If you have small children, you know it’s probably a relief to have carpet on your floors instead of a rough hardwood floor that they can (and probably will) bump their head on. The only bad part of having little kids and carpets is this means they are going to be spilling juice and food and other stuff on the carpets, causing a headache while you try and clean up the mess off the carpets.

Fortunately, there are many ways to clean your carpet using household products! These practical cleaning tips can be implemented using items already found in your home without buying any additional cleaning tools. Here are 3 of the most popular ones.

1. To make a general stain remover solution, mix together water with a dish washing soap of your choice that is free of bleach and alkaline chemicals. (Otherwise you run the risk of discoloring the carpet.) Blot the stained carpeted area with the solution and then rub it with a brush. Wipe off any extra solution with a towel. This will remove many different types of stains.

2. Bleach stains on the carpet can be removed using the solution just described. Using this solution, blot the stained area where you are doing the carpet cleaning job. Then let it sit for 5 or 6 minutes. Repeat until the stain is gone. Be sure to start from the outside of the bleached area and work inward. Once removed, blot with cold water and wipe clean with a paper towel.

3. Chewing gum is very difficult to remove once it accidentally lands on your carpet floor. However, this carpet cleaning task is not impossible. All you need to do is to try to scrape off the chewing gum using a flat and thin object like a spatula. First, use a small brush to remove any gum debris. Rub the spot with ice placed inside a plastic bag to harden the leftover gum. Once the remaining gum on the carpet has been frozen, then scrape it off using a spatula. Finally, prepare a mixture of water and dish washing soap and apply this on the spot. Continuously blot and rinse with water once you are sure that no trace of gum can be found on the spot.