STAIN GUIDE
You’ll be glad to know that wool carpet has some inherent properties, like being naturally stain and soil resistant, which makes it easy to clean.
Spills are part of life; that's why we made this guide so you’ll know how to clean wool carpet yourself. We break it down into five of the toughest stains with quick video tutorials that you can easily follow.
How to Clean 5 Common Stains and Spills Off Wool Carpet
Before we look at each type of stain or spill, let's run through a few general guidelines:
Do
- “Contain the stain" and immediately blot any liquids with paper towels.
- Quickly scoop up any solids; avoid pushing them deeper into the carpet pile.
Don't
- Never, ever rub a wet wool carpet spill. Instead, you want to absorb it with plain white paper towels using a gentle blotting/dabbing action! Rubbing can drive the liquid deep into the pile and into the backing making it much harder to remove.
- Submerge carpet in water or other liquids.
Now watch our short videos below that show you how to clean wool carpet from each of the five toughest stains and spills.
1. How to clean baby food off wool carpet
Step 1: Discard any large pieces of food.
Step 2: Pour a small amount of water on the spill.
Step 3: Soak up excess water with dry paper towels.
Step 4: Use downward pressure to soak - do not rub!
Step 5: Relax
2. How to clean pet dirt off wool carpet
Wool is naturally pet-friendly and is soft enough for your furry friend's paws. The following cleaning tips can be used for most pet-related spills like poo, vomit, and urine.
Step 1: Carefully scoop or contain as much as you can.
Step 2: Pour a small amount of water on the spill.
Step 3: Apply light pressure using dry paper towels until the majority of the spill is uplifted.
Step 4: Discard and repeat until the spill has disappeared.
Step 5: Soak up excess water with dry paper towels, and remember, do not rub!
3. How to clean soil off wool carpet
Step 1: Gently pick up and discard any large pieces of soil.
Step 2: Vacuum up the rest of the surface soil, hovering just above the spill.
Step 3: Vacuum using a brushless head - this is very important as a brushed head can rub the soil into the carpet more.
Step 4: Relax and re-pot your plant!
4. How to clean soft drinks off wool carpet
Step 1: Clean up the spill immediately by gently blotting the spill with plain paper towels removing as much as you can.
Step 2: Pour a small amount of water on the spill.
Step 3: Remove surface water with dry paper towels.
Step 4: Soak up excess water with more paper towels - use downward pressure, but do not rub!
Step 5: All done
5. How to clean orange juice off a wool rug
Because orange juice is acidic, a lot of people tend to clean it off with vinegar, but this is ineffective because vinegar is also acidic. So, the best way to tackle orange juice spills on a wool rug is to go through the steps below.
Step 1: Clean up the spill immediately by gently blotting the spill with plain paper towels removing as much as you can.
Step 2: Pour a small amount of water on the spill.
Step 3: Remove surface water with dry paper towels.
Step 4: Soak up excess water with more paper towels - use downward pressure, but do not rub!
Step 5: All done!
How to Clean Other Stains Off Wool Carpet
For other specific stains, simply cross reference the type of treatment with the stain in the table below.
Cleaning solutions
- Room temperature water OR our Carpet Stain Remover for Wet Stains.
- One teaspooon of wool detergent with one teaspoon of white vinegar in one litre of warm water.
- Clear household disinfectant
- Our Dry Stain Remover. Use only on dry stains.
- Chill with ice cubes in a plastic bag. Pick or scrape off solids.
- Mix 1/3 cup of white vinegar with 2/3 cup of water.
- Nail polish remover (should not contain lanolin)
- Surgical alcohol
- Place absorbent paper over wax or paper towel and apply hot iron to paper. Wax will melt and be absorbed by paper.
- Vacuum clean
- Mineral turpentine
- Seek assistance from a professional carpet cleaner.
| STAIN TYPE | STEP 1 | STEP 2 | STEP 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beer & spirits | 1 | 2 | |
| Bleach | 1 | 12 | |
| Blood | 1 | 2 | |
| Butter | 4 | 2 | |
| Candle Wax | 9 | 4 | |
| Chewing Gum | 5 | 4 | |
| Chocolate | 4 | 2 | |
| Coffee | 1 | 6 | |
| Cola & soft drinks | 1 | 2 | |
| Cooking oil | 4 | 2 | |
| Cream | 1 | 4 | |
| Egg | 1 | 12 | |
| Faeces | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| Floor wax | 4 | 1 | |
| Fruit juice | 1 | 2 | |
| Furniture polish | 4 | 1 | |
| Gravy & sauces | 1 | 2 | |
| Ink - ballpoint | 8 | 1 | |
| Ink - felt tip | 4 | 1 | |
| Lipstick | 4 | 2 | |
| Milk | 1 | 4 | |
| Mustard | 1 | 2 | |
| Nail polish | 7 | 4 | |
| Oil & grease | 4 | 2 | |
| Paint (oil based) | 4 | ||
| Paint (acrylic) | 1 | 2 | |
| Rust | 6 | 12 | |
| Salad dressing | 1 | 4 | |
| Shoe polish | 4 | 2 | |
| Soot | 10 | 4 | |
| Tar | 11 | 4 | |
| Tea | 1 | 6 | |
| Tomato sauce | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Urine (fresh) | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Urine (old stain) | 12 | ||
| Vomit | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| Wine | 1 | 6 |
* Based on advice from Wools of New Zealand