Guest Blog Post: Put the Color Back in Your Carpet

Today’s guest post is from Mitch Mauck of Langenwalter Carpet Cleaning.

Bleach will kill mold and mildew and sanitize and disinfect every surface. Because of its strength and versatility it is a standard in almost every housekeeper’s cleaning kit. Even with all of the great things bleach can do, bleach and carpet just don’t mix. Chlorine bleach removes every trace of color, leaving behind a different type of spot. It will be one that is lighter, with less color than the rest of the carpet. A bleach stain is nothing like an ink or pet stain. The stain will need to be taken care of by a professional so you do not damage your carpet more by attempting to fix the stain yourself.

So how do you treat a “bleach stain”?

1. If there is so much bleach it is pooling on the surface of your carpet, blot it with a clean cloth to absorb the excess. Be gentle. Avoid the temptation to vigorously apply pressure or scrub at the spot. That will simply spread the bleach and might actually push it into the fibers.

2. The next step is to neutralize the bleach. Even if you think you have absorbed it all, if bleach is in the fibers it will keep spreading and continue to suck the color from your carpet even after it’s re-dyed. This is where it helps to work with a professional. The products we use at Langenwalter are not commercially available at the local hardware store, so you’ll definitely want to consult a professional.

3. Once all the bleach is removed it is time to add color back to your carpet. We have seen homeowners try all sorts of do-it-yourself techniques they found on the Internet. Unfortunately, none of these suggestions, from teabags and coffee grounds, to colored markers really work well to match the correct carpet color. In most cases they actually make a bigger, more expensive mess.

4. A carpet cleaning professional will use a spot dye treatment on your carpet to match its shade. When done correctly these dyes won’t fade and won’t bleach back out. In most cases, the re-dyed spot is virtually invisible or only visible to you because you know it’s there.

Do you have more questions about removing bleach stains? Contact Langenwalter at 317-876-9944. We’re an Indianapolis carpet cleaning business focused on getting your home looking beautiful again.