Yogurt has been a classic breakfast tradition for many years.
It’s popular with both children and adults, and it can either round out your breakfast or give you a quick snack during your busy day.
Although yogurt is tasty, it can also make a mess on your carpet, especially if you have children.
Yogurt stains can discolor your carpet and leave smells that you might prefer were not part of your flooring.
Getting the yogurt out might seem like a lost cause, but luckily, we’ve been where you are and done some research on how to get yogurt out of carpet.
Getting yogurt out of your carpet is easily done.
All you need are a few common household items to get the yogurt off your carpet and get back to enjoying the most important meal of the day.
What You’ll Need
You will need a few easily accessible household cleaning items to remove yogurt from your carpet.
- Spoon or table knife
- Cleaning cloth
- Cool water
- Dish Soap
Now that you have assembled all your cleaning materials, read on for step-by-step instructions to learn how to get yogurt out of carpet.
1. Scrape up as much yogurt as possible
Yogurt stains are easiest to remove from your carpet if they are fresh.
Scrape up as much of the yogurt as possible to prevent the yogurt from settling into your carpet.
As soon as you realize yogurt has landed on your carpet, grab a spoon or a dull table knife.
Pro tip: As you are scraping, be careful not to dig into your carpet. Even though you are using a dull instrument, you can still damage your carpet if you are too fierce. Also, grinding the yogurt into your carpet will only make it more difficult to remove later.
2. Blot the affected area with soap and water
Grab a cleaning cloth once you have scraped up as much of the yogurt as possible.
Dampen the cloth with cool water and add a dot of soap.
Any type of soap will work, although we recommend dish soap or liquid laundry detergent.
Rub the soap into the cleaning cloth to ensure it is evenly distributed with the water.
Then, blot and sponge the affected area until the yogurt stain is gone.
Pro tip: The ideal mixture is 1 cup of cool water with ½ teaspoon of soap. Although you don’t need to be exact, you may want to mix this solution up if the yogurt stain is particularly large.
3. Blot the area dry
Once the yogurt stain is completely gone, blot the area dry with a fresh cleaning cloth.
Then, blot dry again. After drying, if you find that some of the yogurt stain has remained, reapply your soap and water solution to finish removing the yogurt.
Pro tip: Although it may seem like a faster solution, we do not recommend using a hairdryer to dry the affected area. If any yogurt has accidentally been left behind, the heat from a hairdryer could set the stain into your carpet, making it even more challenging to remove.
Here is a video demonstrating how to get yogurt out of carpet.
0:45—Wipe up as much of the yogurt as possible.
1:17—Dampen a cleaning cloth with water and soap.
2:27—Make sure the soap is thoroughly worked into the cleaning cloth.
2:56—Gently scrub the yogurt stain with the soapy cleaning cloth.
3:25—Pat the affected area dry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does yogurt leave stains on carpet and upholstery?
Yogurt is a milk-based product.
That means that, just like milk, any stains left behind are protein-based stains.
Protein causes stains to turn yellow and darken as they get older, which is why milk (and yogurt) stains get more visible over time.
Yogurt is also usually mixed with fruit or dyes, both of which can stain your carpet as well.
Both the protein and the dyes work together to make yogurt stains a little challenging to remove.
A good enzyme-based detergent or soap will help lift the protein stain, and soaking the stain in water supports the yogurt stain release from the carpet.
Is there another method I can try on stubborn yogurt stains?
If you find that your yogurt stain is not entirely removed with soap and water, you can try using non-gel shaving cream.
Spray a little shaving cream on the affected area, and then scrub the shaving cream through the yogurt stain with an old toothbrush.
Although you are trying to lift the yogurt stain, be careful not to push either the yogurt or the shaving cream into the carpet.
Once you have finished scrubbing the area, wipe the shaving cream off with a fresh cleaning cloth.
Then, sponge the area with a damp cleaning cloth to remove shaving cream or yogurt remnants. Then, dab the area dry.
How do I remove old yogurt stains?
Old yogurt stains can be tricky, but they are not impossible to remove.
Rub the area thoroughly with your soap and water mixture—for an old yogurt stain, we recommend an enzyme laundry detergent.
Use cool water and sponge the site every few minutes until the stain lightens or disappears.
Spray the area with an enzyme cleaner, like a pet odor stain remover such as Rocco & Roxie Stain & Odor Eliminator for Strong Odor made for use on carpet.
Follow the instructions on the cleaning bottle to remove the old yogurt stain.
If, after washing the area thoroughly and using an enzyme cleaner, the yogurt stain is still attached to your carpet, try mixing ¼ cup of baking soda with ¼ cup of cool water.
Doing this will make a paste.
Spread your baking soda paste over the affected area and allow it to air dry.
Baking soda is naturally abrasive, and sometimes, it can work dried yogurt out of fabrics, making the stain easier to remove.
After the baking soda has dried, wipe it away and then sponge the affected area again to remove any lingering baking soda or yogurt trace.
