One of the downsides to spring is all the rain that it brings, and with all that rain, mud. If your kids or your pets tracked mud into your house and onto your carpet, you can get it out. Here is what you need to do to get that mud out of your carpet. Your best chance to save your carpet is by getting to the mud quickly while it is still wet.
Remove Large Chunks
If they tracked in large chunks of mud, you are going to want to break it up and try to remove some of the larger pieces. You can use a kitchen spatula to scoop the wet mud off of your carpet and into the trash.
Pour Baking Soda Or Salt Onto The Mud
The next thing you need to do is dry out the mud and absorb as much of the moisture from the mud as possible. You can do this by taking and pouring either baking soda or salt all over the muddy area. You don't need to use both substances; one will work just fine. Pour it over the mud so that the area looks white.
Let it sit until the mud has dried. How long that will take really depends on how much mud is on your carpet and how wet and sticky the mud is. If it is just a couple square inches, it may only take a few hours. If it is a huge footprint, it may take a day or so for it to dry.
When the mud is dry and all the moisture has been removed, vacuum up the baking soda and/or salt as well as the mud.
Clean The Stain
Most likely, there may still be a bit of a stain after you have vacuumed up the dried mud as well as the baking soda/salt. Mix together a little bit of dish soap with some warm water; make sure that it creates some suds. Then, take the towel and blot the solution onto the stain. The soap should pull up the dried dirt.
Deep Stains
If the stain is deep, and is still there after you do the above two methods, you may need to get a little more serious about moving the mud stain. Put a little isopropyl alcohol or denatured alcohol onto a cloth. Then take the cloth and blot at the mud stain. The alcohol should break down and remove the stain.
Once the dirt has been removed, use a wash cloth that is just wet with water, and dab the area to clean up the residue that was left behind by your cleaning method of choice. Make sure that you blot; do not scrub or get aggressive with your cloth as you clean. Both of those actions can damage your carpet fibers and make them feel rough.
