When Potted Plants Get Knocked Over on the Carpet
Potted plants in the home are a great way to add color, life, and even improved air quality to a room. So what do you do if you have potted plants in a carpeted room and they get bumped or knocked over and all that potting soil ends up in your carpet? Have no fear here are some tips to clean up that dirty mess.
The first instinct when spot cleaning the carpet is to grab a liquid solution and start scrubbing or blotting. With potting soil this is the last thing you want to do. First grab a spoon and gently scrape up loose particles of the soil. Using a liquid solution will create mud in the carpet causing a bigger mess and more work.
Allow the remaining soil on the carpet to dry out over night. If your potted plant was already pretty dry you can skip to the next step. Make sure to section off the area that is soiled while waiting for it to dry. You don’t want anyone stepping in it and causing a further mess in other areas of the carpet.
When the soil has dried out grab the vacuum hose and gently suck up as many loose particles as possible. If you have a shop vac with greater suction that a regular household vac this is a great time to pull it out.
After you have vacuumed as much soil as possible it is time to mix a liquid solution of mild dishwashing liquid and water to clean up any remaining stain. Use a clean white cloth and gently blot soil stains. When the stains have come out of the fibers use a new clean cloth with only water to rinse out the soap solution. If some soil still remains try washing with soap solution one more time. Place a third cloth or paper towels on the wet area to make sure the carpet dries quickly. It is best to weight this cloth down with a heavy object to help absorb the moisture.
If you have stubborn potting soil that does not want to let go of your carpet after trying the dish solution a few times it is a good idea to call in a professional carpet cleaner.
All Kleen has a team of highly trained technicians with an arsenal of tools to help combat your toughest carpet stains. Make an appointment online and receive fast excellent service.