Rants of A Coyote

A coffee spill is one of those things that generally spur a similar reaction. Absorb as much of it as possible before it has time to settle in. This is a completely rational reaction. Some scour the Internet looking for home remedies while others react by pouring on the first product they can think of that might work. Sometimes a home remedy will work and other times it will only compound it, making it worse.

Follow up:

Some stains must be removed in layers. Coffee with cream and sugar very well may result in a compound stain. Coffee generally just leave behind an annoying dark spot, cream may go sour causing an undesired odor while sugar residues will attract additional foreign soils like a magnet.

First step should be to absorb as much of the coffee spill as possible using dry towels. To prevent from compounding the mess and making it worse, simply dump a small box of baking soda over the affected area to absorb additional moisture and call a professional carpet cleaner or spotter to actually deal with the problem. A true professional should be willing to suggest the perfect product to use and where to find it. However, a professional line of products generally can not be found at the super market or Home Depot for that matter.

A Professional will begin treating the area by dry vacuuming it to rid of any foreign soils that may be on the carpet or upholstery surface. Hot Water Extraction is the most effective way to thoroughly rinse the area of any cream or other residues that may be attracting soils. The use of a small hair-dryer is a great way to quickly dry the area as fast as possible. Finally, a coffee specific product is applied to the coffee stained area. The solution actually lifts the coffee stain out as it evaporates over the course of a few hours. Applying a sheet of plastic wrap over the area will cause the evaporation process to slow, allowing the solution to work longer. An area with excessive coffee spillage, several applications may be required. However, the good news is that coffee stains usually always come out 100% Even stains that have been there for months or years.

In retrospect, one thing that an individual should do to a coffee spill is to absorb as much moisture as possible, making the job easier for the professional as well as prepping it for the best results possible.

This post was contributed by Geoffrey Scott Howells of Howells Carpet Cleaning. This Post is Un-Altered and is still in it's original state. As such, the views expressed here may or may not be the same views as Charles Siegfried. To submit your own articles, send them to [email protected]