How To Remove a Grease Stain From a Carpet – Complete Guide

Oily carpet stains are some of the most difficult stains to remove. Regardless of its origin (fat from products and prepared foods, greasy marks from cosmetics, spilled sunflower, olive or other cooking oil, essential and technical machine oils), fat quickly crystallizes and hardens. And any attempt to wipe out the stain only leads to an increase in its size. In our article, we have collected tips that will help you get rid of greasy marks without ruining the carpet.

General recommendations for removing grease stains

You need to start removing grease stains from the carpet as soon as possible! Fat is quickly absorbed into the pile, flows into the base of the coating and dries almost instantly. It is almost impossible to remove such contamination on your own, so it is better not to allow the greasy stain to dry out. To do this, as soon as a greasy drop falls on the carpet, pour any bulk product that you have on hand onto it to collect the grease. Salt, soda, starch, flour, crushed chalk, and colorless talc are suitable. After 10-30 minutes, vacuum. In some cases, this dry cleaning is already enough to give the coating a decent appearance. If there are still marks or greasy stains on it, then you can proceed to more thorough cleaning.

Pro Tip: For pristine residential carpet cleaning in Glendale, AZ, trust our expert services. We employ advanced techniques to revitalize your carpets, ensuring a fresh and spotless finish that enhances your home’s ambiance. Experience professional excellence today.

Removing fresh grease stains from carpet

The sooner you start cleaning the carpet from grease, the better the result will be. There is no need to look for any special products – everything you need is already in your kitchen or medicine cabinet. So, after you have collected the excess fat with salt, soda or flour, use one of the following recipes.

Alcohol solution against grease stains

An alcohol solution is a fairly powerful remedy against newly appeared greasy stains.

• Dilute alcohol with water in a 1:1 ratio.
• Soak a cotton pad with the resulting solution and apply it to the stain. Leave for 15-20 minutes.
• Remove the cotton pad and let the carpet dry. Don’t worry about the strong alcohol smell – it will disappear very quickly!

Note! Cleaning with an alcohol solution is not suitable for carpets with silk and viscose threads. Such products may become discolored and have white bald spots.

Using lemon juice

Lemon juice is a good alternative to an alcohol solution. Removing greasy stains from carpet using this product is a more gentle option, suitable for carpets of almost any composition. Lemon juice in its pure form is suitable for synthetic and semi-synthetic products. But for cleaning silk, viscose, wool and cotton carpets, it is better to dilute lemon juice with water.

• Soak a cotton pad in pure or diluted lemon juice.
• Place a cotton pad on the stain and leave for 30 minutes.
• Remove the cotton pad and let the carpet dry. A nice bonus is that lemon not only removes fat, but also neutralizes unpleasant odors, for example, from food or machine oil.

Lemon juice is safe for carpeting. But it is better not to use it for cleaning white carpets to avoid turning the pile yellowish.

Cleaning carpet from grease with vinegar solution

A vinegar solution is perfect for removing grease stains from synthetic carpets. Natural cotton, wool, and especially silk products may not withstand the effects of such a caustic substance and become discolored.

• Prepare a vinegar solution in the proportion of 1 teaspoon of vinegar per 1 liter of water.
• Apply the solution to the carpet using a spray bottle or a cotton pad.
• Leave the carpet to dry. As it dries, the smell of vinegar will dissipate.

Important note! It is strictly forbidden to use any vinegar other than ordinary table vinegar! Balsamic, apple cider vinegar and other types of vinegar are not suitable for cleaning carpet as they can stain it.

Hydrogen peroxide

Regular pharmacy hydrogen peroxide has strong bleaching properties. Therefore, this method is only suitable for cleaning white and light-colored carpets.

• Apply pure peroxide or slightly diluted water to the stain with a spray bottle. If you don’t have a spray bottle, soak cotton pads and apply them to the stain.
• Remove the cotton pads after 30 minutes and leave the carpet to dry.

Avoid getting peroxide on colored parts of the carpet and do not use it on silk or rayon items.

Soap solution

A method that should be resorted to only if none of the means described above are at hand is to clean the carpet with a soap solution. The danger with using soap is that it can leave streaks. To avoid this, you must use only laundry or baby soap without dyes, fragrances, or talc.

• Prepare a very light soap solution and apply a thin layer of it to the carpet with a sponge.
• Leave the solution until completely dry.
• Vacuum the carpet.

Removing dried and old greasy stains from carpet

When drying, the fat forms a solid compound that cannot be destroyed by simple means at hand. To get rid of old grease stains, you need a special product that breaks down fats into small particles. It can be found in household chemical stores. However, in order to avoid damage to the carpet, we recommend that you refrain from using such a composition. Even if it is really good at breaking down fatty compounds, this does not mean that it is suitable for your carpet. The reaction of the coating fibers to the components in the cleaning product can be different – from discoloration to wiping and even tearing.

On the Internet you can find recipes for cleaning carpet grease yourself using gasoline, shaving cream, and even tips for steaming grease with an iron to melt it. Take pity on your carpet and don’t test its durability! And if you have a silk or handmade carpet, it is better not to touch it at all and contact a specialist – such products require special care!

Professional carpet cleaning

The most effective and safe way to clean a carpet from greasy marks without harming it is professional dry cleaning . When ordering the services of specialists, you don’t have to worry about the results and safety of even the most expensive product. The cleaning method and compositions are selected strictly in accordance with the composition of your carpet.

Momentum Carpet and Floor Care offers professional carpet cleaning services in Peoria, AZ. Cleaning of synthetic, wool and cotton carpets is usually carried out at the client’s home using mobile extraction equipment. If the carpet is very dirty and cannot be properly cleaned at home, it is sent to the factory for deep washing. Products made of silk, viscose and expensive handmade carpets, for which exposure to water is contraindicated, can only be cleaned in a factory . In a specially equipped workshop, such carpet products are cleaned in organic solvents and gently dried.

Material	The effectiveness of home cleaning	Factory cleaning performance	Means used
Synthetics	High	High	Enz-All, Chemspec Professional Spot Lifter
Wool	Above average	High	Enz-All, Chemspec POG Remover, Professional Spot Lifter
Cotton	Low	Above average	Powdered Cotton Upholstery Cleaner
Viscose	–	average	Powdered Cotton Upholstery Cleaner
Silk	–	average	Powdered Cotton Upholstery Cleaner

The sooner you contact a professional after a greasy stain appears, the higher the likelihood of it being completely removed. We also recommend not to try to clean it yourself using chemical household products, even specialized shampoos for carpets. In this case, we will not be able to guarantee absolute cleanliness, as during the dry cleaning process, stains from the compounds used may appear.