Preserving a carpet from spills and stains can be a difficult task regardless of the amount of care taken around the home. When a stain occurs, the initial thought is often to rearrange the furniture in an easy attempt to make the stain disappear, especially if the stain is a harder one to remove such as ink. Immediate action is key to removing an ink spill from a carpeted area making it appear fresh and clean once more and with the following process, ink removal from carpet is indeed achievable.

To lessen the risk of the ink stain becoming permanent, the process of removing the ink from the carpet must begin without hesitation. The ink is likely to set into the fibres of the carpet shortly after the spill occurs making it harder to completely remove the stain. To avoid a permanent stain, blot the ink with a damp cloth to soak up as much of the ink as possible. Refrain from scrubbing at this point as scrubbing will only spread the ink across the carpet and therefore spread the potential stain. Use a blotting motion instead that focuses on moving the cloth from the outside of the ink spot in towards the middle.

The next step is to blot the ink stain again with a cloth of rubbing alcohol rather than water. Lightly blot the area until the ink transfers to the cloth. With larger stains, change to a clean part of the cloth frequently to counter any ink being transferring back to the carpet. Try to keep the rubbing alcohol from soaking through the carpet entirely. If necessary, alternate between the damp rubbing alcohol cloth and a clean dry cloth.

Once the ink stain has been removed, blot the area with a clean damp cloth to withdraw any excess rubbing alcohol. Ensure the carpet area is rinsed thoroughly with cold water and dried properly. Employ a vacuum, paper towel or fan to complete the drying process swiftly. If the dry carpet area still shows traces of the ink stain, repeat the process. Be sure to dry the carpet wholly after each repeat of the removal process.

When no rubbing alcohol is available, the next best removal substance to use is hairspray. Following the removal process above, use the hairspray in place of the rubbing alcohol when blotting the ink stain. Although hairspray may not be as strong a substance as rubbing alcohol, hairspray still contains alcohol content and will work in much the same way. Favour basic hairspray with a high alcohol content and one that is free from conditioners and oils to prevent possible oil stains.

Test the process of using rubbing alcohol or hairspray on a small patch of hidden carpet area before applying it to the ink stain itself and monitor the results. Examine the test patch for any carpet discolouration or carpet fibre damage. Not all carpets are alike and may respond differently when treated with cleaning products. Furthermore, keep from drenching the carpet in rubbing alcohol. There is a chance the alcohol may begin to dissolve the adherent of the carpet. Ideally the test process would be performed in advance to make the process of removing ink from the carpet an efficient action resulting in a fresh, stain-free carpet.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World, the UK\’s leading specialist in refillable toner cartridges and ink cartridges.

Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World (http://www.cartridgeworld.co.uk), the UK\’s leading specialist in printer cartridges.

Author Bio: Ben Greenwood is writing on behalf of Cartridge World, the UK\’s leading specialist in refillable toner cartridges and ink cartridges.

Category: Advice
Keywords: ink stains, carpets, carpet cleaning