How to Get Mustard Out of Carpet in 4 Ways
Author: Anne Cowart | Editor: Omar Alonso
Review & Research: Jen Worst & Chris Miller
Ok, you're here, you can stop panicking. There are plenty of methods for how to get mustard out of carpet. So, without taking up your time, let's get right into it.
If you have ever spilled mustard on your carpet, you know it can be a tricky stain to get rid of. You will find yourself going back and forth between using hot water and cold water, shampoo, and dish soap, scrubbing with a brush, gobs of paper towels, etc.
Let's dive into the main point without further ado and learn all the essential hacks.
How to Get Mustard Stain Out of Carpet
It is painful to lose your favorite carpet or deal with an unsightly stain. Therefore, we must get armed first to face horrible messes like mustard spills. Let's learn some methods to help us win against tough mustard stains.
Unfortunately, when you spill mustard you most likely are spilling ketchup too, so if needed feel free to learn how to get ketchup out of carpet, too.
Method 1: Using Detergent & Hydrogen Peroxide
This one is the easiest and the most basic trick that everyone uses for mustard stain removal from carpet. You can be assured that this won't cause any harm to your carpet as long as you follow the directions.
Things You Need:
- Clean cloths
- Lukewarm water
- Dishwashing detergent
- Steam iron
- Bowl
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Cold water
You likely already have all of these items on hand and can gather them up in mere minutes.
Dab to Remove Excess Mustard
Take the clean cloth and start dabbing over the wet stain continuously. Make sure not to scrub or rub the affected area. We don't want to make things worse by spreading the stain. So, dab the cloth over the stain lightly to get the excess mustard off the surface.
Make the Cleaning Solution
In a bowl, mix some dishwashing detergent and lukewarm water. Start dabbing the stained area lightly with a clean cloth soaked into this mixture. The stains will start to come out a bit.
This would be a primary step for removing mustard stains from your carpet, so don't be impatient seeing the ugly color of mustard on your carpet. It should start to lighten up. Repeat the process several times until you’re satisfied, but don’t try to get it completely perfect just yet.
Create a Paste of Hydrogen Peroxide & Dishwashing Detergent
What you have done in the previous steps was just the beginning. Now this one is the foremost step for this method. Now, take some dishwashing detergent and hydrogen peroxide. Mix both of the ingredients until they form a paste.
Spread this paste all over the stained area. You can use a spatula or other spreading tool to avoid hassle and save time.
Steaming The Mustard Stain
Although you can try many ways to steam the area, your carpet should use a steam iron. Steam irons would go easy on the carpet fibers while others might not.
While running the steam iron over your carpet, you have to be cautious about the temperature and turn the heat of the steam iron to the lowest point. Don't let the iron touch the surface of the carpet directly. Instead, hold it over the area for a minute and let the stain break down.
Blot with Cold Water
After steaming, you will notice the stains starting to come out. Now, take a clean towel and dip it into cold water. Start blotting the area with that soaked towel and clean it off. Lastly, absorb the excess water with another dry clean cloth.
Method 2: Using Club Soda
Here comes the simplest yet most effective method for how to get a mustard stain out of carpet, using carbonated club soda. Although it's effective, most people prefer the first method since it’s simpler.
However, as this one is more advanced in its cleaning capabilities than the first one, we prefer you try this one out. So, here's what you should know to try this method out:
Things You Need:
- Club soda
- Clean towel
- Spray bottle
- Detergent
- Warm water
- Cold water
- More clean cloths
Again, these are items you probably already have within your kitchens and bathrooms. You may need to make a quick trip to pick up some club soda at the store, though. Maybe not if you're lucky! If you're one of the people with carpet in the kitchen, then maybe your stain and cleaning materials will be close together!
Remove Excess Mustard From Carpet
Get some clean cloths and lightly rub the stained area to remove the excess mustard as much as possible from the surface. You can use a butter knife to try to scrape it out without spreading it, too. This step is significant to continue the procedure furthermore.
It’s because if there's even a bit of mustard left on the surface beside the stains, it might create messes while reacting with the club soda we will use there. We don’t want to spread the mustard around, basically.
Pour Club Soda Over the Stain
Get the club soda out of the fridge and pour it into the stained area. Let it sit for a while, and then start blotting with the towel.
You might not need to continue this method even further, as you might get your final results by now. The club soda will react to the stains and cause them to be able to be soaked out onto the towel.
Do repeat if needed. Don’t expect the stain to disappear completely yet, but you should be making progress with each repeated application. Once satisfied, move to the next step.
Spray Your Detergent Mixture
If your stains are already gone, you don't have to do this step. If not, then take a bowl and mix a tablespoon of dishwashing detergent and a little bit of lukewarm water.
