Getting Pumpkin Spice Latte Stains Out of Anything

Summer is wrapping up, the kids are in school and the season of fall is almost officially here. For many people fall isn’t measured with weather or a change in activities, it is all about the arrival of the pumpkin spice latte. Once this delectable seasonal coffee treat has been released it is time to welcome the colder weather, sweaters, and eventually Halloween.

Pumpkin spice lattes have become so loved that other food companies have followed suit and nearly everything comes in pumpkin spice flavor come late August/ early September. What is not so loved is spilling your heavenly drink on the carpet, car seat, your shirt, or the couch. Coffee is a tough stain to remove.

Why does coffee create such a difficult stain? The answer is that coffee dries differently than other liquids because of the spherical particle shape. When coffee spills it begins to dry from the outside edges first and liquid at the center moves to the outer edges to replenish moisture while carrying suspended solids with it. This is why when a coffee spill is completely dry it has a dark edge on the outside. This clumping of particles is stronger than other substances and makes it difficult to remove from materials it dries on.

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Though coffee can be a stubborn stain it is removable. Here are some coffee stain removal tips to remove your pumpkin spice latte from several different items.

Clothing-

Soak stained clothes in cold water for about 30 minutes as soon as possible. If you cant soak your clothes blot the spot gently with cold water. Use a pre-wash stain treatment or use laundry detergent diluted with water as a prewash stain fighter. After pre-treating wash the item in cool water with an enzyme laundry detergent because lattes contain milk

Carpet and Upholstery-

Blot the latte as soon as it spills with a clean dry cloth or white paper towel. Soak up as much excess liquid as possible. Mix a mild solution of hand dishwashing soap, 1 tsp. white vinegar, and 1 cup of warm water. Dip a fresh clean white cloth or paper towel in the cleaning solution and then blot the stain. Work from the outside of the stain toward the center. Continue to blot with clean areas of the cloth until the stain has lifted from the carpet or upholstery. If the stain is not lifting try mixing 1tbsp. of enzyme laundry detergent with 1 cup water and repeat the cleaning process with the new solution. When the stain has lifted rinse the cleaning solution from the area with fresh clean water and blot with a fresh cloth to get as dry as possible.

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If you are still having trouble with the coffee stain on your carpet or upholstery after several attempts to get it out call in a professional carpet cleaner to work their magic.

Why does this matter in the world of real estate? Well, would you want to buy a house with a Pumpkin Spice Latte stain on the carpet? Wait… that may be a trick question….