A lot of people prefer carpets for flooring since they are soft, warm and elegant. Nevertheless, there still others who fear having carpets because they think that carpets involve a lot of hard work and maintenance. Your carpet will ultimately become a victim of drops, accidents, spills and whatever that is at the bottom of the shoes regardless of your efforts. In that case, you should consider hiring professional carpet cleaners. However, if you decide to clean it yourself, then there are probably a number of things that you need to keep in your mind.
Below is a complete list of 10 carpet cleaning tips from pros:
1. Blot Stains, Don’t Just Rub Them
Dab the stains using a good cleaning solution along with a sponge, paper towels or clean cloth. The most important thing here is blotting. Blotting normally puts a smaller pressure on the stains to soak them up. Rubbing normally causes the dust particles to be grounded into carpet fibers which can lead to premature breakdown of the fibers. Always ensure that you’re blotting from outside of the stains inward because blotting outwards can spread the stains.
2. Club Soda Process
Blot up the area using the club soda placed on a cloth. In case it does not work out, put a solution of water and vinegar in a handheld sprayer. You should spray the whole stained area with the solution and leave it for up to 10 or 15 minutes so as to soak in. Press a sponge onto the affected area in order to soak up this solution as well as the stain. You might have to repeat the process to remove the stain. Rinse the dirty spot using warm water when the stain is removed. Using your hands, brush carpet strands following their natural direction. Lastly, put a white paper towel on the area and add more weight on top of them. The towel helps to absorb the wetness from the carpet. Do not remove the towel until when your carpet is dry for around one day.
3. Try Using Shaving Cream
The best carpet cleaner used on general stains is the ordinary shaving cream as it removes almost every type of stains. You should apply a shaving cream directly on these stains and leave it for close to 30 minutes. After the cream has set, remove it using a dry cloth before spraying this area with a solution of vinegar and water before wiping it away using a cloth.
4. Freeze-Dried Gum
In order to remove dried chewing gum on your carpet, you need to get some ice cubes and then freeze the dried gum for close to 30 seconds. When the gum becomes frozen solid, lift the glob using a spoon and then cut the carpet strands that are as close as possible to the gum. Cutting a small piece of carpet cannot be easily noticeable.
5. The Dishwasher Detergents vs Grease
Using one drop or two drops of grease-cutting dishwashing detergents inside a cup of water is also a method of removing difficult-to-clean grease stains. It will clean the grease inside the carpet just as it normally does on the dishes. Put this solution in the spray bottle and then spray on the stain. You may be required to do this several times for the large stains.
6. Heat Wax
Burning candles might result in the wax dripping on your carpet therefore drying up and becomes embedded. In that case, you need to put a white cloth on your iron box and then place it on top of wax so as to warm it. You can thereafter scrape off this wax using a butter knife. When you’re done, you need to lay a towel on the affected area and iron the towel. This makes the wax melt and bind on paper, and the candle wax would be gone after doing it for a few applications. However, you should not use an iron box in this way for over 30 seconds or you’ll risk burning your carpet.
7. Bring Hydrogen Peroxide to Your Rescue
A cut on the finger and a few drops of blood on your carpet does not mean that your shag is all but ruined.
Firstly, you need to loosen the dried blood using water and a little detergent. Scrape off the blood from the carpet fibers. In order to remove the remainder, you have to directly apply hydrogen peroxide on the stain. Hydrogen peroxide foams immediately it comes into contact with blood so you don’t have to be surprised. You should then dab hydrogen peroxide with a towels so as to dry your carpet.
8. Clean The Pet Accidents Organically
Well-trained pets can also have accidents on the carpet. Organic cleaners are preferred for cleaning the mess rather than chemicals. You should spray the organic cleaner at the stain and scrub. The organic cleaner should then be wiped using a cloth or a towel. Besides, Eco-Spot and similar cleaners can be used to clean other types of stains such as coffee and sauces.
9. Candy Crushed
You should try to remove the candy using the spotter brush or even a butter knife. Thereafter, use a sponge to apply water that is mixed with a little soap on the carpet. It is very crucial to remove all the sugar on the carpet area that is affected. By not removing the sugar, the area will attract dirt and debris very easily. You should dry this spot just by blotting it using a cloth or a towel once you have removed the candy.
10. Deep-Clean Regularly
Cleaning your carpet is vital in maintaining it. Steam cleaning involves cleaning the carpet by injecting a cleaning solution which is under pressure deep into your carpet through water-jet nozzles. The machine removes the solution together with the debris and dirt found in the carpets. The water enters the fiber down towards the backing and thus loosens any embedded soil, removes grease and oil deposits. As such, you get your carpet as clean as it was before. It is recommended that you do deep cleaning after every 6 months regardless of your family size.
Conclusion
Prevent your carpets from harming your health. Carpets might also become harmful to the health of your guests and other family members. They can spread bacteria, attract allergens and expose you and your whole family to pollutants. In a residential home with pets, young children or even the elderly, regular carpet cleaning is very essential and the above tips will certainly help you in keeping your carpet clean at all times.