It’s Easter egg season and – let’s face it – children aren’t often famous for their neatness when it comes to handling messy holiday projects. The vegetable dyes used in egg coloring can be surprisingly permanent: even kitchen counters aren’t immune to stains. Carpets and rugs, often the recipients of drips and spills, can become permanently stained. Improper or delayed cleaning can spread the stains and make them worse.
Act Immediately
If the egg coloring does find its way into your carpet, resist the temptation to wipe or scrub. Treat the stain immediately (the longer it sits, the more it will set) using the following steps:
- Using a clean, dry cloth, blot the stain gently to absorb any excess liquid.
- Mix one quarter teaspoon of some mild soap that does not contain dye — dishwashing liquid is a good choice — with a quarter teaspoon of white vinegar and one cup of warm water.
- Using a light-colored cloth or paper towels, gently apply the liquid detergent mix to the stain. Allow the mixture to saturate the stain for a few minutes, then blot gently until the egg dye no longer transfers to the cloth.
- Use a cloth and warm water to rinse the detergent from the carpet completely. You may need to repeat this step more than once to completely remove the stain.
If the Stain is Stubborn
If some remnant of the dye remains after the carpet has dried, moisten the spot with a little three percent hydrogen peroxide. Allow the peroxide to stand for about an hour. Blot and repeat as necessary. (Important tip: try this on a hidden part of the carpet before you apply it to the spot to ensure the peroxide won’t remove the color from the carpet).
Call a Professional
If the stain remains, or you’ve significantly cleaned one spot and the rest of the carpet now appears dirty by comparison (a common result of intensive spot cleaning), consider calling a professional carpet cleaner. At Always Clean, we have proprietary materials and processes that can remove even the toughest stains from rugs and carpets.
