The Easiest Way To Get Coffee Stains Out Of Your Carpet

For most of us, a typical morning consists of dragging ourselves out of bed and towards the coffee machine for a quick cup of energy. We fill it with sugar and cream, make our way to the kitchen table to read the latest news, and relish as our warm, caffeinated drink passes through our lips. What we don't expect is for our sleepy selves to miss our mouths entirely and end up with dark, brown spots on our most beloved area rug. When something like this happens — sleepy or not — it's always a good idea to act quickly before the stain sets in.

To do this, you must know the proper way to get the coffee stain out of the carpet before it becomes a permanent mark. This beverage tends to stain because it contains a substance called tannin, according to The Coffee Suite, and tannin is known for its ability to cause a reaction that results in pigment attaching itself to molecules. To avoid this, we'll show you how an accidental spill can have a happy ending.

The thing about coffee stains is once you spill it on your carpet, you must move quickly before it dries and sets in, according to JDog Carpet Cleaning & Floor Care. It's advised to use a white cloth to gently blot up as much liquid as you can. You'll then spill a small amount of cold water onto the smear to thin out the coffee and blot again. You'll keep doing this until the cloth stops soaking up the brown substance.

Luckily, you can make a homemade solution to avoid a trip to the store and save time. First, you'll grab your handy dandy baking soda and create a paste by mixing together a 3 to 1 ratio of water and baking soda (3 parts water and 1 part baking soda). Once you've created your paste, you'll then have to apply it to your stained carpet. After it has dried up, use a vacuum to clean the mess up, but if the stain isn't completely gone, you may have to repeat the process.

If it's been a few days or weeks since a coffee stain has set into your carpet, there is luckily a technique to help with its removal. Instead of cold water, you'll use warm water to soften the dried-up liquid, per CountryLiving. Next, grab a white cloth, start blotting around the edges of the stain, and slowly move towards the center. This will help prevent the stain from seeping into the areas next to it. Once you've blotted up as much coffee as you can, it's time to create your cleaning solution.

You'll need 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, and 2 cups of warm water. Mix these ingredients together in a bowl by using a spoon, and voilà! You have an effective cleaning blend. Grab a clean cloth and use it to apply your mix, and ensure you follow the same steps of blotting from the edges and moving inward. Once you've applied enough of the cleaning solution, grab another dry towel and gently begin blotting again until the stain is gone.