Guide
Spill first aid: the first ninety seconds
What you do immediately decides whether it is a spill or a stain.
- 1
Blot, never rub. Rubbing drives the spill into the backing and distorts the pile permanently.
- 2
Work from the outside in, so you do not spread the edge of the spill outwards.
- 3
Use a white cloth or plain paper towel. A printed or colored cloth can transfer its own dye.
- 4
Cold water on most things. Heat sets protein — blood, milk, egg — permanently.
- 5
Rinse with plain water once it has lifted, then blot dry. Leftover cleaner is what makes a spot reappear as a dark patch a month later.
- 6
Weight a dry pad of towel on top with a book for an hour to pull the last of it up.
If something has gone past the point where this helps, that is what we are for — and if cleaning genuinely will not fix it, we will tell you that instead of selling you a job.