HANDS up if you've ever knocked over a glass of red wine or spilled your coffee onto the carpet.
We've all been guilty of being clumsy every so often, and so we all know just how difficult it is to remove those pesky carpet stains once the damage has already been done.
But turns out the cleaning process can be quite simple…when you know how.
Carolyn Forté, Executive Director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Cleaning Lab, has revealed her top tips with the magazine on how to remove the most common carpet stains.
And the best part? You've probably got most of the products in your kitchen cupboards.
MOST STAINS
According to Carolyn, the first step is to get two empty spray bottles and fill one with cold water.
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Then with the second, she says to add a solution comprised of 1/4 teaspoon mild dish-washing liquid and 1 cup of warm water.
Rather than spraying directly onto the carpet, Carolyn explains it's best to spray the solution onto a cloth.
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As soon as the stain begins to dissolve, she recommends dabbing it with a clean part of the cloth until it disappears.
The expert notes that it's then time to rinse the cleaning solution from the carpet by spraying another cloth with cold water and gently dabbing the area, before patting it dry with a different cloth.
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Carolyn says to put a pile of paper towels on the wet spot and place something heavy on top.
"Overnight, the towels will soak up any residual stain deep in the carpet," she explains. "In the morning, fluff the fibres with your fingers and allow it to air-dry."
COFFEE STAINS
According to the cleaning expert, hot drinks soak into carpets faster than cold drinks, so it's important to act fast.
Carolyn says the first step is to try and soak up as much of the coffee as possible by simply blotting it, sponging the area with cold water, and then patting dry.
Then, she suggests mixing 1/4 teaspoon of liquid dish shop with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 cup of warm water.
She advises taking a clean cloth, applying the solution onto the stain, before blotting regularly with a dry cloth until it fades.
Once again, she highlights the importance of removing the detergent on the carpet, and says to sponge with cold water before blot drying.
RED WINE STAINS
We've all experienced that gut-wrenching feeling of knocking over a glass of red wine onto a light-coloured carpet.
But Carolyn has the perfect answer to help remove those dreaded stains once and for all.
First, she suggests blotting up as much of the wine as possible by any means necessary – even if that means standing on absorbent cloth.
Then, the cleaning expert notes to add a Wine Away Red Wine Stain Remover before giving it five minutes to soak in.
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Next, she says to pat the area dry with a clean cloth until the stain has disappeared and to then apply a damp cloth to get rid of any remaining product.
Carolyn adds: "Wine Away was the easiest to rinse and the least damaging to carpets of all the red wine stain removers in our test."
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