How to Blot Your Carpet

That headline may not sound like it’s referring to a good thing, but believe us at Preferred Carpet Care when we tell you that blotting is a great idea. What is blotting? And why is it the best method for lifting stains out of your carpet?

Don’t Rub Stains

The first reaction when you spill something on your carpet is to grab a clean rag and start rubbing at the stain. Please don’t do that! Rubbing is the worst possible thing you could do, because the rubbing action actually causes the stain pigments to move deeper into the carpet fibers. Yes, you may pick up a good amount of stain material, but you also spread it around and push it into the carpet threads.

Blotting is Better

The key to removing stains is blotting them. Start with a clean rag. (Depending on the type of stain, you may put different cleaning substances on the rag; more on that later.) Then gently press the stain with the rag, moving from the outside of the stain to the inside. This puts just enough pressure on the fibers to pull out the stain, but not so much that you grind the pigment in. As for moving outside in, if you go the other way you increase the risk of enlarging the stain by pushing pigments outward, instead of inward to the center of the stain.

Then Call Preferred Carpet Care

While we are sometimes available for instant spot removal service, if your stain happens late or night or over the weekend, your carpet is best served by immediate “first aid.” After you’ve done your best to blot out the stain, contact us for the preferred carpet cleaning and repair service in Redding.