all fibers.
