There are two ways you can remove pool chalk from your carpet. Firstly, you can vacuum, followed by using rug shampoo to cleanse the carpet of the stain. Secondly, you can use a mix of dishwashing detergent and warm water to blot the stain out of your carpet.
In this article, we’ll go in-depth with a step-by-step guide on the best ways to take care of that nasty pool chalk stain on your carpet.
Rug Shampoo
The first, and probably most commonly recommended and used way to get a pool chalk stain out of your carpet (and many other stains, as well) is rug shampoo. This relatively inexpensive and easily accessible cleaning product is designed specifically to get stains of all kinds out of the hardest to clean surfaces in the home: carpets and rugs.
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Why Rug Shampoo?
The reason that rug and carpet shampoos come recommended by many is twofold.
Firstly, rug and carpet shampoos are specifically designed to penetrate deep into the fibers of your carpet, lifting out stains such as pool chalk that get stuck between and beneath fibers, making them extremely difficult to get out with other cleaning methods. This makes rug and carpet shampoos an extremely efficient way to get stains out of your rug or carpet.
Secondly, rug and carpet shampoos are better for the health of your carpet in the long run. Improper cleaning methods can damage the fibers and nap of your carpet, leaving you with an uncomfortable, scratchy, or bad-looking carpet that will last for a lot less time.
It is recommended that carpets are cleaned by professionals or with a rug or carpet cleaner once a year anyway, so you may as well get a head start and use some rug shampoo to lift that stain out!
The only difficulty of using rug shampoo is that you’ll have to buy a carpet shampooer, which can be a bit of an up-front cost. However, if you have pool chalk in the room often, it is probably a good idea to get one.
How to Use Rug Shampoo
So, we’ve covered why rug shampoo is a good way to get a pool chalk stain out of your carpet. Now, we’ll go over the steps you need to take while using rug shampoo.
- First, use a vacuum to see how much of the chalk you can lift out of the carpet by just vacuuming. Not only will this potentially get a ton of the chalk out on its own, but it can also make the rest of the job easier afterward.
- Next, use a regular carpet cleaner to spot-treat stains that can be easily seen. This probably won’t remove all of the chalk (and other stains) but it is worth a try and could make the rug shampoo’s job easier.
- Remove any furniture from the area. It is a headache to get the carpet shampooer around tight corners that furniture creates.
- Push the shampooer around the room in straight lines. It is not designed for random patterns or turns like a vacuum.
- Move back and forth over the stain until it lifts.
Carpet shampooers, although expensive upfront and requiring of little more work, are a surefire way to lift a pool chalk stain out of your carpet.
Dishwashing Detergent
If the carpet shampooer seems a bit extreme to you because you don’t play pool very often, don’t get chalk on the floor very often, or don’t have the money to spend on a carpet shampooer, then fear not! There is a fairly reliable DIY method of getting even very tough stains out of your carpet, including that pesky pool chalk.
First things first, you’ll need to make the solution. Follow these directions to make the solution for cleaning your carpet of pool chalk with just a few simple items.
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- Mix one tablespoon of dishwashing detergent and two tablespoons of warm water.
- Get a clean sponge or cloth
- Get a vacuum
Now that you have everything you need, follow these steps to get that pool chalk out of your beautiful carpet as soon as possible!
- First, like for the previous method, you’ll want to vacuum first. This will get any chalk that is on the surface off of the carpet, as well as making it easier for you to clean the rest of the chalk with your dishwashing detergent solution.
- Next, mix together your dishwashing detergent and warm water. If the measurements above don’t work for you, just make sure you keep a 1:2 ratio of dishwashing detergent to warm water.
- Take your clean sponge or cloth and begin sponging the stain with the detergent solution. You’ll want to use a blotting motion rather than a swiping or wiping motion. This is because you want to avoid rubbing the chalk further into the carpet.
- Blot until all of the liquid has been absorbed. When this is done, create more of the solution and repeat the process. Do this over and over again until the stain has been lifted! Remember, this will take a lot of patience and dedication.
- After it is gone, sponge the area with cold water, then blot it dry with a clean cloth.
Although this method is not quite as reliable, it still works very well, especially for smaller stains. This is a perfect method for those of us who don’t own and don’t care to pay for more expensive cleaners and cleaning appliances to use in our home.
Although this may take a lot of patience and some elbow grease, and it may not work on larger stains, it is still worth a shot before using more drastic measures.
Final Thoughts
So, if you have a pool chalk stain on your carpet, there are two things you can try to do to lift it out. First, you can opt for carpet shampoo and really blast that stain out of your carpet. On the other hand, you can patiently blot it out with a solution of warm water and dishwashing solution.
Either way, time is of the essence. The longer that pool chalk sits there, the harder it will be to clean. So get going!