Grease and motor oil may not seem to be something to worry about indoors, but it can get tracked in on shoes or on items brought into the house and set on the carpet. The dark stains only seem to get worse over time, as dirt and dust adheres to the grease. Fortunately, grease doesn't mean it's the end for your carpet. You may be able to get it out using the following guide.

#1: Lift up as much stain as possible

Begin with a stack of clean undyed paper towels or a white towel that is folded over several times. Set this on top of the grease and apply pressure for 10 minutes or so. You can place something heavy, like a brick, on top of the towels for the necessary pressure. This will absorb the majority of the grease that hasn't yet absorbed into the carpet fibers.

Next, remove the towels and sprinkle the area liberally with cornstarch. This highly absorbent powder will suck up a lot of the grease from the carpet. Use you fingers to help work the cornstarch into the carpet fibers deeply and then leave them in place for a couple of hours to do their absorbing trick, and then vacuum them up. If you acted quickly, this may have removed the majority of the grease.

#2: Attack it with a basic cleaner

A mild hand dishwashing detergent goes a long way towards fighting stains without damaging the color of the carpet. Mix it in a small bowl with water, using about four parts of water for every one part of detergent so you have a very foamy mixture. Blot the mixture onto the stain using a clean cloth. Work from the outside of the stain inward so you don't spread it.

Once the stain is saturated, place a dry rag on top and set a weight on it. Leave this in place for five to 10 minutes so the moisture and the stain is forced out of the carpet and into the rag.

#3: Clean it up

You now need to remove all detergent residue, since soap can also become sticky in carpet fibers and attract dirt. Using clean water this time, blot the stain as you did above, wringing out the cloth often as you remove the soap. Once you are sure you have removed the bulk of the detergent, lay a clean cloth on the spot and weight it overnight to draw out the rest of the water. The following day, allow the spot to finish drying and then vacuum.

If the stain remains, call a professional carpet cleaner in your area. They have access to stronger cleaners and in depth knowledge to remove the stain.