How to Clean Rotten Fruit From Carpet (Moldy or Not): A 7-Step Guide

What do you do when you finish up a delicious piece of fruit? Take the core and toss it in the trash can, of course. But then after a couple of days, you start noticing small chunks of moldy or rotten fruit underneath your feet in the carpet.

Oh, snap! That’s not good because it probably spoiled and decayed on your carpet before you could put it in the trash. 

So how do you clean it?

You’ll need a couple clean white rags, some dish soap, some ammonia or hydrogen peroxide, and a steam cleaner.

It won’t be easy or pleasant, but you’ll manage to restore your carpet and get rid of the stink.

So let’s get started!

How to Get Rotten Fruit Out of Carpet or Rug

Whether your carpet is woven from wool, natural or synthetic fiber, hemp, or just, here are the steps to clean up the slime and stench of rotten fruit.

Step #1: The dried out fruit will have formed a crust. (And not the GOOD kind!) Take a spoon or blunt knife and try to peel it off.

Step #2: Pour a few dollops of dish soap into some water. This is your DIY pre-treatment.

Step #3: Get a piece of clean cloth (preferably white because colored clothes can stain the carpet) and dab at the stain carefully, without rubbing. No panic if a gooed up cherry or blueberry stain doesn’t get out straight away! Several passes should make it way better. But you won’t be able to fully assess the situation because the area is wet.

Step #4: If the stain remains, don’t fret, there’s still more you can do. A pinch of ammonia dissolved in some water should lift up some more of it. Or if the stain is super moldy, use hydrogen peroxide!

Step #5: Blot up any extra liquid with a dry cloth.

Step #6: Give it an hour or two to start drying. A fan can help speed it up!

Step #7: Bring out your steam cleaner for the finishing touch. The hot steam will penetrate deep into the fibers and get rid of any goo that may have stuck deep.

The procedure is similar if you have to deal with rotten veggies!

What If the Room Still Stinks?

So, you have successfully cleaned the rotten fruit out of the carpet, but your room smells of rotten fruit even after rinsing and drying. That’s a sign of mold.

Steam cleaners are good mold busters. But what if you don’t have one?

The first thing you want to do is, recheck your room to confirm that you have gotten all the rotten fruit out of the carpet. Check around the room thoroughly to make sure that you didn’t miss any area.

The goo might have soaked into your carpet and padding if there was nothing left. At this point, the most likely solution is that you will have to pull back your carpet and replace your padding (if it is close to the wall). 

Also, you may need to clean and seal your subfloor. While this may seem like a drastic approach, it is better not to take a chance as mold poses health risks.

That offensive smell is a result of the off-gassing of fungus and bacteria. If you find more mold on the subfloor, bleach should kill the mold and Fungi. 

If you rent the apartment, it is advisable to discuss the matter with your landlord. You don’t want to carry out any of the aforementioned procedures, such as pulling back the carpet if you are not allowed to do so.

However, if you own the space and you don’t have the means to pull back the carpet, there’s always the option of hiring a professional carpet cleaning company to do it for you.

Remember, the sooner you clean rotten fruit from carpet and remove the odor, the better. It will spare you from having to deal with a stinky room, and your carpet will last longer. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you remove food stains from carpet?

You can get food stains from your carpet with vinegar and dish soap. Here’s how:

1. Mix together a tablespoon of dish soap, a tablespoon of white distilled vinegar, and two cups of lukewarm water. 
2. Next, use a white cloth to wipe away the stain with the mixture. 
3. Finally, keep blotting until the spot is no longer visible. 

Can pineapple juice stain my carpet?

Although pineapple juice is a nutritious fruit, it can be a nuisance to clean. Since the juice contains citric acid, it can cause stubborn stains on carpeting. Get the stain out of your carpet as quickly as possible if you want to get rid of pineapple juice.

Does orange juice come out of carpet?

For best results, you want to try the following method:

1. First, wet the stain with lukewarm water.  
2. Next, combine two cups of warm water with a solution of ammonia. 
3. And finally, carefully wipe the stain with a clean cloth after applying the solution.