If you’ve just found that your husband has left an ugly dark motor oil stain on your lovely carpet, don’t freak out. Here are a few simple steps that will help you get motor oil stains out of a carpet quickly and efficiently.
Step 1: Take a butter knife or a spoon and scrape off excess oil. Ensure that you don’t press too aggressively in order to prevent any carpet fibres damage.
Step 2: Once you’ve got as much of the motor oil as possible, Julia Williams, a cleaning expert from ‘Carpet Cleaning London‘ advises to sprinkle a good amount of baking soda on the stain. She explains that baking soda is a powerful natural absorbent which will get the motor oil out of your carpet. If you don’t have baking soda at hand, you can use cornstarch, it’ll do the same work. Once you’ve sprinkled the stain, let it sit 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 3: Vacuum the carpet area thoroughly to remove the baking soda and absorbed motor oil.
Step 4: Apply a few drops of dry-cleaning solvent on a clean, white cloth, then sponge the motor oil stain. You’ll see that the motor oil transfers from the carpet to the cloth.
Step 5: Blot the stain with a clean, dry cloth to remove the solvent.
Step 6: If the motor oil stain remains, Julia recommends that you make a carpet cleaning solution of 1 tablespoon of liquid hand dishwashing detergent, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 2 cups of warm water. Apply the cleaning mixture on a sponge and then treat the stain. Never pour any cleaning product directly on the carpet.
Step 7: Blot the stain with a clean cloth to absorb the liquid.
Step 8: To rinse the carpet, sponge the treated area with cold water, then blot with a clean, dry cloth. Let the carpet air dry.
Getting motor oil stains out of a carpet shouldn’t be an exhausting task if you know how to do it. Following these simple carpet cleaning steps you’ll not only clean your carpet, you’ll also save a lot of money on professional carpet cleaning services.
