No carpet is completely stain proof, but at least modern stain resistant carpets give you time to act. If you catch the spill when it's fresh, you've got a good chance of removing it totally. The more time a spill remains on the carpet, the more difficult it becomes to remove. Over time, some spills may cause permanent staining.

The best approach is to pick up as much of the spill as quickly as possible -

• Gently scrape up food spills and other solids with the edge of a spoon.
• If you have a wet/dry vacuum cleaner you can pour clean water on the spill and then immediately vacuum the liquid. Repeat until the area is clean.
• If you don't have access to a wet/dry vacuum cleaner; blot repeatedly with white paper or white cloth towels. Always blot; never rub or scrub abrasively, as a fuzzy area may result. When blotting, work from the outer edge in toward the centre of the spot to avoid spreading the spill. Keep looking at the towel; as long as you are getting a colour transfer from the carpet to the towel, you are making progress.

Avoid the use of all-purpose spray cleaners, bleach, or alkaline detergents as they may cause lasting damage to your carpet.

Call a professional carpet cleaner as soon as convenient to prevent changes in the appearance of your carpet. Leaving the stain can just make it harder to remove so have the carpet professionally cleaned immediately.