How to Clean Red Clay, Dirt, and Mud Out of the Carpet
Nobody likes stains in their carpets or rugs, but sometimes they’re simply unavoidable. When that happens, you just want to clean up the mess and move on with life. Unfortunately, some stains are much worse than others. That’s very much the case with cleaning red clay, dirt, and mud out of the carpet.
If you’re currently dealing with a red clay mess on your carpet or rug, then you’re in the right place. Follow along below for the exact steps to follow for how to clean red clay, dirt, or mud out of the carpet in no time. This DIY method can be easily put into place by anyone with the right materials and patience to get the job done.
Removing Clay Stains from Carpet or Furniture
In order to remove either dry dirt, wet dirt, clay, or mud from your carpet or cloth furniture, there are some simple steps that you can follow. In general, however, you will need to make sure that you have enough time set aside to properly clean the area. The following procedure will take you a couple of hours from start to finish.

Secondly, you will also want to keep the room free of foot traffic, as much as possible. Naturally, the room may be a main thoroughfare in your home, making complete avoidance impossible. If that’s the case, then you should at least mark off the stained area in order to keep it free from interference during your cleaning. Otherwise, you could simply end up wasting your time.
What You Need to Clean Red Clay from Your Carpet
Before you begin, head over to your pantry or look under the kitchen sink… Because you’re going to need a few cleaning supplies to get rid of that pesky red clay stain on your floor. The good news is that it’s not a ton of stuff, and a lot of it you’ll already have lying around somewhere. The main supplies you’ll need are the following:
- A spray bottle (or a few if you have them)
- A bottle of Shout
- A bottle of Ammonia
- A Bottle of Vinegar
- A few Dry Towels
- You Vacuum
Once you have those on hand you can follow the directions below!
Steps for How to Clean Clay Out of Carpets
Here are the exact steps to follow, one by one, to clean up your wet clay or dry mud carpet situation. Once you’re through with these, your carpet, rug, or furniture should be in pretty good shape.
- Vacuum the floor completely to clear out any loose dirt and soil from the area. Make sure to at least vacuum a broad area around the stain, if not the entire carpet, depending on size.
- In your spray bottle mix 1 part Shout to 4 parts water, only make as much as you need to cover the area. You will need the bottle again for this cleaning.
- Spray the spot with your diluted Shout, a light layer.
- With your dry towel, pat the spot dry, picking up clay or mud with each pat.
- Next you want to get your spray bottle and mix 1 part Ammonia with 6 parts water. Spray over the spot with a light layer again.
- With your dry towel, pat the spot dry, picking up clay or mud with each pat.
- Next you want to get your spray bottle and mix 1 part Vinegar with 6 parts water. Spray over the spot with a light layer again.
- With a clean dry towel, pat the spot dry.

When Should You Call Professional Cleaners?
At this point, your carpet should look much better than before. However, as we mentioned above, red clay stains are very difficult to deal with. With that in mind, you might wonder when it’s simply time to call in the professionals.
If you’ve already attempted to clean the mud stain yourself, but you’re not getting the results you want, then it’s definitely time to get some professional cleaning help. Not only will trained cleaners be able to remove the stain completely, but you’ll get the peace of mind that it’s done properly from start to finish.
The above cleaning method for clean red clay can work wonders when applied immediately after a stain occurs. Even so, we highly recommend homeowners contact us at the first sight of a red clay stain. The reason for this is simple: clay, dirt, and mud are notoriously tricky to deal with as stains. They have a tendency to dig into your carpet fibers, making their removal much harder than vacuuming up something simple, like chip crumbs.
So, if you have noticed a red clay, dry dirt, or wet mud stain on your carpet, rugs, or furniture, we suggest giving us a call or email right away. This way, we can come by immediately, inspect the area, and provide the kind of thorough cleaning you need to get back to your life as soon as possible. Give us a call at Whitehall Carpet Cleaners and get your home back to normal today.
Why Should You Go With Whitehall Carpet Cleaners?
Whitehall cleaning professionals are some of the best in the business. Trained in a variety of specialty areas. (Including residential cleaning, commercial cleaning, Clean Red Clay, and disaster restoration)
We’re certified by the IICRC, we have the knowledge and skills to address any of your problems. We aren’t just skilled: we are the experts on fabric and floor cleaning, as well as damage restoration and mold removal.
Choose The Whitehall Way
Doesn’t matter if you just need regular maintenance or emergency disaster relief in the middle of the night. We’ve got you covered.