Kids, animals, party guests and even yourself, it is impossible to keep your carpet free of spills. Accidents happen and the way that you deal with things spilt on your carpet is what’s going to keep your carpet looking great.

One of the key things to remember when cleaning up a spot on the carpet is not to spread it and rub it into the carpet. Blot it dry from the outside and working your way in. Don’t scrub the carpet and never leave spills to soak into the carpet pad or dry on the surface.

Here are our top tips for cleaning spills on your carpet:

1. Baking soda

Baking soda is great for cleaning up spills on your carpet. Pour a little onto the fresh spill, don’t soak it, and leave for a minute or so – it will bubble and foam. Use a sponge to remove the baking soda and spill from the carpet, make sure that you get it all.

A word of warning with this solution, using too much baking soda or leaving it for too long on the carpet can cause a stain.

2. Ice cubes

Chewing gum from outside is easy to get stuck into your carpet when carried in on your shoes. There is an easy fix. Get ice cubes from your freezer and apply them to the gum, they should freeze it in around 30 seconds. Once the gum is solid lift it off the carpet with a spoon. Gently cut any strands of carpet that are attached to the gum as close to the gum as you can.

3. Dishwashing detergent

Grease can be a real problem if it is brought into the house but there is a simple solution if you notice a stain on your carpet. Dishwashing liquid is made to get rid of grease on your dishes and can do the same for your carpet.  Add it to a spray bottle and apply to the stain. Blot it up with a clean cloth, for large stains repeat the process until the area is clean.

4. Heat

Wax is another common problem, especially if you love having candles around your home. Place a white towel over the wax (coloured towels can bleed colour onto your carpet when heated) and use your iron over the wax (no more than 30 seconds otherwise you may burn your carpet) to heat it up. When the wax has melted, remove it with the blunt side of a knife. Then lay paper towel on the wax and apply the iron and the remaining wax should attach to the paper, repeat this process until all the wax is removed.

5. Salt

Red wine is a common spill especially if your enjoy entertaining. Straight after the spill blot the liquid up as much as you can. Add a small amount of cold water to dilute the wine and blot again. Once you have removed as much liquid as possible cover the entire spill with salt – the salt absorbs the liquid over time and will change to a pinkish colour. Remove the excess salt and vacuum the area.

Regular maintenance

To keep your carpet looking like new get it regularly steam cleaned. How often depends on the traffic through your house on a regular basis, usually every 6 – 12 months, more often if you have an exceptionally busy household.