Something just spilled: the first minutes, surface by surface
Blot, do not rub. Then one line per surface: what to use first, what never to use, and the chapter that explains it. Your maker's care sheet overrides every line here.
The first minutes, on any surface
- Lift solids, then blot. Do not rub. Use a white cloth or paper towel so you can see what comes up. CRI says blot with a white cloth and do not scrub or use a brush; Shaw says blot, never rub (CRI, Shaw).
- Work from the outside in. Blot from the edge of the spot toward its center, so it does not grow (CRI).
- Use water first only where the surface allows it. An S-code sofa, an X-code sofa, a viscose rug and a wood floor all limit water; the line for your surface below says what to use. Everywhere else, plain water and blotting come before any cleaner.
- Test a hidden spot before any cleaner. Put a little on a place nobody sees (under a cushion, inside a closet, a spare tile or plank), wait, and check for color change, rings or dulling (CRI, Sailrite).
- Stop when the stain stops moving. If blotting no longer lifts anything, stop. Log it, and read the chapter for that surface before you try anything stronger.
This routine is our household form of the trade's pre-testing step: the IICRC's upholstery cleaning technician training lists pre-testing and problem prevention as a topic, and its carpet training covers stain chemistry and spotting. Blotting, working from the edges and pre-testing are CRI's and Sailrite's; the order and "stop when the stain stops moving" are ours. This manual's convention Your maker's care sheet overrides any of it.
Never mix bleach with ammonia or with acids such as vinegar, lemon juice or toilet bowl cleaner: the mixes make chloramine or chlorine gas (New Jersey Department of Health, NSI). Use one product at a time and rinse between them. If someone breathes fumes from a mix, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Surface by surface
What to use first and what to keep off it. Each line paraphrases the named source; your maker's care sheet overrides it. The Cleaning table has the full rows, with where makers differ.
| Surface | Use first | Do not use | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood floors | A dry or slightly damp cloth (NWFA). Then the cleaner made for the finish. | Wet mops and steam mops (NWFA, Shaw). | Cleaning by surface, first minutes |
| Vinyl, laminate, linoleum or cork | Blot and wipe dry. For solvent spots on its vinyl, Shaw names rubbing alcohol on a white cloth. Linoleum: a cleaner between pH 6.0 and 8.0 (Forbo). Cork: little water (Wicanders). | Flooding the floor or its seams (Forbo, Mannington). Acetone or nail polish remover on vinyl (Mohawk, 2020). Abrasive cleaners; ammonia or vinegar unless your maker allows them (Shaw). | Cleaning by surface, first minutes |
| Carpet and rugs | Blot with a white cloth, work from the edges to the center, pre-test, then rinse with clear water and blot dry (CRI). Pet urine: extract with a wet vacuum and rinse with cool water (CRI). Wool rugs: lukewarm water (Kaleen). | Scrubbing or a brush (CRI). A steam cleaner on pet urine: heat sets the stain and smell (CRI). Water on a viscose or jute rug (Kaleen). | Cleaning by surface, first minutes |
| Tile and grout | Wipe up; clean with an alkaline cleaner rather than an acid one, then rinse (TCNA). | Vinegar or other acids on cement grout: they dissolve it (TCNA). | Cleaning by surface, first minutes |
| Natural stone (marble, limestone, travertine, granite, quartzite) | Blot up the spill. Then a neutral cleaner, stone soap or mild dish detergent and warm water; rinse and dry (NSI). An oil stain darkens stone and may need a poultice (NSI). | Lemon, vinegar and other acids on marble, limestone or travertine: they may dull or etch it (NSI). Rust removers and toilet bowl cleaners that may contain hydrofluoric acid, on any stone (NSI). A dull spot that is not a stain is an etch: cleaning does not remove it; a restorer refinishes it (NSI). | Countertops, Tile and grout, Cleaning by surface |
