Dairy is synonymous with the American diet, but regardless of its health benefits, or ability to cool the burn of eating a hot pepper, it’s by far one of the most difficult food products to get out of your carpets. Even worse, if you don’t take care of it right away the milk can spoil, leaving your home with an unwelcoming stench for months or even years. You may even find yourself needing to replace your carpeting.
Dairy Spills: What You Need
Even though these spills present a challenge, cleaning milk, ice cream, or yogurt out of your carpet isn’t as time consuming or difficult as you might expect. To get started, you will need the following items:
- Liquid dish soap
- Warm water
- Two clean, white cloths
- Cold water
Safety First
If you’re having to clean up a dairy spill, chances are pretty good that you’ve got children at home. As a parent, using safe cleaners, and items that are non-toxic, or that are environmentally friendly, is a top priority.
No one wants to put their loved ones at risk, but cleaning companies don’t make it easy for consumers, packing their products full of chemicals and additives that are unpronounceable.
Concerned that getting a spill out of your carpet will require something other than safe cleaners? By following our instructions, you’ll have absolutely nothing to worry about.
Step-by-Step Guide
As soon as you realize that dairy as infiltrated your carpet, it’s important to get to work as soon as possible. Doing so will prevent smells or mold from taking hold.
- Begin by mixing a tablespoon of your liquid dish detergent with two cups of warm water.
- Now, take the clean, white cloth and soak it in the detergent and water mixture, ensuring that it’s entirely submerged.
- Take the wet cloth and blot wherever the spill lays.
- Keep going over the area with the detergent and warm water solution until you’ve absorbed as much of the spill as possible.
- Repeat steps 2, 3, and 4 as necessary.
- Once you’ve removed as much of the spill as possible, dip another clean, white cloth in the cold water and sponge over the spill zone once again.
Additional safe cleaners for dairy spills
Worried that dish washing soap may not solve your problem, but still want to ensure you have options in regards to safe cleaners? No problem! Here’s a brief list of items that can provide the same, quality results:
- Murphy’s Oil Soap – While it does contain a few chemicals, it’s far safer than most items you can buy at the store and is also completely biodegradable.
- Toothbrush – Believe it or not, simply scrubbing a dairy stain with a tooth brush can go a long way in getting your carpet cleaned. Once you’re finished, just sponge the area with a clean, white cloth.
- Corn Starch – First, blot the spilled dairy as much as possible, then spread corn starch over the stain area. Let it sit for an hour or two, and vacuum it up.
Remember: the key to success, is getting to the spill as soon as it happens. With good timing, and our helpful instructions, you can kiss this common headache goodbye.