Removing Chalk Stains from Carpet

Removing chalk stains from carpet, while annoying, is a task that any parent, teacher, or caregiver should know how to do. After all children love to play with chalk, and eventually children will make a mess with something that they play with. While it can be a little annoying having to remove a chalk stain, it isn't impossible. All you need to do is follow this simple method, and you will be able to have your carpet chalk free.

Ordinarily, white chalk will simply vacuum out with little or no problem. For more difficult white chalk stains, you can wipe it away by with the help of a clean, warm, damp cloth. Colored chalk is a very different animal though. There are dyes in the chalk that make the chalk other than white, and when these dyes get into the carpet you can find yourself faced with a difficult situation. If you aren't careful, then you can find the chalk stains set into the carpeting, where you end up needing to replace the chalk to remove the stain. Instead of going through the expense of replacing the carpet, try this method which is a little cheaper.

Materials:

• Vacuum
• Carpet cleaner spray (such as Pro-Solve)

Procedure:

1. Vacuum thoroughly. Before doing anything else, completely vacuum the area. This will remove a vast majority of the chalk from the carpet, and make the remaining cleaning process a little easier.
2. Read the instructions. Prior to using the carpet cleaning spray, familiarize yourself with the instructions. This will allow you to know the proper way of utilizing the spray, and help ensure that you don't make any costly mistakes.
3. Cordon off the area. Close off the area that you just sprayed, and allow enough time to pass for the carpet to become completely dry. You do not want to have anyone walk on the carpet while any foam is still in place, or you could end up grinding the stain in and making it worse.
4. Vacuum again. After the foam has completely dried, vacuum the area once again. Do a very through job, and you should begin to notice an immediate difference.
5. Repeat as necessary. In the event the stain has not been completely removed, begin repeating the whole process again. Start with step two, and continue to step four.

If you still find yourself with a minor stain, then you may need to go with a slightly more drastic step. You can always rent a hot water carpet cleaner to remove any stubborn stain, or even hire a professional cleaner to do the job. While these last two methods are a bit more expensive, they will ensure that you are removing chalk stains from carpeting completely.