Carpet stains don’t tend to happen in places where they’re easy to cover up. Spills, tracked-in dirt and grime buildup usually occur in highly visible areas, and cleaning them properly is essential to assuring the life of the carpet and the clean, fresh look of your home.

It’s easy to make a mistake when trying to clean a carpet yourself, and there are many things that can go wrong and lead to permanent damage.

Here are a few common carpet cleaning mistakes:

Waiting too long to take action. Carpet stains need to be attended to immediately. Failure to do this can almost guarantee the stain will become permanent, or harder to remove. Some stains will sink into the carpet’s padding or pile, while other stains, like soda for example, contain acids that will eat away at the carpet’s fibers.

Using the wrong cleaner. Spray carpet cleaners can be effective on some stains, but using other household cleaners on carpet can be disastrous. Many surface cleaners and laundry detergents contain bleach and other harsh chemicals that will permanently discolor carpeting.

Some stains can be treated with everyday products like baking soda, so it helps to conduct research before blindly pouring a bottle of cleaning solution on your carpet.

Incorrectly using deodorizing powders. Deodorizing powders aren’t intended to clean away dirt, and they aren’t effective at eliminating stains. Worse yet, many vacuums aren’t powerful enough to remove them completely from the carpet, meaning these powders build up, making the carpet even dirtier over time.

Relying on rented machines. Renting a carpet cleaning machine from a grocery store or a discount chain location may seem like a good idea, but these machines are not always serviced between renters. That means you could be bringing someone else’s dirt into your home.

The machine may also have clogs or damage that prevents it from working properly.

Avoiding professional cleanings. Most carpet manufacturers recommend a professional cleaning at least once a year. Homes with children or pets may require a cleaning more frequently. Professional carpet cleaners are trained in stain elimination, and have experience working with all types of difficult stains.

Not every carpet stain requires the immediate attention of a professional carpet cleaning company, but failure to properly treat a stain can lead to a lasting blemish in your home. Sign in to Angie’s List to find a highly rated Chicago carpet cleaner.