How to Remove Mustard Stains From Carpet

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As a carpet cleaner, when I come across a spot or a stain in a carpet, the very first thing I do is attempt to take that contaminant out of the carpet. This is called spot removal.

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Unfortunately, spot removal does not always work. Like with a mustard stain, sometimes dyes or pigments become permanently stuck to the carpet fibers, resulting in a set-in stain. When this happens, we need to use a chemical reaction to destroy the pigments that are stuck to the carpet fibers. This process is called stain removal.

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My advice before using this stain removal method: read this entire page from top to bottom, and watch the video at the bottom of the page. If you don’t follow these steps closely, or if you overuse this method, you could end up causing discoloration to your carpet.

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This stain removal method (advanced oxidation reaction) should only be used after attempting to remove the mustard stain with a spotter, or carpet shampoo. Remember we want to take as much of the contaminant, including dried chunks or pastes, out of the carpet before using a stain removal method.

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There are a huge variety of spotters that can be used to remove spots from carpet. This includes store bought spotters like Resolve, Spot Shot, Folex Instant Carpet Spot Remover  or TriNova Spot Remover. You can also use my homemade spotter recipe.

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To use the advanced oxidation stain removal method, you will need 3% hydrogen peroxide or 6% hydrogen peroxide for the oxidizing agent. In the demo below, I will be using 6% salon grade hydrogen peroxide. 6% hydrogen peroxide can be used to remove many different types of stains, and it works significantly better than 3% hydrogen peroxide.

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You will also need a 395nm UV light. The UV light causes the hydrogen peroxide to split into hydroxyl radicals (OH-). Then these hydroxyl radicals attack the yellow mustard pigments causing them to break down and become invisible.

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What if I do not have a UV light? Well, unfortunately you cannot create and advanced oxidation reaction without a UV light. The good news is that there are many affordable UV light options on amazon, or you can even use a UV nail light which is used for drying cosmetic gel nails.​

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In the demo below, I will be using a 10-watt UV light. If you are shopping for a UV light, I recommend looking for one that can be plugged into an electrical wall outlet. Battery powered lights are typically not strong enough to remove carpet stains.

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