Thanksgiving is quite literally just over a week away. As many of you will host dinners this year, there is always the chance for spills, drops and stains of all types – food,  wine, grease, perhaps even wax from candles that had been burning to prevent the smell of turkey from permeating throughout your home for days following your holiday gathering.

Therefore, our Bayside Carpet experts wanted to provide you with some tips that will help you keep permanent stains at bay this Thanksgiving:

1. Remove it now. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to remove. If you cannot remove the stain, call Bayside right away.
2. Do not use Resolve or other high residue products on your area rugs. Use a neutral ph spotting agent that is made for wool. Call us for purchase information.
3. Use as little moisture as possible with silk, sisal, cotton, and grass rugs. For these, apply a spotter to a cloth and gently dab the stain.

Caution as some area rugs have a very unstable dye and can be easily ruined. Always pre-test any solution on the rug before attempting spot removal.

Below are some additional tips that will help:

• Make sure you never apply any solvent (nail polish or rubbing alcohol) directly to the carpet. This could cause weakening of the fiber backing.
• Use a spot machine (by Bissel, little green machine, etc) or a wet vacuum to extract any liquid spot before you treat it with any spot removing solution.
• Don’t use too much solution. An entire bottle of spotter should NEVER be used on one spot.
• Rinse, rinse, rinse. This is one of the biggest things homeowners overlook. Remember, the rinse water can be extracted with your spot machine or wet vacuum.

Most spots: Use our SpotOut Cleaner or mix 1/4 teaspoon clear hand dishwashing soap with 1 cup water and follow the directions above. Avoid high residue spotters such as Resolve.

Grease or Oils: For greasy spots, apply rubbing alcohol to a cloth and gently dab the spot. Never pour a solvent directly on your carpet.

For wax: Melt the wax unto a paper bag with a steam iron at a low temperature. Place the paper bag over the wax. Do not allow the iron to directly touch the carpet.

We hope these tips will help you and your family enjoy a less stressful Thanksgiving!