Stir the mixture properly and get a spray bottle to spray this magical mixture all over the affected area. Let it sit for a couple of minutes before rinsing and dabbing it out.
Rinse & Dry the Spot
Finally, here comes the ultimate step for how to get mustard out of carpet! This step is not as troubling as the steps mentioned above. Simply rinse the carpet with cold water. Make sure that there's no mustard left to fight against. Then, dab the carpet with a clean towel to dry it out.
Getting mustard out of your carpet isn't quite as hard as trying to remove grease from carpet, but it's up there among the harder types of food and liquids to clean up, so good job if you persisted and won.
How to Get Dried Mustard Out of Carpet
Undoubtedly, getting old, dried mustard out of a carpet is comparatively harder than dealing with a current, wet spill. When mustard dries on your carpet, it creates such a hard layer. That's when you need to turn to these methods.
Method 3: Use Baking Soda, Detergent, & Lemon Juice
- Get a dull knife or spoon and get the mustard off the carpet without damaging the rug, be gentle about this. Do not be hasty.
- Once you have gotten a satisfying amount of mustard out, get a spray bottle filled with lukewarm water and add two tablespoons of baking soda, dishwashing detergent, and lemon drops, and shake until you get the perfect mixture.
- Now spray the solution on the affected area and let that sit for 30-40 seconds.
- Take a sponge or white cloth and start rubbing and scrubbing the area without spreading the mustard far and wide.
- Continue the process until you get all the stains off. Dab out excess moisture and allow to dry.
You can have success but it may take some diligence. Don't be surprised if you need to repeat the spraying and dabbing as many as five times or more. Just check to see if you're making progress each time and you'll feel better about it. Try replacing the lemon juice with white vinegar if the stain is being stubborn.
Method 4: Rehydrating with Dish Detergent
We can't deny that mustard leaves a stain quickly after accidental spills. The discoloration might not seem likely to come off. But giving up on that isn't the solution. There indeed is a way that can get you out of this mess.
- Use a dull knife or a spoon to get the dry mustard out at first. Do not rub or cut with the knife; try to lift off the mustard slowly whether dry or wet by scraping a bit.
- If that isn’t entirely successful, mix some dishwashing detergent with lukewarm water and make a solution.
- Use a cloth as the medium between the carpet and the solution as you won't directly pour it into the affected area.
- Gently dab the area with the damp cloth without spreading the mustard; let the area dry, and you'll find a fresh, stain-free carpet.
You might need to repeat the dabbing and soaking out of the mustard since you’re rehydrating it. The key is to scrape out the dry mustard as much as possibly first, and then soak out the rehydrated stain so the color returns to its natural state. If needed, proceed to one of the two main methods outlined above at this point.
Are Mustard Stains Permanent?
The scariest fact is mustard seed contains turmeric. While commercially-made mustard might not always create a permanent stain, organic mustard paste might leave a permanent yellow stain on the carpet. This is because turmeric contains curcumin. While it's only 5% of turmeric's composition, it creates the bright yellow hue that stains so easily.
In this case, you need to move even quicker to deal with the mess before it sets in. Look at more tips concerning how to remove turmeric stains on carpet for extra methods of cleaning.
If you let the mustard dry, the stain will be permanent. That's why we suggest you deal with the incident immediately unless you want your favorite carpet to look ugly and unhealthy. The same goes with removing juice stains from carpet. Act fast or your job will become much tougher and may not succeed completely.
Handy Ingredients to Remove Mustard Stains
Vinegar is the main ingredient you need for the quickest success. It works as a natural neutralizer that breaks the stains. The easiest trick to using vinegar is to mix it with water and spray it over the stained area. Let the mixture sit on the for a couple of minutes, then dab it with a thin cloth.
You can also try using a paste of white vinegar and baking soda. Mustard stains contain proteins that make them sit on the fabric. Using vinegar with baking soda would cause the vinegar to react with the soda and create carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide will break down the proteins on the stains. Thus, the stains will quickly come out.
If you're struggling to get the remaining bit of discoloration gone, try an enzyme-based cleaner, which contains enzymes that use organic matter to help break down the stains of other organic matter.
That’s How to Get Mustard Out of Carpet
Let it be repeated that you can test any of these ingredients on a portion of your carpet that isn’t visible first to make sure that it won’t further discolor your carpet’s fibers. The corner of a bedroom closet is a great place to test how to remove mustard stains from carpet first.
It feels ridiculous to have any inappropriate substance on your favorite carpet. And mustard will always leave a stain on your carpet nearly instantly. So, it's better to learn how to get mustard out of carpet now. The ways we mentioned can get mustard off any rug along with the tough stain.