How to get rid of milk stains on your carpets and fabrics?

How to get rid of milk stains on your carpets and fabrics?

One moment you’re daydreaming about your future vacation when you realize you’ve stumbled and spilled a glass of milk all over your carpet. Even if your thoughts wandered for only a few seconds, your lack of attention caused chaos. Rather than panicking, keep your cool and remember that it happens to everyone. There are ways for you to do proper damage control and get your carpet, clothes or furniture to its previous glory.

You should act fast

Whenever you spill any type of liquid, even water, it’s important to act right away. It doesn’t matter whether the spilled liquid has staining properties or not; you have to blot out the liquid. Use anything with quick soaking properties like paper towels, soft cotton rags and even a basic t-shirt. Press repeatedly on the wet area to soak all the liquid. Repeat the cycle until the last paper towel or rag used is dry, even after pressing against the stained area. When this happens, you’ve successfully managed to trap all excess liquid and dry out the area.

Next, wet the area with water

The next step is essential to perform right after you remove all excess milk from your carpet or furniture. By wetting the area with water, you will prevent the milk stain from drying and hardening. If you miss this step, the stain might be difficult to remove afterwards. It’s best if you wet the area with a cloth you’ve previously dampened with water. Use light movement to dampen the area to avoid damaging the fabric or carpet bristles. The goal is to remove any leftover milk with water to prevent the stain from hardening. Once you’ve sufficiently dampened the stain with water and removed excess milk, switch to a dry cloth. You can once again use paper towels or soft cotton rags, or a t-shirt to dry out the water.

Use liquid detergent on milk stains on clothes and fabrics

If you’ve stained your t-shirt with milk or spilled it on your sofa, you can apply liquid laundry detergent to reverse the damage. Leave it like that for 30 minutes and allow it to soak. Every few minutes, rub the area with detergent in a circular motion to help the detergent work its magic. Once the time is up, rinse the area or repeat the process with the damp cloth we’ve mentioned previously. You should also treat the stain with stain remover according to the declaration and instructions on the bottle. This step will ensure you remove any milk fat or protein from the fabric, so it won’t turn yellow afterwards.

Use a cleaning solution on furniture and carpets

There are also cleaning solutions you can use to treat carpet stains. But, not all cleaning solutions are suitable for every type of fabric. Making a mistake can be costly if you can’t remove the stain and you have to buy an entirely new carpet. Alternatively, you can always call professional carpet cleaners to help you save your carpet. While stains are your nightmare and every step can be a wrong one, the professionals know how to treat each one with care. While you can easily make a mistake beyond repair, carpet cleaners won’t. They will use the right cleaning agents that act well against the stain, and your carpet will look just like before.

Let it air dry

Now that you’ve gone through all steps, removing excess milk, rinsing the stain with water, applying a cleaning solution and rinsing again, it’s time to let it dry. Let it air dry for the best results. If you don’t have time to wait because guests are coming over, you can dry it with a hairdryer. But, make sure to keep the hairdryer at a safe distance to avoid burning through the material with excess heat. Instead, use cold air to dissolve water from the carpet or furniture. But, we have to warn you that fast drying can set the stain in if it isn’t fully removed. SO it’s best to proceed with caution or simply let it air dry.

Brush it out

Depending on the type of fabric, even after the stain is gone, the affected area might look different. For example, the entire process of stain removal from your carpet can change the surface of the carpet. If you’ve spilled milk on a velvety sofa, the bristles might look different from the rest of the sitting area. The key here is to brush the area with a soft brush you use on suede leather. Use this soft brush to brush the fabric or carpet fibres to their original state.

As you can see, removing a milk stain from a carpet or a fabric is not impossible if you know the steps. Just remember to watch your step next time you hold a glass of milk.

Feature photo by No Revisions on Unsplash