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Even though many carpets are treated to be stain resistant, the experts at SMART Carpet say that it’s still imperative to clean up spills or stains as they happen. The stain resistance in the carpet resists stains, according to SMART Carpet company owner Brendan Phillips, but it does not prevent them.

SMART Carpet customers are instructed to pick up food spills with a spoon and absorb any moisture by blotting the wet spill area with paper towels. Never scrub the carpet, warns the staff at SMART Carpet. This could cause damage to the carpet.

The first line of defense is plain water. Most stains are food based and can be deluted and cleaned with good old H20. Once a food spill or wet spill is cleaned up as much as possible, the SMART Carpet team recommends spot cleaning with a mild detergent. Use the smallest amount of detergent possible, add the SMART Carpet experts, so that there is no residue that might either dull the carpet or cause it to attract soil.

SMART Carpet employees say that the most frequently recommended cleanser is regular laundry detergent. The liquid soap should be clear with no bleach, cautions SMART Carpet staff, and only a quarter teaspoon of the detergent should be mixed into a quart of water. As always, the SMART Carpet team promotes following the manufacturer’s recommendations.

After blotting the area with the soapy water, SMART Carpet recommends rinsing it thoroughly. Don’t soak the carpet, says the SMART Carpet staff. It’s enough to use a spray bottle both with the soapy water and the clear water for rinsing.

Once the area has been rinsed well, the advice from SMART Carpet is to blot and air. If the carpet area is very wet, some SMART Carpet professionals say to layer white paper towels on the spot, and put a heavy object on top of the towels. The goal here, points out SMART Carpet, is to get the area as dry as possible. Once further blotting doesn’t soak up any moisture, adds the team from SMART Carpet, the area can be further air dried, using a fan to promote air circulation.