Help: Baby poo stain on cream carpet

[mothercourage]

Can anyone help? My newborn has sprayed mustard yellow poo all over my mum's brand new cream carpet. Despite sponging it off immediately and then using a household carpet cleaning machine on it, it has left a really noticeable stain.

Anyone got any brilliant tips for removing it?

[Saffron]

Dr Beckmann Stain Devils brand stain removers make special solutions for different stains. Most large grocery stores will carrry them, and some of the local shops have them too.

http://www.dr-beckmann.co.uk/how-to-remove-stains/

and/or ?

http://www.dr-beckmann.co.uk/how-to-remove-stains/

If you can't find either of these tonight, try this home remedy for stain removal...

Many hard to shift stains contain both an oil and protein. Use laundry fabric conditioner to emulsify the stain first, to release the oil. Wash out the fabric conditioner using warmish water (not hot!) and washing-up liquid, which will thoroughly dissolve the oils which the conditioner has emulsified. Rinse well to remove all traces of soap. Then use biological laundry detergent to breakdown the remaining protein in the stain. You may need to let the bio sit for a while for the enzymes to work. If the stain lightens, but doesn't come out completely, try repeating the whole process. If the stain doesn't lighten at all, try the specialist stain removers when you can get ahold of them.

Good luck! xx

[Monkey]

You could call in the specialists. We've used any clean in the past. Will cost you around ?50. They advise not to try anything on the stain as it interferes with their products and might make them less effective. Good luck!

[ClareC]

This has happened to our cream carpet, twice!

I second not using anything on it, to do so can prevent the professional carpet cleaners getting the stain out, or the product used can itself mark / take the colour out the carpet.

I totally soaked (as in saturated) the area with cold clean water(took a washing up bowl full to area) dabbing not rubbing with a clean cloth. I then used lots of towels to pull the water out (towel laid on wet patch, put all weight on towel and repeat until towel no longer picks up water -this takes a few towels)

I then repeated until stain appeared to have gone, and left a clean dry towel covering the damp patch.

Both occasions stain came out.

Would also recommend Tony carpet cleaner (recommended on here if you search carpet cleaner).

Good luck

[mumof3girlies]

Vanish power shot carpet cleaner in a can - it has got stains out of rug and carpets that our carpet cleaning machine failed to do so, stains I have tried - felt tip, chocolate and red wine, truly brilliant in my opinion. Let us know how you get on...good luck:)

[mothercourage]

Thanks everyone - some great tips here! Wish we hadn't used the carpet cleaner on it already as worried now that it's sealed the stain in forever. Anyway, have forwarded this link to my mum and will let you know how it goes. Thrilling stuff...

[Saffron]

Oh dear. :-( Nevermind. The trouble is of course that baby poo (any poo) contains bile, which itself can be a "setting" agent. ClareC's cold water soak methods is very good b/c it capiltalizes on the relative solubility of the stain while wet, using cold water to prevent the bile from setting. Did you use hot water with your carpet cleaner? That might have set the stain. But even so, there are lots of modern stain-removal techniques that can tackle set stains.

Don't suppose the carpet was covered under her household insurance? That's probably wishful thinking. But if it's new, was there stain guarantee with the purchase? Is it an area of carpet that could easily be cut out and replaced, or covered?

Or just (cringe) prepare for LOTS more baby-related stains over the coming years? xx