How to Clean Kombucha Out of Carpet (With Or Without Chemicals!)
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Kombucha’s not dark like coffee or red like wine, but it’s still pretty tricky to clean out of carpet or upholstery.
Whether you bought it or are brewing it at home, spilling it spells a disaster. More so if you don’t act straight away. So, how to clean kombucha out of carpet?
To get kombucha out of the carpet, you’ll either need carpet stain remover or a vinegar and baking soda mix.
How to Clean Kombucha Out of Carpet
Table of Contents
If the spill is fresh and ample, you’ll also need TONS of paper towels. (I prefer using a single dishcloth instead, though!) After getting the stain up, it’s a good idea to steam clean.
Method #1: Use a Carpet Stain Remover
This is the easiest and most obvious method. Why reinvent the wheel when the market has a cure for everything?
Now, if you’re completely averse to harsh chemicals as I am, scroll down for a more eco-friendly (also carpet-friendly and human-friendly) option.
1. Blot the Stain
Start by grabbing a white rag, paper towels or a humble dish cloth, and use them to blot the stained area. Blot and not rub is the keyword here. You don’t want your stain to get bigger!
A good method is to place paper towels or rags down one by one (without pressing!) and wait for them to absorb the kombucha.
The more liquid you manage to absorb upfront, the less elbow work you’ll need when dealing with the stain itself.
If some pellicle (the gooey layer on top) of your homemade kombucha made it onto the carpet, a wet-dry vac would do a great job if you have one. If not, get a piece of cardboard and scoop it up to get to the liquid.
2. Add Carpet Stain Remover
Once you’ve got the majority of the liquid up, spray the stain with carpet stain remover. Allow the carpet cleaner to sit on the stain for a few minutes so that it can soak into the fibers.
To be perfectly fair, there’s a shortcut that can help you avoid the manual work, and it’s called a spot cleaner machine such as Rug Doctor or Bissell SpotClean. If you have such a contraption, go ahead and use it!
But I’ll assume most people don’t care to splurge on machines they’d use twice a year, so let’s get back to the DIY route.
3. Soak Up the Stain Remover
Use a couple more rags or paper towels to blot up the carpet remover. Once again, don’t rub the stain as this can cause bigger problems than when you started.
4. Steam Clean
Once the stain is up, it’s a good idea to go over the carpet with your steam cleaner. This helps wash the carpet and get rid of any lingering residue buried deep in the carpet’s fibers.
Method #2: Go Natural With the Kombucha Soaked Carpet!
Grandma was right: there’s hardly a problem that baking soda and vinegar won’t solve.
In this case, they’ll tackle the stain AND rid your home of the smell of fermentation at the same time. Here’s how.
1. Dry the Stain
Start by drying out the kombucha stain. Just like in the method #1, you’ll want to use paper towels or a white rag to blot at the stain WITHOUT rubbing it in.
2. Sprinkle Baking Soda
Once the stain is wet but not drenched, pour some baking soda onto the stain.
At this stage, you do want to rub the stain using a rag. Baking soda will cause the stain particles to stick to the absorbent and come out of the carpet.
Let the baking soda sit on the stain for thirty minutes up to an hour. When the time is up, vacuum up the baking soda. If the stain is still there, move on to the next step. If not, skip to step four.
3. Apply Vinegar
Even if the stain isn’t completely gone, it should be much less noticeable. To get the last of the stain out of your carpet, pour distilled white vinegar on the stain and allow it to dry.
A more precise (and less messy way) is to dilute some vinegar with water in a bottle and spray it over the baking soda.
You may need to blot the stain a little bit with a rag. Doing so can help draw out the stain and transfer it to the rag.
4. Steam Clean
To be perfectly clear: steam cleaning is NOT a must.
Still, it’s important because it will fully deep clean your carpet and make sure there’s no dirt trapped deep in the fibers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Easiest Way to Get Stains Out of a Carpet?
The easiest way to get stains out of a carpet is to use a commercial carpet cleaner. This requires very little effort on your part and is usually highly effective as well. The next easiest way (though not as effective) is baking soda and white vinegar mix.
How Do You Get Old Tea Stains Out of a Carpet?
To get old tea stains out of a carpet you’ll want to use some vinegar, with or without baking soda (depending on how stubborn the stain is). You can repeat the process as many times as you need to as none of these ingredients will damage your carpet!
