10 Lifehacks to Clean Your Carpet

Any carpet stain you can think of, we have a hack for. From coffee to makeup and everything in between, each of these stain removal solutions are easily made at home, and only take a few steps to conquer.

We have come up with a list of the top ten lifehacks to clean your carpet that you will inevitably need at least once in your life. Maybe that day has come today, but in the case that you do not have a stained carpet, it can't hurt to keep a log of these lifehacks in the back of your mind. Because who knows when you'll need a solution to get chewing gum out of your floors? We don't judge.

Red Wine

Wine on white carpet might seem like a death wish, but it is possible to clean! And as the first on our list of the best lifehacks to clean your carpet, we'll teach you how. Like any stain, first blot the spilled wine immediately after spilling, to avoid the stain from deepening or spreading. Act fast, and use an up and down blotting motion to try and remove some of the worst of the stain with a paper towel or rag.

Then, apply cold water and continue to blot. This will dilute the wine and prevent it from drying into the carpet. Our next step is salt; strange, we know. Pour salt over the stain while it is still wet from the water, and dab the carpet. This will draw the moisture from the carpet.

Let this sit, and allow the stain to turn more of a pink color. You might even want to allow this to sit overnight, though it might seem scary to leave it alone, it will come out in the morning. Then, vacuum the carpet after removing the salt, and you'll have a clean carpet once again!

Coffee

Coffee stains are no joke. However, this is one of the best lifehacks to clean your carpet because you can make your own cleaning solution from household items. There are two options to create, and you can try both if one does not work as well as you expected it to. The first option is a combination of lukewarm water and lemon juice, while the second is vinegar and dish soap.

But first, you should remove the excess coffee from the stain to absorb as much of the stain as possible before attacking it with your DIY solution. Press a paper towel into the carpet gently.

Then, apply either solution to the stain by dipping a clean towel into the mixture and pressing the towel onto the stain. Switch the area of the towel you use so you are not dirtying the carpet with a stained section of the towel, and do so until the entire affected area is dabbed.

Next, press down on the carpet with a new, clean, and dry towel. And finally, flush the area of the carpet with water; this way you remove the solution from the carpet, avoiding discoloration.

Mud

We have all accidentally tread dirt or mud onto our carpets by forgetting to take our shoes off before entering the house. So next time you track mud into your house, we've got you covered. The first step is very opposite to our previous rule for wine and coffee stains; you're going to want to let the mud dry, so don't touch it. If you begin to blot, you will likely spread the stain deeper into the carpet.

Next, vacuum the area to remove the excess dirt from the carpet, and do so in all directions to really get into the stain. Then, you will create your homemade solution with one teaspoon of mild dishwashing detergent with a cup of lukewarm water, much like the coffee solution.

Blot the solution into the carpet using a cloth and continue to do so until the stain is gone. This may require multiple cloths and a bit of elbow grease, but it will lift.

Finally, blot again with a clean and dry cloth to dry off the affected area.

Blood

Like we promised, we won't ask how you got the blood stains in your carpet, but we will suggest a few lifehacks to clean your carpet free of pesky red stains. Harder to remove than a wine stain, the concept is still similar.

First, press down on the stain with a white cloth or paper towel in order to pick up as much of the wet blood as possible and avoid any rubbing motions. Then, spray the stain with cold water and allow it to sit; this is best done with a spray bottle to avoid over-wetting the stain and spreading it.

Then, continue your blotting to try and absorb as much of the moisture as possible in an up and down motion. If it begins to turn dry, rewet the stain.

Next, you will use a salt paste which can be made at home. Mix salt with cold water in a small bowl until it turns into a thin paste. Pour this mixture onto the stain and allow it to sit.

If this is not enough for your stain, continue with our next step. Wet the stain with a mixture of two teaspoons of liquid dish detergent with one cup of cold water and allow it to soak. Rinse the stain, and blot it dry.

