
Carpet Cleaning Tricks to Remove Stains & Smells in Chicago

Nasutsa Mabwa
June 8, 2015Everyone tries their best to avoid spills, stains, and nasty odors. But what do you do when you accidently spill a bright splash of red wine across your nice white carpet? How do you get rid of those pesky puppy smells from your living room rug? And what about the accumulation of soft drink and food blemishes that have amassed upon your teen’s bedroom floor? Calling a
commercial carpet cleaning
company may seem drastic, but companies like
ServiceMaster Cleaning by Simons
have skilled residential cleaning options for
carpet cleaning in Chicago, IL
.
In the short-term, you can try these top 4 household-friendly ways of removing stains and smells from your carpets.
- Club Soda and salt work great for removing fresh red wine, juice, and tomato sauce stains from fabrics. Just pour club soda liberally on and around the stained area. Then cover the stain with salt. When it dries, vacuum the area and the stain will be removed with it.
- Baking Soda and white wine work as a great carpet cleaning method. Pour baking soda over the stain and then cover with white wine. The mixture reacts to neutralize and loosen old stains from your carpet. You can vacuum it up after it dries as well.
- Milk works for cleaning wet stains from your carpet. Saturate the stained spot in milk and blot it off with a paper towel or sponge.
- Vinegar is a natural deodorizer. It won’t remove stains, but it will get rid of pesky smells. Use a mixture of 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 cup of water in a spray bottle on stinky spots. The vinegar might smell strong at first, but it will be scentless after it dries. This is a great way to get a fresh smelling floor after you’ve cleaned a stain from your carpet.
Caution: Never use hot water on a dark stain like blood. Use cold water to keep the stain from setting.
If you have serious stains and these carpet cleaning methods fall short, contacting a professional service is the best thing you can do.
Call ServiceMaster Cleaning by Simons
for comprehensive residential carpet cleaning services in Chicago, IL to keep your home stain free.
Nasutsa Mabwa is the CEO of ServiceMaster Restoration By Simons, a nationally recognized, award-winning disaster restoration firm serving Cook, DuPage, and Lake Counties. Under her leadership, the company has become one of Chicagoland’s most trusted providers of water and flood damage restoration, fire and smoke damage cleanup, mold remediation, and specialty cleaning services for both residential and commercial clients.
A respected business and civic leader, Nasutsa has received numerous honors for her contributions to the industry and her community. Her accolades include:
- Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies - 2025 recipient
- Top 100 Women to KNOW in America (2024) by KNOW Women & JPMorgan Chase
- Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40
- SB100 Best of Small Business Award
- 2020 BBB Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics
- Stevie® Award for Female Entrepreneur of the Year
- 2020 Daily Herald Business Ledger C-Suite Award
- 2018 ServiceMaster® Achiever Award
She is IICRC-certified in both Water Damage Restoration (WRT) and Fire & Smoke Restoration (FSRT), combining technical expertise with visionary leadership. Nasutsa holds a Master’s in Urban Planning & Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago and an MBA in Real Estate Development from Roosevelt University.
Beyond her business achievements, Nasutsa is an active community advocate. She is a Board Member of the Civic Federation, an Advisory Board Member, and Past President of the Executive Committee for the Evanston Chamber of Commerce. She is also a long-standing member of the Women Presidents Organization (WPO).
She is the co-author of RESTORE: A Complete Guide to Protecting Your Home As Your Most Valuable Asset, an essential guidebook for homeowners navigating the challenges of water and fire disasters.
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