When you get one of those unfortunate carpet spills, time is of the essence to prevent lasting damage. However, it's not always possible to have instant cleaning solutions to hand. But if you're caught unprepared, it might well be that you don't need to panic any longer. You'll be relieved to know that there is a cheap, everyday household item that can double as your stain-busting hero.

Social media cleaning expert Lynsey Crombie has the answer. She revealed her secret to a clean home, and in fact, she also uses it to clean her mirrors. So what is it? You may be surprised to know it's shaving foam.

Taking to Instagram under her username @lynsey_queenofclean, Lynsey said: "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."

She said it makes such a great cleaning product due to its design. The cleaning specialist said that while shaving foam is commonly engineered to soften facial hair and packed with mild abrasives designed to disentangle hairs and slough away dead skin, its powers are also useful to dissolve stubborn grease and adhere to carpet strands, simplifying the stain-removal process, reports Bristol Live.

Additionally, the consistency of the foam allows it to linger on the stained area for an extended period, ensuring direct and continued contact with the offending substance - thereby leading to a thorough cleanse, she said.

She shared her effortless method on her Instagram, posting: "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." For soaking up the moisture, Lynsey's top tip is to unfold a cloth to a square shape to dab the spot, advising that a white cloth is best. After that, letting it air out and dry by itself is important.

The domestic cleaning expert did not that with white shaving foam, it's important to steer clear of any coloured products as it contains dyes. She also urged people to do a patch test before tackling the entire mark.

According to the expert, this clever hack works wonders on water-soluble blots like spilled milk, sludge, many foods, fizzy drinks, ice cream and gravy. In fact, several fans of Lynsey have put her shaving foam strategy to the test, with many reporting victories in the comments section.

On Insttagram @kels_84_ shared their own success story, saying: "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."

They were not alone. @_kimholland expressed gratitude for the spot-cleaning advice, saying: "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."

On X, formerly Twitter, @kazmcgaz76 said: "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!"