White carpet can be beautiful, but it's an accident waiting to happen. It makes no difference whatsoever whether you have children or pets. There seems to be something - something magnetic, perhaps - in white and other similarly light-colored shades of carpeting that attracts spills, dirt and other stains. You can pride yourself on being careful, but rest assured, before long, you'll discover dirty footprints, paw prints and various other accidents on your brand new carpeting.

You'll find a variety of carpet-cleaning products out on the market - from foams to granules to prohibitively expensive steam cleaning machines. What works, and what doesn't? Well, that depends on the stain and the material that covers your floor. The good news is that you probably already own the cleaning agents necessary to lift most stains off your floor - regardless of whether the stains are old or new.

If you spot Spot running away from the scene of the crime, or if you just tracked mud on your carpet, you're lucky enough to have caught the stain early. Find yourself a white absorbent towel or cloth (make sure it's white, because colored towels, when wet, may bleed onto the carpet and only compound your problem), and blot the affected area. Then pour some liquid laundry detergent (without bleach) onto the same towel or cloth, and begin to rub the stain lightly. Rub the spot until the stain begins to lift. Now, to help clean the area and further remove the stain, dilute about ½ cup white vinegar with 1 quart of warm water. Apply just a bit of this mixture to the stain - use a spoon to drip the solution lightly onto the affected area - and then cover the spot with several clean, dry white towels or cloths.

Next, find a heavy book, box or other weighty object, and place it over the towels. Press down to absorb moisture. Leave the objects over the spot for several hours (six to eight hours is recommended). Later, when you lift the objects and the towels, the stain should be completely lifted, and your carpet clean. If the stain was created from a pet, you're probably going to need to purchase an odor neutralizer (available at most grocery stores and home retail stores) and apply it to the area so that you don't smell vinegar and/or detergent lingering in your home after you've cleaned your carpeting.

For another, similarly effective stain remover, you may try mixing a solution of cornstarch and water. Stir the mixture until it reaches a milky consistency, then scrub it lightly onto the stain. If, by any chance, you have crayon or wax on your carpeting, try one of the easiest, yet most effective, methods of carpet cleaning: Place a clean, dry white towel - a thin dishtowel works best - over the crayon/wax, and run a hot iron over the towel. The wax should lift immediately as it melts and sticks to the towel (obviously, you don't want to use your best towels for this job).

Old stains are, of course, tougher to eliminate, but it's possible - even without the use of home cleaning equipment that could cost you in excess of $1,000. In many cases, homeowners aren't even aware of carpet stains until they move furniture or prepare for a move. By then, they often assume it's too late to do anything about the problem. The following procedure isn't necessarily failsafe, but it's worth a college try:

• Mix 1 tablespoon of detergent (without bleach) into one cup of warm water.
• Using a spoon, lightly drip the mixture over the stain.
• Blot the area with a clean, dry white towel.
• Dilute 1/3 cup white vinegar in 2/3 cup of water.
• Using a spoon, lightly drip this mixture over the stained area.
• Blot the area again with a clean, dry white towel.
• For the last step, lightly drip a small amount of water over the area, and blot again with a clean, dry white towel.
• Remove the towel, then use a carpet brush to smooth the carpet back to its original condition, and to blend it into the surrounding areas of carpet.
• Vacuum the carpet when it's completely dry.

Note that the above recommendations are for the standard offenders: pets and shoes. Other substances - including foods like ketchup, chocolate, wine and cheese, as well as ink, tar and oil - are tougher to eliminate and require some additional steps and stronger solutions. In an upcoming article, we'll discuss to rub out these stubborn offenders.

Published: October 18, 2000

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.