Carpet stain removal

This tip's been in the forefront of my mind all day, since I found some stains my cat made ... under a chair in the living room, weeks or possibly days after the fact. *sigh* We have the rather boring, beige-ish carpet that comes in many apartments. And, with two cats and two people in the place, things get spilled on, thrown at, or ground into the carpeting. In most cases, this will work:* Cover the stain with a visible (but light) layer of baking soda* Pour just enough vinegar on the spot to bubble away the baking soda* Blot/rub at the spot for a few moments* Cover the area with a towel or other piece of cloth* Stand on the towel/cloth until you've soaked up as much liquid as possible* Cover the area with something clean until dry (if you don't, you'll get a different stain there if anyone walks over it while it's still wet).As far as my experience goes, this works really well. The only disclaimer is that we've (thankfully) yet to spill anything truly brightly colored on the carpet.