community members are moving in to is important for resident retention, and if your residences have carpet, this should be your first focus point. The carpet of a space can really make or break that fresh and clean move-in ready appearance, and proper carpet upkeep can even save you on your bottom line by giving it a longer and more well-loved lifespan.

Carpet stains seem to come with the territory of having any carpeted space, but even the most stubborn of such don’t have to mean it’s time for a replacement. 4 simple tricks your maintenance team can use to eliminate even the most stubborn carpet stains to save you from needing to replace are:

Club soda takes out wine – Dark red wine stains can seem impossible to get out of carpet, but blotting with a bit of club soda is a great way to draw the stains out. Simply blot the area with a clean cloth saturated with clear club soda, and watch the stain be drawn out and onto the cloth. Once the stain is removed, spray the area with a bit of warm water and soak up the moisture with a different cloth. 

•    Shaving cream for difficult mystery stains – Regular shaving cream has the power to take out nearly any type of stain. To use it, apply shaving cream to the stain and allow it to sit for around a half hour’s time. Once it’s set, blot up the shaving cream with a cloth and finish with a light spray of a 50/50 water to vinegar mixture, followed up by a blotting of the moisture. 

•    Ice for sticky stuff – If sticky substances are pushed into the carpet fibers, an ice cube can help to get them out. Freeze the sticky substance with an ice cube for around 30 seconds to 1 minute, and delicately cut the now frozen substance from the carpet. In many instances, the cutting of the very tops of the fibers is unnoticeable and it can save you from having to replace an entire carpet section. 

•    Dish detergent for grease – Grease stains in carpet are even more difficult to remove than red wine, but that’s only if you don’t have dishwasher detergent on hand. Mixed with water and put into a spray bottle, grease cutting dishwasher detergent cuts grease stains from carpet fibers just as it cuts them from your dishes. 

With these few simple tips, any maintenance team can eliminate any number of stains from residence carpets without spending a fortune, saving you from having to replace carpeting and giving residents the fresh and clean new space they crave.