Carpets and Coffee Stains

What’s the one thing most people in the office couldn’t do without? The thing that keep the team working late into the night to hit that deadline and the one thing that gets everyone going in the morning?

You guessed it, it’s coffee!

Whether it’s a nice little coffee machine sitting in the corner of the office or there is a Café in the main reception area, we can all grab a much-needed coffee at any time of the day during work. We drink it sitting at our desk and we grab one whilst sharing notes in a meeting but what’s the best thing to do when we accidentally knock that cup of hot, brown, liquid over and it spills all over the office carpet?

Coffee can be one of the hardest stains to remove but if treated quickly using the correct techniques you may not have to have a constant reminder of that time you knocked your coffee cup flying across the room in front of your boss every time you look down at the carpet!

There are a few different ways you can try to remove a coffee stain from the office carpet but always be extremely careful if you do decide to clean the stain yourself, as it can be possible to permanently damage the carpet. If you really don’t want your boss to have a constant reminder of what you did, especially around the time pay rises are being discussed, then it is always best to seek the advice of a professional carpet cleaner in Cambridge. That said, if you follow these steps carefully you stand a good chance of removing the stain yourself and keeping in the bosses good books.

The secret to removing any carpet stain caused by a spilt cup of coffee is to act fast and waste no time in dealing with the accident.

Step 1: Clean it up fast

You will need a white cloth, either highly absorbent kitchen towel or a clean white dishcloth. It’s important to make sure that whatever you use is white, as any other coloured cloth could transfer the dyes in it to the carpet.

Step 2: Soak it up

Use the selected kitchen towel or cloth to soak up the coffee that is sitting on top of the carpet pile. Most office carpets will have been pre-treated with stain guard so some of the coffee will just sit on top of the carpet forming a brown puddle. Resist the urge to rub, just lay the cloth on top of the puddle of coffee and let the cloth do all the work.

Step 3: The cleaning solution

Now it’s time to remove any liquid that has found its way into the carpet pile using a cleaning solution.

Step 4: The cleaning product

Hopefully, the office manager or a colleague has had the foresight to ensure a purpose made carpet cleaning solution is always kept in the office kitchen in case of emergencies and all you need to do now is follow the instructions on the can.

Step 5: No purpose made carpet cleaner, no worries!

It is possible to make up a carpet stain cleaner of your own but admittedly it is probably not going to be possible when in the office but if you did have all the ingredients this is what you would need to do.

Step 6: The homemade carpet cleaner recipe

Mix a dash of white vinegar with a couple of scoops of washing powder in a bowl with some cold water from the tap.

Step 7: Grab a soft brush

Using a soft brush, gently apply the solution onto the stain. You may wish to try this on a small hidden area of the carpet first (under a sofa etc) just to make sure it doesn’t make things worse.

Step 8: Wait a while

Leave the mixture to work into the stain for a few minutes and then gently scrub using the brush to get the solution deep into the carpet pile.

Step 9: Damp sponge

Take a damp sponge and carefully blot the area until it looks like the stain has gone. Be careful not to soak the carpet.

Step 10: If all else fails, call the professionals

Now use a dry sponge to absorb any dampness. If the coffee stain hasn’t been completely removed it may be necessary to repeat the process a few times. If you are not completely happy with the results then call a carpet cleaning specialist who will be able to use the correct equipment and methods to completely remove the stain once and for all.

Magda.