Paint

We assume the paint has already dried in this scenario, so we'll take it from there. To remove water-based paint stains, use hot water and dish detergent to create your solution. Apply the solution to the paint and allow it to sit for a couple minutes; this will soften the paint. Then, use a pin or knife to scrape the paint from the stain while simultaneously adding the solution to the carpet to soften.

If you are attempting to remove an oil-based stain from your carpet, you will want to use a steamer. This will work the same as the solution to soften the stain. Apply the steam to the stain directly and then begin to pick at the stain with a pin or needle until it begins to break up.

Makeup

We don't know how it happens, but somehow the makeup meant for our faces winds up on our carpets. Whether you dropped your foundation bottle, or decided to give your carpet a winged liner, this is certainly one of the most useful lifehacks to clean your carpet.

For foundation, you should use a three percent hydrogen peroxide solution to get the stain up and off forever. First, get the carpet a little wet before adding your solution, and then apply a cloth with the hydrogen peroxide on the cloth directly to the stain. Let it soak for five minutes, and blot the excess solution away with a clean cloth. This will soak up the excess coloring. Finally, rinse the area with cold water, and repeat until the stain is completely gone.

For dark eye makeup or mascara, repeat this process, but this time use a solution of one cup of warm water and one fourth of a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid.

And lipstick? Rubbing alcohol is your saving grace.

Food

You've got two options for food-related stains, baking soda paste or vinegar. Or, you can use a combination of both! But we only suggest doing this is if the stain is really persistent. But before we get into the solution, we have to start with removing any crumbs or chunks of food that can be swept off the surface of the stain. Then, with a damp sponge, wipe the stain from the outside into the interior. This will avoid spreading, and will lighten the stain as you remove the stain little by little.

Next, you will use your vinegar. Dilute it with warm water, and add to a spray bottle to spray the stain directly. Let this sit for five minutes, and use a cloth to blot the solution up, as well as some of the stain. Continue this process until it is removed.

If this is taking too long, this is where your baking soda paste comes in handy. Create this by combining baking soda and water, and rub this into the stain to let it sit for 20 minutes.

Rinse the stain with water, and your stain should be gone in no time.

Pet Hair

Though this might not be specifically a "stain", pet hair can be just as troublesome as a red wine stain. First, you will thoroughly vacuum the carpet. And though this is where most people stop, that is exactly why they have pet hair on all of their clothing and belongings.

Next, spray your kitchen sponge mop with water, but only lightly. Work the mop across the carpet. This will allow the hair to clump together due to the moisture, and can easily be picked up with your hand. Or if this is too gross for you, vacuum it up once again.

As one of the best lifehacks to clean your carpet, every pet owner needs to try this method.

Hair Dye

One of the harshest solutions on our list, hair dye is not easy to remove from your carpet. Using a mixture of dish soap, vinegar, and rubbing alcohol, each portion should be one tablespoon worth, plus two cups of water to dilute the solution.

Dip your cloth into the mixture, and begin to gently press it into the stain. Then, switch out your damp cloth with a dry one, and continue this process using each cloth in exchange for each other. Then, sponge the area with water, and dry the area with a clean cloth.

If the stain is not yet removed after a few uses of this solution, you can also use pure rubbing alcohol to the spot in order to loosen the dye. Repeat this until the stain is gone.

Chewing Gum

Finally, last on our list of the best lifehacks to clean your carpet is the dreaded chewing gum fiasco. The first way to remove gum from your carpet is to freeze the gum with an ice pack or ice cubes. Make sure it's frozen solid, and use a butter knife to scrape the gum from the carpet. Then, clean the remaining residue with a solution of soap and water.

The second way to do this is with oil. Apply the oil to a cloth, and dab the gum with the cloth. Then, scrap the gum using a butter knife and clean the remaining area with dish soap and water once again.

And finally, you can use a citrus-based degreaser. Apply the solvent to the gum and wait for ten minutes to soften and loosen the gum. Then, repeat the previous process of scraping the gum with a butter knife, and removing the excess debris with soap and water.