Is There Any Way to Dye or Bleach a Stain on a Rug?

Clean It First

• Before you start thinking about dyeing or bleaching your rug, you will want to give it a thorough cleaning. Treat the stain or stains with a product designed for use on carpeting or by sprinkling it with baking soda and then pouring a small amount of vinegar on it and scrubbing. Clean the carpet with a carpet cleaner or steam cleaner to help remove all dirt and stains as completely as possible, then evaluate the severity of the stain.

Bleach

• Bleach will almost always remove a stain from fabric. Unfortunately, it also tends to remove or severely fade the colors of the fabric as well. If your carpet is white or close to white, you can probably bleach it fairly safely, though it is unlikely the bleached spot will be a perfect match to the stain-free parts of your rug. If your carpet is not white, you will need to decide whether a light spot on the carpeting will be better or worse than the stain. Also, be aware that if you leave bleach on fabric too long, it will essentially dissolve it and you may be left with a thin spot or a hole.

Dye

• It is certainly possible to dye your rug, and dye may cover the stain you are trying to hide. Then again, it may make the stain worse or look even worse than the stain did by the time you are done. You can purchase carpet dye for your rug and apply it to the stained area in hopes of removing the stain, but do not be shocked if the carpet does not return to its original appearance.

Bleach, Then Dye?

• In some cases, the best results might come from bleaching out the stained area of your carpeting and then applying a carpet dye to the light area created by the bleach. Once again, the level of success you have with this method can vary greatly depending on the type of stain, the carpet type, the colors involved and the product you are using to dye the carpet.