Acting quickly when a spill occurs on a carpet is key to preventing a permanent stain, but this is not often possible. While some households may have carpet cleaning solutions to hand, this can’t be said for everyone. In this case, there can be things around your home that could work just as well to tackle the stains.

Cleaning guru and influencer Lynsey Crombie shared that for unexpected carpet stains, there’s no need to reach for specialist cleaning products if you’ve got shaving foam on hand. Sharing her wisdom on Instagram @lynsey_queenofclean, she stated: "Shaving foam is not just for shaving, it is also an amazing, inexpensive stain remover that works brilliantly on both carpets and mattresses. Shaving cream is simply a form of whipped soap. When applied, it lathers up, penetrating and adding moisture to just about any stain.”

The secret to shaving foam’s effectiveness lies in its ability to break down stubborn grease and bind to carpet fibres, aiding in the removal process.

Shaving foam’s components are formulated to soften facial hair and include mild abrasives to untangle knots and shed dead skin cells. These surfactants work wonders on breaking down the very particles responsible for stains.

Furthermore, the creamy texture of the foam ensures it stays on the stain longer, maintaining contact with the contaminant to achieve superior cleaning results.

Lynsey suggests using shaving foam to eliminate carpet stains with a straightforward method. She advised: “Just use warm water and a small soft brush or cloth and very gently rub into the stain, leave for 10 minutes, then rinse away.”

Next, she recommended unfolding a cloth into a square to pat the area dry, opting for a white cloth to visualise the stain being lifted. The area should then be left to air dry naturally.

The cleaning expert emphasised the importance of using white shaving foam, as it contains no dyes, and cautions households to spot test before applying this hack.

This technique is particularly effective in removing water-soluble stains, such as those caused by milk, mud, most foods, soda, ice cream, and gravy.

Several fans have tried this hack and shared their experiences in the comments section. @kolijohnson wrote: “I did this on a stain on our hallway carpet, worked a treat. Thank you so much for the tip.”

@kels_84_ said: “My carpet had big black sticky glue marks on it, and nothing worked. My sister told me about this, and omg I couldn’t believe it worked. Made up.”

@_kimholland commented: “Thank you for the top tip. My cat threw up on the hall carpet in the middle of the night. I used your shaving foam tip to clean the stains and it's worked amazingly well and left no stains or marks on the carpet. Thank you so much for an easy to use but brilliant tip.”

@kazmcgaz76 shared their amazement: “We used this when my daughter got nail varnish, all over the carpet. I went mental while the other half was googling as fast as his fingers would let him. Wow, couldn't believe it brought it out!”