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How to clean a coffee-stained carpet

Person sitting on the carpet with his laptop and mobile, and holding coffee

Did you drop your guard for a moment and accidentally spill your hot beverage? Sometimes you just can’t avoid a mishap like this, no matter how careful you are. How do you clean your carpet now? Luckily, a coffee stain on the carpet isn't the end of the world; neither is needing to remove coffee stains from your sofa. With our tips, you’ll know how to remove a coffee stain from your carpet in no time at all! Here's how!

Foam it up!

Whether latte macchiato, espresso or cappuccino, all these coffee specialties leave the same brownish stains. The fresher the coffee stain, the more easily it can be removed. Of course, it takes a bit of effort to get rid of it. After all, the liquid can’t simply be wiped away like on hard surfaces. For those you could use our Soft Scrub® Multi surface cleanser. Still, don’t worry—you can get rid of coffee stains on the carpet quite simply. The most uncomplicated method? A commercial cleaning spray for carpets. If you don't have that on hand, you can achieve the same effect with an upholstery cleaner. This is how you remove the coffee stain from the carpet using cleaning foam:

  1. Use a piece of paper towel or a soft cloth to dab the coffee stain on your carpet as dry as possible. Dab—do not rub.
  2. Now the carpet or upholstery foam comes into play. First, shake the can thoroughly so that the cleaning agent foams properly.
  3. Spray the carpet generously. Make sure that the foam covers the affected area completely.
  4. Dampen a brush or a soft, lint-free cloth and rub the mixture into the carpet.
  5. Before you can finally remove the coffee stain from the carpet, you still need a little patience: Wait until the foam is no longer visible and the treated area has dried.
  6. After about an hour, use the vacuum cleaner to suck the remaining foam out of the carpet with the upholstery nozzle.
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Home remedies to get rid of coffee stains from carpet

The above method is not for you? Then why not try some tried-and-tested home remedies that have been recommended by sources online. Most of the products can be found in the bathroom and kitchen. To prevent the color from disappearing from the carpet, test its color fastness on an inconspicuous spot beforehand. If nothing has discolored after a short time, you can start. This is how you remove a coffee stain from your carpet without any special cleaner:

  1. Fresh coffee stains can be removed with an absorbent paper towel, or a lint-free cloth and warm water. First place a few paper towels on the coffee stain until they no longer absorb any liquid.
  2. Now wet a cloth with water, wring it out and blot the stain with it. A good alternative to lukewarm water is sparkling mineral water, which you pour directly onto the stain. Let the water soak in for a moment and then dry the stain thoroughly with a paper towel. If you have coffee without milk, you should now be rid of the stain.
  3. If the coffee stain is fresh, simply add a few drops of dishwashing liquid, or a detergent of your choice such as our all® stainlifters® original liquid detergent, to lukewarm water. Then remove the coffee stain from your carpet in the same way as for "black coffee."
  4. You can easily lift dried coffee stains from your carpet with white vinegar water (white vinegar that is diluted with about a third water). If that smells too unpleasant, then try a glass cleaner. First moisten the coffee stain on the carpet with warm water. Then spray the glass cleaner onto the stain and leave it to work for a while. Then dab the cleaner out of the carpet with a damp cloth or sponge and dry the damp area with some paper towels.

Hopefully, you found this helpful and now have a nice stain-free carpet. Check out even more useful tips in our cleaning section. And sign up for the Ask Team Clean newsletter to receive updates on our latest content and special offers.