Club Soda as Universal Stain Remedy

Is club soda really a miracle worker on stains? The answer is… sort of. Club soda is effective as a short term solution on stains (compared to water) however it’s not quite the stain removal miracle that it’s cracked up to be.

In studies done by the Drycleaning and Laundry Institute, club soda was applied directly to 10 common stains. The study found that after blotting spills with club soda, most visible traces of the substance were removed, however, the majority of these stains remained after both water and club soda was used. Under ultraviolet light, even more of these remaining stains are revealed.

The best approach is to rinse the stain with club soda as soon as possible after it happens, and then contact a professional cleaner who can remove the rest of the traces of the stains. All you need to do is to indicate to the cleaner exactly where the stain is, what substance stains it, and what attempts you made by yourself to fix the stain. If this isn’t done as soon as possible after the stain, any of the invisible remaining residue can oxidize over time, and leave a permanent discoloration later on – which may not be able to be removed.

It’s essential to think and act fast

When it’s time to get rid of the stain, use club soda right away to rinse it before it dries. Once it dries, the level of stain removing effectiveness of club soda drops significantly. For example, with coffee stains, sugar residue might not appear at first, but caramelizes as it dries leaving a yellow or brownish stain. Stain removal professionals can get rid of this residue if they know it’s there in the first place. It’s always recommended to our customers that you let the technician know about any sort of spills or stain removal attempts right away, so that they will be more prepared to restore your carpet or rug to a brand new appearance.

When not to use club soda

Some stains are worsened by club soda. Never use club soda on ballpoint pen ink, as it’s made of water and solvent chemicals, that can set the stain permanently into the fabric. Ink stains should be left up to carpet and rug cleaning professionals. For other kinds of stains, club soda will hold the stain off until you can get the rug or carpet inspected by a professional cleaner – who can almost always remove the stain, especially when acting quickly.