How To Remove Brown Water Stains On A Carpet

Brown water stains on your carpet most likely came from one of two sources. The first is the water itself, which may leave behind minerals and dirt as it evaporates. The second is from the carpet. As water soaks into the carpet, it lifts up any dirt that happens to be there, bringing it to the top of the carpet fibers where it's highly visible.

Whatever the reasons for the stain, older stains are more difficult to remove than fresh ones. To get rid of the stain, you may need to try several different cleaners. Happily, you likely have all the things you'll need for the job in your home already. As always when cleaning, start with the mildest cleaning products you have and then work your way up.

Whenever you deal with a carpet stain, it's imperative that you dab or blot the stain rather than rubbing it. Rubbing usually just spreads the stain and makes your problem worse. For the same reason, you want to work from the outside edges of the stain in when blotting. Blotting outward may push the stain outward and make it larger.

It's also very important to use clean, white towels when blotting the stain. Using a colored towel may cause some of the dye in the towel to transfer to the carpet, adding a dye stain to your water stain. Another good idea is to test your chosen cleanser on a discrete area of the carpet. People often skip this spot test, and sometimes they completely ruin the carpet as a result.

Sometimes the simple things in life work the best. A little warm soapy water may just do the trick when removing carpet stains. It's also fairly mild and unlikely to damage your carpet, no matter what it's made of. Please don't take that as permission to skip the spot test, though. Always test every cleaning solution just to be sure.

1. Mix together 1 cup of warm water and a few drops of dish soap.
2. Use a white towel to dab the soapy water onto the carpet. Work the soapy water into the stain a bit, but don't get the carpet too wet. You don't want to soak the carpet or the pad underneath, so go for damp rather than wet.
3. Let the soapy water sit on the stain for a few minutes.
4. Blot the stain with fresh water to remove the soap and any remnants of the stain.

Is there anything vinegar can't do? Vinegar is a part of many household cleaning arsenals and is one of the few natural cleaning products that live up to the hype. If soap and water aren't doing the trick, vinegar might.

1. Mix a 50-50 solution of vinegar and water in a spray bottle.
2. Spray the stain with the vinegar mixture. Again, the goal is to make the carpet damp but not wet.
3. Push the vinegar into the carpet with your fingers to work it into the stain.
4. Soak up as much of the stain as you can with a white towel and then leave the remaining vinegar to air dry.
5. Repeat the process as necessary if the stain is fading but not gone. If the stain isn't even fading, move on and try another cleaning method.

This one gets a little messy but it usually works quite well. Baking soda is very absorbent and can help lift stains out of the carpet along with any unpleasant smells. Add a little vinegar to the mix and you have a great foaming cleanser that can cut through tougher stains.

1. Sprinkle a generous layer of baking soda over the stain.
2. Mix together a solution of equal parts water and vinegar in a spray bottle.
3. Spray the vinegar mixture over the baking soda.
4. Leave the soda and vinegar to sit on the carpet for a few hours. The foaming cleanser you just made will likely dry out and harden as it sits on the carpet, but this is fine.
5. Scrape away the hardened mixture with a butter knife if necessary and then vacuum up the pieces.
6. Check the stain. If it's lighter but still visible, repeat the cleaning process. If you're not making any progress, it's time to call a professional carpet cleaner.