use bleach on carpet to get stain out?

Question

We have a duplex we are rehabbing. Living room has an offwhite berber carpet that is in like new condition and looks very nice with the exception of 2 places where there are stains. One is a large circle. Professional cleaning dulled it, but it is still the first thing you notice when you walk into the room. So I got this crazy idea and wondered what, if anything, some bleach would do to it.  Any ideas? The room is large and I hate to tear the carpet all out but these 2 spots really bother me. One is about 2 feet in diameter  Just wondered if anyone else has tried this remedy and what results you got. Thanks!

Shellie S. · Answer

Ok, so I'm going to recommend a product from the Dollar Tree - seriously, I own no stock or anything - but it has literally been the only thing that's worked. I had settling of black spray paint in a bunch of areas on a carpet that were not covered. I tried resolve, white vinegar, oxyclean, and several other products that were recommended to me. I own a vacuum-style steam cleaner and tried that. I swore I was going to have to replace the carpet. I finally googled how to get spray paint out of carpet and watched a dozen you tube videos. One suggested La's Amazing cleaner, it is a yellow cleaner in a simple clear bottle from Dollar Tree. I thought "what the heck" and bought two bottles. If anything, I would only be out $2. I swear this stuff really is 'amazing' - I know I sound like an ad, but I cannot believe this cleaner got out ALL of the spray paint, and you cannot tell a difference. I think (but not sure) that it's made for steam cleaners, but I didn't dilute it, I used it full strength. I put it in a sprayer, then sprayed little sections of the affected carpet as I went. Wear a mask, gloves, and scrub scrub scrub with a rag. It doesn't hurt to give it a shot, it's a buck. Good luck!

Lauren Heart · Answer

Yikes!  Not bleach!  Depending on carpet fibers in your Berber, it can actually go orange.  (If you are at last resort, try a test in a closet or some small inconspicuous area first!) Have you tried warm vinegar and baking soda yet?  Any idea what caused the stain?  Good luck!

Lauren

Tina Reid · Answer

Bleach may cause the colour to fade. Did you contact any carpet cleaning companies?

Judy Parker · Answer

@Erin K. Do use bleach or any solvents on carpet.  In addition to possibly turning orange, the solvents/bleach dissolve the backing off the carpet.  Had a tenant do this once - they were moving out of my apartment and their child spilled a blue ink toner cartridge on the carpet.  Tenant tried to resolve the problem themselves with solvent, and it ruined the carpet backing.

Erin K. · Answer

Thanks for the ideas.  I actually have a gallon bottle of that LA Awesome cleaner that I used for carpet a long time ago and had forgotten about it! :) I will update with whether it works!

Jim Adrian · Answer

Have you tired a peroxide and vinegar solution?   Oxyclean is the crystal form of peroxide.

Sean Ridlon · Answer

Good suggestions so far! Is it possible that the stain is tannic acid from the subfloor? Water damage like over-watering a potted plant can cause that. In which case the carpet can be very damaged.

I'd get a professional opinion on that one.

Jake Thomas · Answer

Please don't use bleach!

Try some form of oxy chemical to remove. There are several products to buy in the store or you can buy a small extractor from any big box store. I am not promoting these but personally I use a Little Green (now called spot clean) and it works wonders otherwise the company that makes the little green also makes a new trigger chemical called Instaclean that works really well for old stains.

Disclaimer my W2 job is for the company that makes these products so my opinion is biased.

Marcia Maynard · Answer

I would check with our professional carpet cleaning guy on his ideas about what may have caused the stain and how to get it out. He gets out stains and has saved many carpets of ours that I thought we could never recover. Truck mounted professional carpet cleaning is powerful enough to extract all the water, which is critical when cleaning carpet.

I would not use bleach, but I would try Oxiclean on it. Test on carpet in a  corner of the room where furniture is likely to sit, just in case. Be sure to follow the directions on the package for dissolving the powder in hot water. I read a review on line where a person used it in their carpet cleaning machine to get old stains out of an off-white berber carpet and it worked like a charm.

Erin K. · Answer

No idea what the stain is.  No inconspicuous areas in the room, and no extra carpet in a closet, etc.