Summer is front and center and we are grilling like mad people over here at Georgia Carpet. If you're enjoying the outdoors and taking advantage of grilling weather, odds are you've had a few streaks of charcoal find its way onto your floors. Even the most careful griller can't help but get a few streaks of charcoal on their clothes and shoes, which can quickly transfer to the inside leaving unsightly black spots on the carpet. While the charcoals make for a tasty meal during the warm weather, they can really stain your carpet and put a damper on your summer celebrations. If you're an avid griller, at some point you have probably come across the unpleasant sight of black stains on your carpet, but do you know how to remove charcoal from the carpet? If you need to know how to get charcoal out of carpet, you've come to the right place. Today we will be discussing how to get a charcoal stain out of carpet to leave your rugs looking clean, fresh and like new.
Steps to Removing Charcoal Stains from Carpet
Getting charcoal stains out of carpet doesn't have to be a chore when you have the right tools and a little know-how to get the job done. Before you bring out the barbecue, take a minute to review the steps for removing charcoal stains so you can tackle any messes as soon as they happen.
- Start by vacuuming up all of the bits of charcoal thoroughly, the beater bar will definitely come in handy so be sure it is active if you have a vacuum cleaner where it can be turned on and off. Avoid stepping on or rolling over any pieces of charcoal as you vacuum as this can push them further into the carpet fibers.
- Once the area is thoroughly vacuumed, it's time to make a cleaning solution. Fortunately, you probably already have everything you need on-hand to make a basic cleaning solution that will quickly clean charcoal. A simple cleaning solution for black charcoal is:
- A quarter cup of dish soap (We recommend using unscented and clear dish soap if you have it.)
- A cup of warm water
Use a little elbow grease to blend the ingredients together with a whisk until the solution gets nice and foamy. You want to have a good lather worked up before you apply it to the carpet because the foam will actually be lifting and removing the charcoal from the fibers.
- Now take the solution and test it on a hidden part of the carpet to make sure discoloration will not be an issue. This is an especially important step if you are using colored dish detergent and have a light carpet as oftentimes colored dish detergent contains dye or coloring that can be transferred to the carpet.
- Once you've tested the solution and are sure that staining won't occur, you can apply the foam solution directly to the carpet where the charcoal stain is located. Be generous when applying the foamy solution and completely cover the charcoal stain.
- Allow the foam to stand on the carpet for a minimum of 5 minutes. Do not rub it in! The point is to allow the suds from the foam to pull the charcoal out of the carpetso it can be completely removed. Do not allow the foam to dry on the carpet.
- Using a clean washcloth, blot the area dry. Rinse the stained area with cold water to remove any remaining dish detergent or charcoal residue.
- With a second clean cloth, blot up the remaining moisture in the carpet.
- If the stain is still visible at this point, repeat the process over again until it has been completely eliminated. You may need to repeat the process several times to completely remove the charcoal stain.
- Once the stain has disappeared, take a stack of napkins or paper towels and layer them over the area. Weight it down with a heavy book and allow it to sit and soak up any excess moisture. This step will help prevent any smells, discoloration and deforming of the carpet.
- Once the area has had time to completely dry, vacuum it again with the beater activated to help restore its former shape.
We recommend bookmarking this page so the next time you're wondering how to get charcoal out of carpet, you'll have these instructions handy.
