We removed our Christmas tree and found a large brown stain on the carpet from over-watering. I’m afraid to touch it. Help!
There are a couple of reasons why a brown spot would appear from over-watering. The most obvious is the water itself however it may also contain soil and/or cellulosic pigments washed from the tree holder. A secondary source of a browning could also be from soil wicked from underneath the carpet.
Either way first try a low-residue carpet spot remover first…apply the spot remover on to a clean white terry towel and then press the wet towel onto the stain area. Gently agitate the stain with the towel and lift up the towel. Did some of the stain transfer into the towel? If so, continue in the same manner until all of the stain has been removed. You may need to reapply the spot remover to a fresh area of the towel.
Whether or not the stain is removed; spray the stain with undiluted white vinegar (enough to thoroughly wet the carpet). Do not cover, blot or force dry. Check the stain the next day. If the stain has become less visible reapply (spray) more undiluted white vinegar and allow to dry on its own. If the vinegar doesn’t not remove the stain at least it will help to neutralize the spot cleaning agent used.
If the stain is not removed, or it comes back after a day or so, the problem could be cellulosic browning, caused by lignin dyes (in plant material such as Jute backed carpet) wicking to the surface. Sometimes hard water and wicked soil from the carpet contribute.
Water stains and browning problems in carpet usually require specialized training and spotting solutions.
NEVER apply peroxide to wool carpet fiber.
At your own risk: spray/mist (do not pour) a moderate amount of hydrogen peroxide onto the browned spot. Allow 24hrs for effect…if the spot is removed you’re done. Drug store peroxide is quite weak and repeated applications is sometime required.
If the 2nd application fails or you do not feel comfortable applying peroxide to your 100% synthetic carpet, please call our office for assistance.
Most people wrap the base of their Christmas tree with a fabric tree skirt; sometimes DRY dye transfer can occur with all the shuffling of gifts and such. It doesn’t have to be wet for the pigments from the skirt to be transferred into the carpet. 99.999% of the time this dye transfer is permanent!
You may try the above peroxide suggestion for removal but do not hold out much hope. For obvious reasons discard this skirt and purchase a different style. It would be prudent to wash it more than once prior to using next year.