| Engineered quartz | Warm water and a soft cloth, mild soap if needed (Cambria). | Bleach, oven cleaner, abrasive pads and powders (Cambria, Wilsonart). | Cleaning by surface |
| Laminate counters | Damp non-abrasive cloth and mild detergent; for a tough stain, acetone or rubbing alcohol, then rinse and dry (Formica). | Flooding near seams, where water can swell the substrate (Formica). | Cleaning by surface |
| Cabinets | Damp cloth, then dry; mild soap and warm water for grease (Medallion, Wolf). | Bleach, ammonia, abrasives (Wolf). Ammonia and abrasives on thermofoil (Medallion). | Cleaning by surface |
| Upholstery, code W | Blot. A water-based cleaner with as little moisture as possible (Sailrite, NMSU). | Solvents; soaking it. W does not mean machine washable (Sailrite). | Upholstery fabric, upholstery spots |
| Upholstery, code S | Blot dry. A water-free solvent spot cleaner, with ventilation and no open flame (Sailrite). | Water, which can damage it or leave rings (American Leather). | Upholstery fabric, upholstery spots |
| Upholstery, code W/S | Blot. Either kind of cleaner, after a pre-test (Sailrite). | Over-wetting (Sailrite). | Upholstery fabric, upholstery spots |
| Upholstery, code X | Blot, then vacuum or brush lightly (Sailrite), or call a professional (American Leather). | Water and solvent cleaners (Sailrite, American Leather). | Upholstery fabric, upholstery spots |
| Leather | Wipe the spill with a moist cloth and mild soap (FIRA). On aniline and semi-aniline, Carl Hansen says wipe the whole surface, since spot cleaning leaves blotches. | Household detergents, wax, spray polish, abrasives (FIRA). On faux leather, harsh cleaners and sanitizers, which cause cracking (ACT). | Cleaning by surface |
Maya Ortiz (fictional; she/her) spills coffee on her used cream sofa. Known: the tag under the seat cushion reads S, so the fabric takes a water-free solvent cleaner and no water. What she does: she blots the coffee dry with a white towel, from the edge in, and adds no water. She tests the solvent cleaner the code allows on a hidden spot at the back, waits, sees no ring, and then treats the coffee spot. When blotting lifts nothing more, she stops. Open: whether a trace remains once it dries; she photographs it and writes it on the Stain and damage log. Stains, damage and older homes follows the rest.
When to stop and call someone
- Water under a floor, a flood, a musty smell, cupping boards or mold: a moisture problem, not a spill. Call a water damage restoration professional or an inspector. After a flood, CRI says carpet should be extracted and drying started within 24 hours, soaked cushion generally needs replacing, and carpet soaked by sewage should not be saved (CRI). Gaps in a wood floor that do not close in humid months are NWFA's sign to call a professional (NWFA). Ask the authority
- An etch or a stain that will not move on stone: a stone restorer (NSI).
- Heirloom or Oriental rugs, X-code fabric, and stubborn stains on wool: a professional cleaner (CRI, Kaleen, American Leather).
- Damage to an old floor tile, sheet vinyl or its adhesive: leave it alone. Do not sand, scrape or power strip it; an accredited inspector checks it first (RFCI, EPA). See older floors.
- Fumes from mixed cleaners: fresh air and Poison Control, 1-800-222-1222.
- Damage on something under warranty, or in a home you rent: photograph it before you clean, and read the claim deadline; one quartz warranty wants a claim within 30 days of when you learn of the problem (Cambria). Renters tell the landlord in writing (renters).
Write it down
Log the date, the surface, what spilled, what you tried and the result on the Stain and damage log, with photos. A log answers the landlord's or the warranty's questions later, and tells you what worked next time.
This page is for the first minutes after a spill on a sound surface. It does not diagnose damage, decide a warranty claim or a deposit, or replace your maker's care sheet, which overrides every line. A product named here is named because a maker or association lists it, not because we judge it harmless to you, your pets or your surface. Water under a floor, flooding and mold are for a restoration professional.