Tips on Cleaning Oil Stains from Carpet

An oil stain on your carpet is a complete nightmare! It won't go away with regular soap and water. Even elbow grease won't help here. You need to get to an oil stain on your carpet quickly before it sets in and you have to call a professional.

The good news is that cleaning oil stains from carpet is not completely impossible. You can do it on your own at home if you use the right tools. Depending on the type of carpet you have there are different ways of cleaning oil stains from carpet.

Solvent

Solvent, in this case dry cleaning solvent is important to have in the house. Failing that rubbing alcohol will do in a pinch. It's important that you use solvent or rubbing alcohol, and not anything else. There are some crazy remedies out there but when cleaning oil stains from carpet, solvent is your best bet.

Blot don't Rub

Just like when you want to clean a stain from your clothes the best way to go about it is to blot, not rub, the stain. Rubbing will only make the stain worse. Blotting on the other hand will help to gently break up the stain and clean up the mess. Remember this and don't panic when you first see that nasty oil stain on your carpet.

Synthetic Fiber Carpets

The material of your carpets is very important. The process for cleaning synthetic fiber carpets varies slightly from cleaning natural fiber carpets. When cleaning oil stains from carpet made from synthetic fiber you first want to put the solvent onto a white cloth. Dab the stain with the white cloth a few times. Then press the cloth down onto the stain for a few seconds.

Now take another cloth that has been soaked in lukewarm water and blot the stain. Leave the carpet to dry; this should be in about an hour's time. Repeat the process until the stain disappears. Depending on how deeply the oil stains has penetrated the carpet you may have to do this a few more times over a few days.

Natural Fiber

Start the same way as with the synthetic fiber carpet. After dabbing the stain with solvent spray the stain with detergent solution or stain remover. Then dry it by blotting with a dry white cloth. Rinse it by spraying with lukewarm water. Dry it by blotting again with a dry cloth. Keep the process up until the stain disappears. These tips should help with cleaning oil stains from carpet.