How to Remove Coffee Stains from Your Carpet

Removing coffee stains from a carpet is not always a difficult thing to do.

If you drink coffee, at some point a cup will get spilled. Luckily, removing coffee stains from carpet isn’t difficult, especially if you can address the problem immediately.

Take Immediate Action to Remove Coffee Stains from Carpet

The best way to remove coffee stains from carpet is to clean them quickly, while they are still wet. Use paper towels or clean, dry dishtowels to gently blot up the stain. You want to absorb as much liquid as possible without pushing the stain further into the carpet’s padding.

If blotting does not completely remove the stain, use a mixture of hot water and mild dish soap to clean the fibers. Moisten the area with soapy water and use a soft bristled brush or your fingers to scrub the fibers. When the stain is gone, blot up as much liquid as possible. Re-moisten with clean, hot water to rinse away any soap residue. Blot the rinse water until the area is barely damp, and allow to air-dry.

Refresh Dried Stains

If you cannot clean a coffee stain immediately, you may be able to remove it by refreshing the stain. Moisten the area with warm water to dissolve the stain, then proceed as described above.

A hot water extraction machine

When to Call a Professional Carpet Cleaning Service

If you have several old coffee stains on your carpet, or it has been more than 6-12 months since your carpets have been cleaned, you should hire a professional carpet cleaning service. If you clean a single coffee stain, it will leave one area of your carpet noticeably cleaner than the rest – making the rest of your carpet look dirtier than before.

Be sure to ask about drying times, especially if it is cold or wet in your region. Some carpet cleaning services simply clean your carpets and rely on natural evaporation to dry them. This is fine when the weather is hot and dry and you can open all of your windows, but if it is 39 degrees and raining out, your carpets aren’t going to dry any time soon. Look for a carpet cleaning company that brings industrial drying fans to your home. They move large volumes of air over your carpets, shortening the drying time to under an hour.

Carpet Cleaning Cost

Typical carpet cleaning costs range from $0.30 – $0.50 per square foot, or around $45 per room, depending on how the carpet cleaning company structures their pricing. As with any service provider, as for references and call around to several companies before signing a contract.

About Luke Armstrong

Expert in emergency fire and water restoration services, fire cleanup and water damage cleanup, mold removal, as well as carpet and upholstery cleaning services. Contributor to several restoration and cleaning blogs.