Best way to clean up water spills on carpet

[dundadundun]

1 don't let it dry on it's own if it's grey/black water (water that contains something other than water or may be old)
2 the dry folded towel and and press trick as mentioned
3 pour clean (soapy if necessary) water on the spot... soak if necessary
4 repeat steps 2 and three until all seems well and you're using only water as a rinse
5 repeat step 2 replacing any towels that get too wet to soak anything up with dry ones as necessary
6 direct a fan on the spot and put on high (unless it's very powerful and in a humid room... then use lower settings so the ceiling and walls don't drip later from moisture [usually would have to be a pretty big spill to be concerned with condensation])
7 wait and check periodically for dampness... if it takes more than a day to dry let the fan run another day.


if the rug is something you can pick up and move... rinse it with a hose outside for much better results. placing the hose underneath forces the stain/water/whatever out the way it came instead of further into the fabric.

if you can get under one side of the rug without damaging it it's always best to direct airflow under the rug to dry both top and bottom (padding, actual floor, etc.) layers at the same time. remember to have the backside of the fan exposed to fresh air and the rug fastened firmly in place so the rug doesn't fall off the fan. construction spring clamps help tremendously here.

freshen/deodorize as necessary. i cannot recommend a product for this as the ones i use the general public doesn't have access to, sorry.

mild soaps are usually good... laundry and dish detergent may help... or for certain things a hand cleaner (the white goop) or a cut (watered down) degreaser can work wonders... definitely spot check in an inconspicuous area before committing to a product since rugs vary greatly... citrus degreasers are often a lot more mild than commercial ones and can leave less residue often times. brushing in a dry detergent will usually get between the fabrics much better than using a liquid.

consider the age and abuse of the carpet... if it's old and has sustained many spills or abuse from untrained/relentless animals using a steamer/carpet cleaner can backfire and bring up old stains instead of getting rid of the new one... especially if you don't have the ability to leave the area untouched during the drying process... walking over it will definitely squeeze it like a sponge bringing out age old crap from a concrete floor beneath it for example.

a light coloured carpet in an old house is something to be very careful not to get wet... usually no good can come from that situation.

if this is a problem likely to happen again, definitely pick up a can of scotch guard... the difference can be tremendous!

 

[kj5kb]

the nasty thing about carpet is once it dries out the item is still in the underpad portion, so once you get that area wet again expect some smell to return. i spilt milk once as a child in my room and everytime i got the carpet wet again it the smell of spoiled milk would come back...

That's where simple solution shines....if you soak it with simple solution down to the padding, it will eradicate the smell. On really bad or old stains it sometimes takes a second treatment.

I use it on cat pee and vomit all the time.

Towel dry as much as you can, soak with simple solution and let dry. That's it.

I would avoid using soapy water or other 'carpet cleaners' unless you have an extraction cleaner....you'd just be adding soap to the stain...and even then I'd probably be using simple solution instead of the carpet cleaner solution.

 

[dundadundun]

the best extraction cleaner on the market is simply a 50 pound weight with 2 rollers underneath and a vacuum head in between. you connect it to a truck mount system, stand on it, power it up and drive it like heavy equipment. after that is done, the rest of the drying is done with air movers (fans). before you use that you'd use a sump pump in the case of a flood and then a light wand (basically a sturdy wand similar to what could be found with any shop vac, but metal).

so, in essence your weight squeezes the water out of the pad anyway... and the fan finishes the job (usually by blowing under the rug where possible).

your typical everyday extractor available to harry homeowner works no better than me standing on a towel... several towels switched out as they get stained or wet will out perform any extractor a homeowner can get ahold of... every time. it just takes longer to do a whole carpet that way.

if you want something good i'd go with the xtreme xtractor. the light version is available here... http://www.jondon.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=1084_934&osCsid=f073fc09932412e0ee9a24d7cb93a8d1 (unfortunately, i don't think available to the public as you have to have a license in something applicable [for me it was fire and water restoration] and a business number, etc. to get an account with jon don the last i checked.)