Ice cream is delicious, but it can also be a nasty, sticky mess if you happen to spill it on your carpet. Fortunately, there are ways to remove it. Here are some tips to get it out of your carpet so that you don’t have to stare at that stain until the next time you get the carpet professionally cleaned.
Before you get started, gather the things you’re going to need so that you don’t have to scramble to get them in the middle of the procedure. Any delays can make the stain more difficult to remove if not impossible.
Supplies you’ll need
- Dishwashing detergent
- Light-colored terrycloth towels or rags
- Plenty of white vinegar
- Plenty of warm water
- A measuring cup
- Dry cleaning solvent (available at the grocery store or at a store that sells carpet cleaning supplies)
“Clean it as soon as you see it”
The sooner you clean the stain, the less likely it is that it’ll set. Right after the spill happens is the best time to do it.
Scoop and blot
Scoop solid ice cream up off the carpet before it has a chance to melt and make things worse. Then, use light-colored terrycloth towels or rags (dry) to blot what’s left of the stain. Don’t use paper towels, because these can shred and make things even worse.
When you blot, don’t rub; instead, firmly “dab,” moving from place to place and blotting as you go. Switch frequently to clean material so that you’re not transferring the stain back onto the carpet from a dirty towel.
Apply dry cleaning solvent
When you’ve gotten as much of the ice cream as you can off the carpet by blotting with a dry towel, apply some dry cleaning solvent to a clean section of towel (not the carpet) and continue to blot (always using clean material with freshly applied solvent) until the stain is gone and no further material has been transferred to the towel.
If there’s still some ice cream stain left, do the following steps in addition to the previous ones.
Use dishwashing soap and warm water
Mix a half a teaspoon of dishwashing soap into 8 ounces of warm water, apply to the stain, blot with clean material, and keep repeating until the stain is removed. This may take several repetitions, so be patient. Blot firmly on the carpet and don’t scrub. This may harm the texture of the pile.
Rinse
Once the stain is removed, rinse with cold water and blot with a clean, dry, light-colored terry towel or rag until it’s dry. Again, you may have to do this several times to completely remove the stain and cleaning solution.
One note here is that it’s very important to rinse thoroughly, because residues of either the ice cream or cleaning solutions can attract soil and make that area of the carpet soil faster.
After the spot dries
If you can still see stains once the spots have dried, try mixing one part of white vinegar and two parts water, mix thoroughly, apply to the stain and blot. This should remove it if nothing else will.
Cautions to take
Test before you try
If at all possible, test on a hidden spot before you begin to try to remove the ice cream stain. This will tell you if your carpet is washable. Of course, you might decide to try to remove the stain anyway (since it’s certainly no more attractive than a lighter colored spot as compared to the rest of your carpet), but it’s still a good idea to test for color fastness before you try to get rid of the ice cream stain.
More is not better
Don’t try to make stronger amounts of solutions than are recommended here. They could damage your carpet and in fact make the situation worse, since they can either make the carpet “bleed” color, or can attract further dirt because stronger solutions are much more difficult if not impossible to rinse out.
Don’t use cleaning products meant for “other” things
For example, laundry detergent or automatic dishwashing detergent are far too powerful to use “straight” on your carpet and are meant to be highly diluted for use in a washing machine or automatic dishwasher. Using them on your carpet could destroy or discolor your carpet.
In addition, most solvents can cause synthetic carpets to delaminate, either right away or over a period of time after you’ve done the cleaning. In addition, using nonvolatile solvents will mean that the solvents you use won’t evaporate at room temperature and will stay in the carpet despite your best cleaning efforts. Above all, don’t pour solvents directly onto your carpet or saturate your carpet completely. They will seep through to the padding and could even damage the flooring underneath. And, they’ll be impossible to completely remove. Simply apply to the towel or rags as previously described, and blot.
No gas or paint thinners
Never, never, never use very combustible solvents like pain thinners or gasoline. Not only are these extremely poisonous so that exposure could be deadly, but they could cause risk of fire, depending on smoking habits, etc. Leave these things in the garage or other safe area where they belong, and use them for their intended purposes.
In conclusion
If you’ve got an ice cream stain on your carpet, take heart; there are methods that can get it out. Follow the above instructions immediately after the stain happens if possible, for best results. Taking care of an ice cream stain as soon as possible after it happens is the best way to ensure that your carpet stays clean and beautiful for many years to come.
