How to remove a stain?

How can I remove a massive coffee stain from my once gorgeous wool rug?

• I had a freshly made, full mug of coffee on a coaster I'd placed on the hardwood floor next to me as I sat on the rug and played my guitar. I neglected to close my door when I dashed downstairs for a moment, and when I came back up my stepmom's dog was in my room and the mug of coffee had been knocked over and spilled all over my rug. This is a beautiful, special-made rug my dad bought for me when we were in New Zealand, and it has a lot of sentimental value to me. It was also very expensive, so he's going to be annoyed if it's ruined. It looks hideous now. I did gently pat the rug with a white towel to absorb most of the coffee, but the stain is still very visible. I've liberally sprayed it with Seventh Generation carpet stain remover, but thus far it doesn't seem to have made a difference. We have two steam cleaners (for upstairs and downstairs), and I was going to try to use one. The one up here is like a normal Hoover steam cleaner, and the one downstairs is a huge professional grade one. I don't know if I should try to bring it up to get this stain out, or if the Hoover would be just as effective. Should I try something else to treat the rug before steam cleaning it? Is there anything else I can do for the rug? I really need to get this stain out. I'd be so grateful for recommendations on how to clean it.

• Answer:

  Oooooh. You have my sympathies. Because heat sometimes sets a stain, I would forgo the steam for now. I have found a product called Oxyclean very effective in removing organic stains such as coffee and red wine. I would mix a wet slurry of Oxyclean and cold water, work it into the stain with an old toothbrush, let sit for a half hour, then wet it more thoroughly to facilitate blotting up the moisture with clean cotton rags. (cotton, not poly). I am confident that two or three repetitions of this treatment will remove much of the color from the stain. During the second and third repetitions, you can actually stand on the absorbing rag to help push the stained moisture out of your rug and into the cotton rag. (Cotton absorbs moisture more readily than wool so the stain-filled water moves from rug to rag.) This treatment may completely resolve the problem. If not, here is another little trick I have used effectively. Buy a couple of 2 liter jugs of Canada Dry Club Soda. This stuff is essentially carbon dioxide pressurized into pure water. (which forms a very mild carbolic acid). Pour it liberally onto the stained rug. Wait 15 minutes, then vacuum up with a wet/dry "shop vac". The mild carbolic acid helps bleach the stain while the bubbles that form and rise within the nap, lift the stain from the deeper layers of the rug. Good luck with this. I hope you can salvage your lovely rug. But please stay away from the steam until you've exhausted every other possible solution.