Carpet flooring is soft and comfortable underfoot, as it is the perfect material for high-traffic areas of your floors if you have a large family and pets. The only problem with carpeting is cleaning up the occasional spill or stain.

Some stains can be tackled with simple water and laundry detergent (the non-bleach kind). But for those tough stains of blood, wine, urine and wax, it can almost seem impossible to get rid of the stain completely. Here are a few tips to help you remove those difficult stains from your carpet.

Tackling Tough Stains: Pet Urine (and Wine)

You walk into the house and sniff the air, the stench of pet urine unmistakable as you see the wet spot on the carpet. Before you cuss out poor Fido, be thankful that the accident happened only moments ago. It is easier to clean fresh pet urine stains than ones that have dried and set into the carpet fibers.

You’ll need 1 tablespoon of ammonia mixed in with one cup of water. Clean up as much of the pet urine with dry paper towels, then apply the solution until the stain comes up. Substitute detergent for the ammonia if there is still a bit of staining to the rug. This method also works to remove wine from carpet.

Tackling Tough Stains: Wax

Your spouse blows a fuse in the house while performing car maintenance in the garage. He brings in some lit red candles, dripping wax on your new white carpet flooring. By the time you grab a towel, the wax has already cooled on the carpet fibers.

Don’t panic. You can remove the wax by using a few paper towels and your iron. Place the paper towels over the wax and lay the iron on top as you set it on the warm/low heat setting. As the wax melts, it will soak up into the paper towels.

Tackling Tough Stains: Blood

Kids get scrapes and cuts all the time. These injuries will drip blood all over your carpet as you could try almost every cleaner to get the stains out. You are about to throw up your hands in defeat and deal with seeing the blood there forever.

Blood can get tricky if it is left to soak into the fibers. Blot the spot with 3-percent hydrogen peroxide. If it is dried, use the peroxide first and then apply a bit of enzyme laundry detergent mixed with water. The stain should come right up.

Before You Apply The Stain Remover

Before you try any stain remover tip, always check with your carpet manufacturer to determine if the solution can be used on your floor. Some liquids, such as bleach, can ruin carpet flooring that isn’t solution-dyed. Also, ammonia should never be applied to wool carpets.

Find an inconspicuous place on the carpet to test the solution, such as a corner in your closet. The test will determine if the solution will change the color of your carpeting. Once you find out the solution won’t damage your carpet, use the solution on the stain by blotting it up. Never scrub at a stain. This forces it deeper into the carpet fibers until it soaks into the carpet padding.

Amy Nelson is a mother, avid home decorator and author. Mrs. Nelson has written several informative publications on family life, interior decorating, and simple home improvement tips.