Regardless of where you live, tracking mud in the home is a common problem, especially during the rainy and winter months. The best way to tackle this is finding ot how to get mud out of carpet
Snow and rain can make it very difficult to prevent mud from transferring from shoes to carpeting. Its a bigger problem, especially when you have little kids or pets.
When pets go outside and get wet, it can be difficult to completely towel dry them every time they come back into the house. Children sometimes forget to take their shoes off or to clean them properly. This leads to muddy prints on the carpets. Let’s talk about how to get mud out of carpet.
Related: How to get slime out of carpet
How to Get Mud Out Of Carpet
Table of Contents
Allow The Mud To Dry
It is usually recommended to tackle stains and spills on the carpet as soon as they occur; however, with mud stains, the reverse is the case. Trying to clean wet mud will only cause it to spread more, so therefore you need to allow it dry.
You can speed up this process by placing a small fan in the stained area. Once the mud is completely dry and flaky, it is time to start cleaning.
Vacuuming
Once the mud has dried completely, you need to pick up your vacuum and remove as much mud as you can. Vacuum in all directions and really get into the carpet fibers, removing as much mud as possible; you can get a deeper cleaning by using the hose function of your vacuum.
The high suction power will help remove mud, which has stuck to the carpet, but you want to avoid spreading the dried mud all over your carpet during this process.
If, after vacuuming, you still find some stuck mud on the carpet fibers, you can grab a putty knife or spoon and gently scrape the mud to loosen it from the carpet fibers, you want to do this as gentle as possible to avoid damaging your carpet.
Once you have scraped and loosen all the stuck mud, you can run through with your vacuum once more until you get every last bit of mud.
Use A Cleaning Solution
Once you have succeeded im removing the dried mud, you would be left with the stain; if you have a light-colored carpet, the stain will be glaring. To get rid of the stain, first Put some water in a spray bottle and apply it thoroughly on the stained area.
You want to apply it generously but do not get the carpet soaking wet. Once the entire area is wet, grab a white rag or towel and start blotting up as much of the stain as you possibly can. You want to make sure the rag or towel you are using is white, to avoid transferring color to your carpet.
You want to blot the stain using a tapping motion and not a rubbing motion to avoid spreading the stain, continue blotting until there’s no more stain transferred into the towel.
Then apply a mixture of baking powder and salt to the stained area and let it sit for a couple of hours to soak up all of the moisture from the stain. Afterward, get your vacuum and remove the mixture from the carpet.
Next, mix a tablespoon of your favorite cleaning solution, preferably one with a built-in stain remover, mix it with two mugs of warm water. Using a soft sponge, saturate the stain with the solution., and gently dab the area until the stain has faded.
Before using any cleaning solution on your carpet, you need to test it out on an inconspicuous area of the carpet and observe to see if it causes any form of discoloration or damage before using it.
Next, use a white absorbent towel and Blot the excess liquid left on the carpet. You might have to repeat this process until the mud stain is completely gone.
Once you get your desired results, dip a soft sponge into cold and starting blotting away the soapy residue off the carpet, then dry with a clean white paper towel or rag, finally, allow the carpet to air dry properly, you can take it outside to hasten up this process.
Read: Easy Homemade Cleaner
Using Vinegar
If, after using a cleaning solution to blot the stain, but it still persists, you can make use of vinegar. If the mud was tracked in by your pet, it would leave behind a terrible smell. This is because animals tend to sweat through their paws, and this produces a distinct odor.
Using vinegar to clean the area will help to eliminate that area’s odor. Mix up equal parts white vinegar, some detergent, and water. Mix thoroughly and add to a spray bottle.
Apply the mixture generously over the problem areas, using a firm, but non-metal bristle brush, gently work the mixture into the carpet. Once the stain is gone, use a white towel or rag and cold water to rinse out any of the soapy residues.
Your carpet will be left a strong smell of vinegar at first, but this will eventually fade and evaporate to nothing once the solution has dried completely; you can speed up the drying process by taking the carpet outside to air dry or placing a portable fan in front of the area.
Using Isopropyl Alcohol
If the stain still persists after carrying out the above-mentioned steps, then it is time to whip out the big guns!
Get some isopropyl alcohol, and dampen a clean white towel with it and start blotting out the stain. This should get rid of the stain and any leftover smell effectively. Once the stain has been removed, rinse the area with water and blot dry with a clean towel.
However, before using the alcohol on your carpet, test it out on an inconspicuous area and check to see if there is any reaction like discoloration or color bleeding before using it.
Related: How to get wrinkles out of carpet without a carpet stretcher
Conclusion
If you have some muddy situation on your hands and you are looking for how to get mud out of carpet, then this article is just the one you need.
Removing mud from carpet is a very easy task, but prevention, they say, is better than a cure; this is because your carpet may not go back to its original color even after cleaning it, especially if it is light-colored.
