Coffee. One of many people's favorite parts of morning, mid-morning... and, on some days (okay, let's be real: on most days) afternoon. Can’t live without it – and can’t live without making a mess with it.  

But sipping coffee in peace as it cools unfortunately is pretty rare. More often than not, coffee time is a small part of a hectic, rushed morning routine and a packed schedule, making coffee the on-the-go drink that it is. Coffee messes are usually preventable – however, with so much movement, they feel inevitable.

But we're happy to share a little secret: cleaning coffee stains is a whole lot easier than you might think. Seriously; here's how quick and easy it is!

Step 1: It’s best to act fast. Blot the spill with a damp cloth or sponge, starting at the edge of the stain and working in.  

Step 2: Pretreat the stain and let it sit for about ten minutes to really let the formula work its magic on the spill. Be sure to test a small part of your carpet or upholstery with the pretreat to make sure the formula doesn't cause any discoloration before applying to the whole area.

Step 3: Use a spot cleaner or carpet cleaner to deep wash the stain. The combination of bristles agitating the carpet and powerful suction will make you forget you spilled your coffee in no time!  

If you don't have a carpet cleaner handy, it's no problem: use a damp cloth and continue to blot the spot, alternating between pretreating and blotting with a clean cloth as needed. Just be sure that if you're working the stain out by hand not to leave the spot over-saturated; a carpet left wet is more susceptible to retaining dirt and debris more than a dried one.

Here's a quick tip:

• If you aren’t able to clean the stain while it’s fresh, salt the area before you leave. Salt draws colored liquid out of the carpet fibers and reduces the chance of the spill becoming a tough stain.

So don’t worry about the mess to come; cleaning is the easy part! But finding time to enjoy that piping hot mug of brew... now that’s the hard part.