Ceviche is a Peruvian (and broadly Andean and Latin American) dish of raw fish — most authentically corvina or sea bass — thinly sliced or cubed and "cooked" by marination in fresh lime juice. The marinade, called leche de tigre (tiger's milk), contains: lime juice (highly concentrated, pH 2–3), salt, ají amarillo paste (a Peruvian yellow-orange chilli with vivid carotenoid pigment), ginger, garlic, and coriander leaf. The fish protein denatures and becomes opaque in the acid over 10–15 minutes. Garnishes include thin-sliced red onion, choclo (large Peruvian corn kernels), cancha (toasted corn), and additional coriander. On carpet, a ceviche spill is primarily an acidic, low-fat stain — there is almost no oil or rendered fat. The components are: leche de tigre liquid (very acidic, spreading quickly — the primary dye-risk for acid-sensitive carpet), ají amarillo carotenoid (vivid yellow-orange pigment), red onion anthocyanin (purple-pink pigment), and fish protein (partially acid-denatured — white/opaque).
Acid risk: act immediately on wool carpet
The leche de tigre is pH 2–3 — comparable to lemon juice. On wool carpet with acid-sensitive dyes, concentrated citrus acid at this pH can cause rapid dye lightening or colour shift, particularly with blue-toned wool dyes. Act immediately on wool carpet: blot the leche de tigre liquid before reaching for any cleaning product, then apply cold water immediately to dilute the acid. Synthetic carpet (polypropylene, nylon) has more time — the acid does not affect the dye, and the fish protein and chilli pigment are the primary concerns.
Cleaning steps
- Lift the fish pieces, red onion, and corn by hand or with a spoon. Do not rub — the fish smears easily into the pile.
- Blot the leche de tigre liquid immediately with a dry white cloth. Work from the outer edge inward. Apply cold water to the full liquid spread zone and blot again to dilute the lime acid.
- Mix one teaspoon of dish soap in one cup of cold water. Apply and blot across the stain zone — the dish soap handles any chilli oil, fish protein film, coriander, and red onion pigment.
- Apply enzyme cleaner for the fish protein and coriander chlorophyll. Allow 20 minutes dwell time, then blot and rinse with cold water.
- For ají amarillo yellow-orange staining on light carpet: apply 3% hydrogen peroxide to the coloured zone, allow 10 minutes, blot, and rinse.
- For red onion anthocyanin (purple-pink stain): hydrogen peroxide also addresses anthocyanin — include the red onion contact area in the hydrogen peroxide step.
- Rinse the full area with cold water and blot dry. No cornflour step is needed — ceviche has minimal fat content.
Ceviche is low-fat — skip cornflour
Unlike most food spills, ceviche contains almost no oil or fat. Skip the cornflour step entirely and go directly to cold water blotting, then dish soap, then enzyme cleaner. This makes ceviche one of the simpler food spills to treat once the acid risk is managed.
Leche de tigre shot variant
Leche de tigre served as a standalone shot (the concentrated leftover ceviche marinade) is the most concentrated form — lime acid, ají amarillo pigment, and fish protein are all at higher concentrations than in the ceviche itself. A leche de tigre shot spilled on carpet should be treated with particular urgency on wool carpet — dilute the acid with cold water immediately and repeat the cold water rinse several times before moving to dish soap. Tiradito (thin sashimi-style fish slices dressed with leche de tigre) is treated identically to standard ceviche.
Ceviche acid stain not clearing?
Lime acid that has caused dye lightening on wool carpet is not reversible through home cleaning. Local cleaning professionals matched to your Sutherland Shire suburb can advise on professional carpet dye restoration options.
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Frequently asked
The leche de tigre has left a faint lighter patch on my dark wool carpet. Did the lime acid bleach the dye?
Yes — this is acid dye lightening. Wool is dyed with acid dyes that are sensitive to extended contact with concentrated citric acid at pH 2–3. The lighter patch is where the acid has partially stripped or altered the dye bond. This damage is not reversible with home cleaning — cold water rinsing at this stage only prevents further damage from any residual acid. For partial dye lightening on dark wool, a professional carpet dye restoration service can sometimes match and re-apply colour to the affected zone, with results varying depending on the carpet dye type and the extent of lightening.
The ají amarillo has left a vivid yellow stain on my beige carpet and two rounds of hydrogen peroxide have only faded it slightly. What else can I do?
Ají amarillo carotenoid is a highly saturated yellow-orange pigment. If two hydrogen peroxide applications have only partly faded the stain: allow the area to dry completely between applications and apply a third round with a 15-minute dwell time. Between rounds, apply dish soap and allow 5 minutes — this disrupts any surface oil that may be blocking peroxide penetration. A fourth application after full drying is appropriate for very saturated ají amarillo contact zones. If the stain persists after four hydrogen peroxide applications, professional carpet cleaning with UV identification of remaining pigment is the next step.
The ceviche included choclo (large Peruvian corn kernels) and some were crushed into the carpet pile. Does cooked corn leave a separate stain?
Choclo kernels are large, starchy, and slightly waxy when cooked. Crushed choclo in carpet fibres leaves a starchy white-yellow smear. Scrape up the kernel pieces with a spoon edge before they dry. For the smeared starch: apply cold water and blot, then allow to dry and vacuum the residue. A small amount of dish soap addresses the waxy corn surface coating. No enzyme cleaner or hydrogen peroxide is needed for choclo staining alone — the starch and wax respond to cold water and soap.
The ceviche was very heavily loaded with red onion and the purple-pink onion colour is widespread. Is red onion anthocyanin harder to remove than red wine anthocyanin?
Red onion anthocyanin (primarily cyanidin-3-glucoside) is moderately concentrated but generally less persistent on carpet than red wine anthocyanin. Red onion anthocyanin is in a water-based matrix with no alcohol carrier, so it penetrates carpet fibres slightly less deeply. One to two hydrogen peroxide applications on light carpet typically clears red onion anthocyanin. Red wine anthocyanin (which has alcohol as a carrier and higher initial concentration) often requires three applications.