The first rule when attempting to remove spots from your carpet is that the sooner you catch it, the better. If you see the blackcurrant juice headed for the floor, don't wait until later to clean the area. Your chances of success are much higher if you attempt to clean the spot before it's dry. For many of us, our first instinct is to grab a towel, wet it thoroughly and saturate the affected area. While you'll dilute the stain by wetting it, you run the risk of spreading the stain, too.

Basic Cleaning Steps for All Food and Beverage Spills:

1. Scoop up as much of the spill as possible, with a towel or a spoon.
2. Blot the spot, don't rub or scrub. Gently press clean cloths into the stained area to remove moisture. Scrubbing can damage the fibre and set the stain into the carpet.
3. Apply warm, not hot, water to the stained area and blot until the stain stops transferring to the cloth.
4. If you can still see the stain, make a Detergent Solution by adding a quarter of a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid to one cup of warm water. Don't use too much soap, because it's difficult to rinse out of the carpet.
5. Apply the detergent solution, let sit five minutes, and then rinse with clear warm water. Repeat until all the detergent has fully been removed.
6. Place layers of white paper towels on the spill to absorb the liquid. Weight down the towels with a non-staining glass or ceramic object. You can let them sit overnight.
7. When the carpet is dry, vacuum to restore the texture.
8. If you can see the stain after all this, repeat steps 3 through 7. It means the stain penetrated deep into the pile and has wicked up to the surface.

It is not unusual for stains to sometimes reappear after spot-cleaning. Wicking occurs when a liquid has been spilled on the carpet (usually a large amount) and cleaning attempts remove only the stain and liquid from the carpet fibres. Liquid still remains in the carpet backing or padding. Through capillary action, the stain can "wick" back up into the carpet fibres. Residual resoiling occurs if staining substances or cleaning products are left in the carpet and attract soil.