Guacamole Doesn't Belong on the Carpet

Guacamole Doesn't Belong on the Carpet! What's the best way to take care of stains on your carpet? Prevent them from happening, of course! Well, as wonderful as that sounds, and don't we all wish we lived in that world, that is about as unrealistic as a good traffic day in Atlanta! So, instead, here are some realities and suggestions for living in the real world. First, try to avoid having the following on your carpet: Colored drinks, wine and sodas, the worst. If there should be a spill, immediately blot the spill with a dry towel, pulling up as much moisture as you can. Make sure you're blotting, not scrubbing. Scrubbing will only spread the stain. Once you've absorbed as much liquid as possible from the area, mix white vinegar, soap and water in a misting spray bottle and spray on the spot. Let it soak for about 10 minutes and then blot again with a clean, dry towel. Our Mohawk SmartStrand carpet cleans up with only water, so if you are carpeting, and have a child who cannot be separated from colored drinks, consider SmartStrand! Chocolate. Who doesn't love chocolate? But not on the carpet!  If you do get a chocolate stain, scoop up and blot as much as possible, then vacuum any dry particles. Afterwards mix 1/4 teaspoon of mild liquid dish soap with one cup of warm water and apply it to cloth. Gently work the fabric on the carpet from the outside of the mark towards the center. Let the solution stay for about 5 minutes and then blot it dry. Chewing gum, not really a stain so much as a glob, but still a problem. When gum gets stuck on a carpet, it's nothing but an eyesore. To remove it, dab an ice cube on the gum and let it sit there for 1 minute, which will make the gum hard. Once hard, you should be able to pull it off the carpet carefully. You may need to do a little scraping, but if you do, be sure to use something with an edge that is not sharp enough to cut the carpet. You can also use peanut butter to separate the carpet form the gum, but then you have to remove the peanut butter from the carpet! Blood. First, try to act as quickly as possible to remove the stain. Remember to use cold water instead of hot, mixing it with a grease-fighting dish detergent in a spray bottle. Then follow the same steps as described for colored drinks. Ink. Kids and dogs are both terrors when it comes to pens! And sooner or later, one will end up leaking on your carpet. Act fast and blot the spill with a clean towel and some rubbing alcohol. No rubbing alcohol in the house? Try Vodka or hairspray.  Let it sit there for about 30 minutes and then rinse it with warm water and vinegar. Pet Stains. We love our four-legged children, but they are not perfect, and there are going to be accidents! When there are, first remove any solids, as quickly as possible. For urine, blot, blot, blot! Mix ¼ cup of vinegar with a quart of warm water and spray onto the stain. Allow to soak for a few minutes, then blot some more, until dry. We always suggest that you upgrade your carpet pad to one with a liner to prevent any spills from going into your pad and subfloor. Spills are relatively easy to get out of carpets, butalmostimpossible to remove if they go deeper. Of course, if you want to avoid carpet stains altogether, install hard surfaces. Have you looked at flooring lately? The choices are amazing! Wood floors are classic, and now are more stain and scratch resistant than ever.  Tile floors are hardworking, durable, and beautiful, but can tend to be a little cold to the touch in the winter months. We have some incredibly beautiful stone looks in both porcelain and budget friendly ceramic, and there are some wood look tiles that will fool you unless you touch them! Laminate is a great alternative for families with active children and dogs, and we will be adding even more styles in laminate this month. Vinyl is currently the superstar of the flooring world. We are installing it everywhere- living rooms, bedrooms, basements, playrooms, kitchens- everywhere! More beautiful styles and colors than you can imagine, and they are waterproof. We just received our new display of Pergo luxury vinyl, and have a new floor installed in the showroom with Pergo- fabulous! If you haven't seen vinyl in the last two years, it is a whole new world out there! Come in and see! You can see all our great floors when you attend our Flooring Fiesta on Tuesday, May 14, from 4 until 7. Have fun while sipping a margarita and learning at these informative seminars:  5:30     If You Spill Your Margarita Make sure it's on a waterproof floor like Revwood Plus Speaker:  Holly Dysart with Mohawk Flooring or luxury vinyl!  Learn more about these popular floor covering options.   6:00    Salsa Resistant Carpet SmartStrand Carpet is the perfect carpet for active families, durable enough to hold up to all of your fiestas! Speaker:  Holland Kercher with Mohawk Flooring   6:30           Nacho Traditional Ceramic Tile See what's new in this flooring workhorse---tiles that are tough, stain resistant, with unlimited design possibilities! Speaker:  Chris Schmidt with Daltile We will have a taco buffet catered by Moe's and the margarita machine will be cranked up.  All compliments of Daltile! There will be prizes, too---a gas grill, heavy duty cooler, and a $100 VISA gift card.  All you have to do is attend one of our seminars to be entered in the drawings. But try not to spill on the Carpets please! See you on May 14!