By their very position in the home, carpets catch everything that falls to the ground. Here is a guide to cleaning a carpet spot. If you've ever installed carpets in your home, you know what an expensive and difficult task it can be. Carpet can make your house feel warm and cozy, as well as being a practical floor covering and great alternative to expensive hardwood flooring. Keeping your new carpet clean, however, can be an even greater task than installing it. Aside from regular vacuuming and shampooing, there are also times when a stain can really affect the look of your floor. In this case, you'll have to look into removing the carpet spots.

Removing carpet spots can be tricky, especially if you're unsure of the colorfastness of your carpet, or if you don't know how old the spot is. One of the first things you need to do, before even attempting to remove a carpet spot, is to determine what kind of liquid or material made the spot. Your treatment for red wine spots, for example, will be different than if your child went crazy with a permanent marker. If the spot is older, you can usually still see what kind of spot it is by checking the color, and sometimes even smelling the spotted area.

The second trick to removing carpet spots is to blot. Never rub or brush a spot, no matter what it's made of. This will only serve to push the spot further into the nap of the carpet, as well as possibly spread the material further. Instead, blot up as much of the spilled liquid as possible with a dry absorbent cloth or paper towel. Then keep the spot damp with a clean white wet terrycloth towel while you call your local professional carpet cleaning company and schedule the next available appointment. 

For families with kids, removing carpet spots made with markers or other indelible inks are a common occurrence and will require professional assistance. To get rid of these stains, call your local professional carpet cleaning company and schedule the next available appointment.