You’ve heard the statement “don’t cry over spilled milk” severally but what happens when it actually happens to you? Well, in this case, the best line of action would be dabbing at the liquid with a clean cloth. However, you may have wasted a lot of time in the process, making the milk get dried and stuck on the floor.
If that’s the case, we have a remedy for you – teaching you how to clean dried milk out of your carpet. In this article, you will also learn a couple of tips on how to go about it.
What Causes Milk to Get Dried to a Carpet?
There’s no better place to dispose of milk, other than a sink. If it drops on the rug, it sips into it and in no time, begins to smell badly. Likewise, leaving it on the floor for some time only increases the chances of having it curled up and becoming sticky.
The best defense is cleaning it up a few seconds after it spilled on the carpet. But if you are unable to gather the tools for the job in time, it gets curly and dried. Continue reading to find out the appropriate way to tackle it.
What is the Best Way to Clean Dried Milk off a Carpet?
The options you can use to soften and eventually remove the dried milk from the carpet include:
- Dabbing/blotting the stains
- Scrapping off the milk from the carpet and;
- Using a cleaning solution
Each of the aforementioned techniques is effective and the choice of which to use is entirely up to you.
We now introduce you to some of the different methods for getting dried milk out of your carpet.
1. The Blotting Method Works for Dried Milk Removal
Naturally, your preferred first line of action is to get a cleaning solution and use the same to remove the spills. However, that is not entirely the first way to go about it.
Dabbing at or blotting the stains out of the carpet is the first step. To do this, here are the steps to take:
- Place a paper towel atop the spills. You can also use an absorbent cloth or a clean towel to make the cleaning process faster.
- The placement of the cloth or towel doesn’t do the magic. Remember that the spills have been there for some time. As such, you can expect the milk to have dried. So, a gentle, but consistent application of pressure will help you blot up and lift the dried milk out of the carpet.
- Continue applying pressure to the stained part of the carpet and only stop when you have satisfied yourself that the stains have all come off with the cloth or paper towel.
- Removing the residue is also important because the little curls of dried milk might be left behind on the carpet. In this case, you want to get rid of the residues or leftovers, by way of dipping a clean cloth into a bowl of water. Once it is damp, press onto the area and rub off the residues from the carpet.
2. Use Salt to “Treat” Dried Milk Stains on a Carpet
With just a sprinkle or two of normal table salt, you will be able to get rid of dried milk from your carpet. Here is a step-by-step process for doing that:
- Make a light sprinkling of table salt on the stained part of the carpet.
- Allow the salt to stay there for some time. The wait time can be anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes.
- When this time is elapsed, the next process is using your vacuum cleaner to “suck up” the residues from the carpet.
3. How to Get Dried Milk out of Carpet via the “Scrapping” Method
If the other two methods don’t work for you, then be assured that this third method will. We call it the scrapping method because that’s pretty much what you will be doing – scrapping the dried milk out of the carpet.
Follow these steps to get it done:
- Start by scrapping – using a sharp object, such as a dull or kitchen knife to lift the flakes of dried milk from the carpet. While doing this, make sure you are cutting the knife through the bottom of the flakes and not on the carpet, because this will cause damage.
- The carpet is almost clean, but you can still see some flakes of dried milk there. To get those ones out, sprinkle cold water on the area. Do not use warm water because it increases the chances of odor emanating from the carpet.
- Pour washing powder into a bowl. Add water in small quantities until it forms a consistent paste.
- Apply the paste to a bristle-free toothbrush. Then, use the toothbrush to rub the paste into the stained area of the carpet.
The above steps should get you started with removing dried milk from a carpet with the scrapping method. However, if the process works and you notice some odors emanating from the floor, it is then time to tackle the smell.
Here are the steps to take:
- Prepare a white vinegar solution, by mixing 2 parts of warm water with 1 part of white vinegar. Stir for an equal mixture.
- Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spritz on the stained area. Be careful not to leave excess water on the carpet in the process.
- The final step here is to blot or dab at the mixture using a clean cloth or a paper towel.
4. Use the Dishwashing Soap Mixture to Treat Dried Milk Stains on Carpet
After the milk curls up and dries on the floor, the next cleaning method you can use is a combination of liquid dishwashing soap and warm water. The process is pretty much straightforward:
- Get a bucket or a squirt/spray bottle.
- The ingredients you need are 2 cups of warm water and 1 tablespoon of liquid dishwashing soap.
- If you are using a spray or squirt bottle, then what you need do is to fill up the bottle with warm water and add several drops of the liquid dish soap into it.
- Whether you are using a bucket or a squirt bottle, endeavor to shake well. This way, both the water and dish soap mix properly and provide an effective cleaning solution.
- To apply, dip a clean towel or cloth into the solution – assuming you are using a bucket. A sponge or a lint-free cloth also serves.
- In the case of using a clean, start the cleaning from the exterior or outer part of the stains and work your way into the inner part. If you are using a spray bottle, spritz directly on the area and blot with a clean cloth.
- Dry or rinse the area by getting a bucket of clean water, along with a clean cloth. Make the cloth damp with the water, wriggle out excessive water, and use it to clean the residues on the carpet.
- Once you are satisfied that the area is clean, get a dry, clean cloth and use that to dry the excess moisture on the carpet.
What to Do After Removing Flakes of Dried Milk out of a Carpet
The flakes of dried milk may have come off, but on a closer inspection, you will notice two things – the remnants of the flakes still stuck into the carpet and residues/smaller parts of the flakes dispersed on the floor.
The two need to be removed and that’s what you need to do after removing the bigger flakes. This measure requires:
- Sprinkling cold water on the area and blotting immediately.
- Vacuuming off the smaller flakes on the carpet.
- Preparing a mixture of white vinegar and warm water, using pressure to apply that on the stained area, rinse with clean water, and dry with a dry, clean cloth.
FAQs
1. What Gets Milk out of Carpet?
The best methods to getting dried milk out of your carpet are blotting the stains, using a white vinegar solution, and scrapping the flakes of dried milk before sprinkling cold water and blotting it up, followed by rubbing a washing powder paste into the area. You can use white vinegar and a warm water solution to get rid of the smells.
2. How to Tackle Smells from Dried Milk on a Carpet?
Dried milk smells and cleaning or blotting it out doesn’t always tackle that. You can get rid of the smell by washing up the stained area with a solution of liquid dishwashing soap and water or baking soda.
3. What is the Fastest Way to Clean Dried Milk out of Carpet?
The fastest method to use is scrapping the flakes of smell with a dull knife, applying a washing powder paste to the area, and cleaning up with a mixture of 1 part white vinegar and 2 parts warm water.
Conclusion: You Can Get Dried Milk out of the Carpet
Despite the murky-looking stain on the floor, rest assured that following the methods in this article to the latter will help you remove the smell from the carpet in a very short time. If the smell lingers, sprinkle baking soda on the area and allow it to sit for 30 minutes or more, before vacuuming.