Vomit Stains

Vomit stains are a true pain, aren't they? It doesn't matter whether they come from your Uncle Mike who had one too many at the last family party, or little Susie had one too many pieces of candy at Halloween, or even little Fluffy who got into something and made a mess all over the floor. Regardless of the source, you are still left with two small problems—the stain and the smell.

Materials needed:

• Carpet-safe soaking agent (i.e., Woolite Oxy Deep, Oxyclean powder, and Resolve Heavy Traffic foam cleaner)
• Rubber gloves
• Soft-bristled cleaning brush
• 4"x6" scrubbing sponge
• Large bath towel
• Small bucket of hot water

Procedure:

• Small stains. For stains that have a diameter of one foot or less, alternate between soaking, scrubbing, and blotting. Frequently, rinse the brush and sponge and keep the bucket filled with hot water until the discoloration disappears. Once you are satisfied that the stain has been removed, keep the area covered with the large bath towel folded in half. If the cleaned area is not subject to heavy foot traffic, do not cover with a towel. Leave the area covered for eighteen hours.
• Medium stains. For stains that have a diameter of two feet or less, clean as you would with the small stains. There are only a couple of changes though: You will need to use a larger bucket and two towels. Work from the outside of the stain inwards towards its center. As before, keep rinsing your brush and sponge and make sure that the bucket is filled with hot water until the discoloration has been removed. Instead of folding a large bath towel in half, place two large bath towels on top of each other and allow them to sit there for eighteen hours.
• Large stains. For stains that have a diameter of more than two feet, rent a heavy-duty steam cleaner. Follow the directions that come along with the cleaner to ensure that you use it properly. Once the stain has been removed, place two large bath towels on the cleaned area to keep it clean and allow it to dry for eighteen hours or until completely dry.

Finally, in the event that an organic stain, such as from vomit, has been allowed to set for too long, there is only one solution that you can use without having to replace the carpeting. That solution is to use a heavy-duty steam cleaner, in addition to the carpet cleaning soaks and the general cleaning chemicals that come with the steam cleaner. Keep in mind that some companies actually provide a pet odor feature that may be needed.