The Top 9 Hardest Stains to Clean From Your Home

With the upcoming holidays so close we start to prepare ourselves for the inevitable family gatherings. This includes not only buying presents and cooking delicious meals but also properly cleaning your house. According to one of Oxford’s popular cleaning companies, during this period people tend to seek for professional help the most. And one of the biggest obstacles that stand even before the experts, is the removal of stains.

Here are the 9 hardest-to-clean types of spots you may encounter in your home and how to best deal with them.

1. Post Construction Stains

They are no joke as if you leave them untreated the chemicals can actually damage the surfaces in your home. Paint, glue, polish and other materials used in the building industry usually need to be removed with specialised solvents and require certain cleaning equipment. For that reason, our Oxford professionals advise relying on a cleaning company to the job. You may have to pay a little more but at least your home will be properly cleansed.

2. Ink Stains

If you have a toddler you most certainly have at least one ink spot on your carpet or upholstery. The fastest and easiest way to remove it is by using rubbing alcohol. Put some on a cotton ball and dab the spot. Do not rub, or you are risking creating a bigger mess. You can also use nail polish remover as it has a similar effect.

3. Blood Stains

This is a tricky one as you will receive the best results while the stain is still fresh. If you let the spot dry off there is a big chance it won’t come out completely. You can try to remove it with bleach, however, most fabrics are sensitive towards this chemical concoction and you will end up ruining them. Whit fresh stains the procedure is quite simple. Use regular soap and cold water. Rub and rinse until all is clean. Do not use warm or hot water as it will seal the stain and you will be completely unable to wash it.

4. Coffee Stains

The most popular stains you will encounter in your adult life is without a doubt those from coffee. People spill it o their clothes, carpets and couches every day all around the globe, so naturally, there are many technics of cleaning these spots. One of the most effective methods includes liquid soap and cold water. Again try not to leave the stain to dry off and avoid hot water.

5. Red Wine Stains

Everybody enjoys a glass of good wine after a hard day of work, and occasionally this glass ends up on the floor or sofa. You need to act fast and use paper towels to remove the access liquid from the fibre. Then pour directly onto the stain a couple of drops of white vinegar. This should lift the pigment and then use laundry detergent to wash the leftover stain. You can use this technic on clothes, carpets and upholstery.

6. Grease Stains

The dreaded oily stains are some of the hardest to clean. However, there is a way. Our Oxford cleaning team rely primarily on enzyme-based products when it comes to removing grease spots from fabric. Spray some detergent onto the spots and cover them with a lid or a towel. Leave them overnight and wash the area the next day using water and dishwashing liquid. If needed repeat the procedure.

7. Tomato Stains

Tomatoes are quite acidic and if not treated immediately the stains they cause can permanently damage most fabrics. Thankfully there is an easy way to deal with them. Use cold water and liquid soap for fresh spots. Old ones you may need to treat with specialised stain remover, as they are more persistent.

8. Berry Stains

We are talking about strawberries, raspberries, cranberries and any other berries out there. All of them tend to leave hard-to-wash stains. The number one rule is to act quickly if you want to clean everything. Blot the stain with cold water mixed with 1 tbsp of laundry detergent and 1 tbsp of white vinegar. Leave it for about 20 minutes and then rinse it with cold water.

9. Chocolate Stains

You don’t have to be a kid to stain your sofa with chocolate. However, after the accident, you need to act like an adult and clean the mess as fast as you can. Use a soft toothbrush or a sponge to dab some white vinegar onto the spot. Adopt circular motions to clean the stain, then wash everything with cold water. Remember all of the tools you are using must be clean or else you risk of spreading the spot.