Most of us have at least one carpet or rug, and most of those carpets don’t need all-over cleaning very often. Spills and spots are another matter.

First off, treat any spills immediately. Even red wine can be sponged up if you act fast. I pour water (lots of it) on spills on my Oriental carpets and sponge the water and the spill up with clean white towels. Ditto for the wool wall-to-wall carpets.

But when water isn’t enough — with crayon or lipstick — use distilled white vinegar. (Always test a hidden spot on the carpet before using anything, including water or soda water.)

If you don’t have a gallon of distilled white vinegar in the pantry, put it on your shopping list. Not only does it have a myriad of uses besides making pickles, but, according to rug conoisseur Nourison, white vinegar will remove “alcohol, beer, blood, candy, chewing gum, chocolate, cosmetics,crayon, eggs, fruit juice, gravy, ice cream, lipstick, mud, mustard, salad dressing, tea and wine” stains from carpet. Wow!

The Vinegar Institute has lots of cleaning ideas, including this suggestion for cleaning carpets: “A mixture of 1 teaspoon of liquid detergent and 1 teaspoon of white distilled vinegar in a pint of lukewarm water will remove non-oily stains from carpets. Apply it to the stain with a soft brush or towel and rub gently. Rinse with a towel moistened with clean water and blot dry. Repeat this procedure until the stain is gone. Then dry quickly, using a fan or hair dryer. This should be done as soon as the stain is discovered.”  Like the information? Please call Choicecare Carpet Cleaning @ 912-354-3067 for service or more tips. Pooler Ga. 31322.  Stain tips