How To Get Soot And Ash Out Of Carpet

As much as we try to keep our fire, debris, and ashes centralized to our fireplaces, it’s possible that they sneak out and into your living space. And sometimes unfortunate house fires can leave you scrambling to get your house back to normal. Luckily, there are some methods to get this debris out easily.

Step 1: Vacuum any loose ash

At first, the dark grey or black ash may look daunting and overwhelming. But you may be surprised how much your household vacuum cleaner can take care of. Vacuum up what you can with the suction setting (not the rotating bristle). As you do this, you’ll notice that the collected ash is much less, but the dark color may stick around.

Step 2: Gently dab the stain

Next, you’ll want to dampen a towel or sponge and lightly tap the area. Be careful to avoid pooling water or using too much water. Warm water is best for this step and skip the cleaning solutions at this point. Make sure you don’t rub the surface as this may expand the stain and rub it deeper into the carpet.

Step 3: Apply baking soda

Now it’s time to apply the magic: a common household item, baking soda. This substance has natural cleaning and stain lifting abilities. Make sure to generously apply baking soda to the damp-stained area. Once you do this, it’s important to let the baking soda sit for about an hour. It takes time for the baking soda and water to work together and lift that pesky stain.

Step 4: Vacuum up excess baking soda

Once the baking soda has lifted the stain, you may notice some crystallization. Set your vacuum to the highest setting and use that same suction setting as earlier to get rid of the excess baking soda. At this point, you should notice a significant improvement to the stain. For some stains, one round is enough. If not, read on!

Step 5: Repeat and agitate with a spoon

Time to repeat steps — add another layer of baking soda, mix around with a spoon, and let it sit for another hour or so. Vacuum up and repeat as many times as necessary for your stain.

This should take care of your stains, but if you are still experiencing issues, it may be best to look into a professional carpet cleaning service. This can be especially helpful or necessary if the stains are very large or have set into the carpet for a long time.

Ready for fires after that clean-up?

The team at Dubuque Fireplace & Patio can assist with helping to get your fireplace in working order or provide regular maintenance and cleaning services. We can also help with all of your chimney or fireplace needs — from inspection to ensuring everything is in perfect working order, to install and everything in between, our expert team will provide outstanding support every step of the way. If you’re ready to install or in need of a cleaning or repair, call us today at (563) 582-5156.