How To Clean Carpets

You had a rocking party last night. The food and drinks were perfect and so were the games and decoration. But just as your guests were bidding you goodbye, you noticed that they spilt their diet coke on your new carpet. Your heart is simply sulking with no option but to take it for a wash to the laundry the next morning. But, this is just one problem that you have been encountered with. As such, there are umpteen problems awaiting you to take care of. And if you have kids around, then you have no excuse but to allow them play and enjoy to the fullest, irrespective of the jam and biscuit crumbs clinging to your toes and making it uncomfortable for you to walk. If such is the state, how many times can you take your carpet to the laundry? While the crumbs can be vacuumed, the jam stains need a thorough washing. Do not worry. Check out the carpet cleaning tips listed here and proudly display your carpet, as new and sparkling as ever.

 

 

Vacuum your carpets once a week and more often, if your home witnesses heavy traffic. Frequent vacuuming of carpets extends the life of carpets, preventing gritty particle from accumulating and penetrating deep into the carpet fibers. Given special attention to areas where people sit and move their feet more frequently. To fight odors on the carpet, fill the bag with baking soda. Never use liquid carpet shampoos to clean your carpet. Just like your hair tend to attract dirt when shampoo stays back in your hair, the same thing happens to carpets. The shampoo that stays back leaves a sticky residue that acts like a magnet attracting dirt from various sources. Instead, use dry carpet cleaners easily available in stores that sell vacuum cleaners.

 

Rent a shampoo machine that cleans dirt and sticky particles with water. Mix 1 cup of vinegar with 2½ gallons of warm water. Use the solution as per instructions stated on the machine. The vinegar in the solution will put out grime and mud, thereby cleaning the carpet as well. Though you may have to run the machine on the carpet more than once, but you will surely get a soft and dirt-free carpet.

 

If you happen to stain your carpet with red stains from drink mixes or dog and cat food, use peroxide to remove them. Make a solution by stirring peroxide and water in the ratio of 3:7. Since peroxide is bleach, make sure that you test an invisible patch for color fading. Apply the mixture over the stain and leave it on for 30 minutes. Thereafter, remove as much moisture as possible and follow up with water-vinegar solution.

 

Most food stains can easily be removed by using brake cleaner. Dab some cleaner on a cotton cloth and blot the stain gently. Rinse the stain with soap and water. It contains the same chemical that all professional dry cleaners use to remove stains from clothes. However, do not pour the brake cleaner directly onto the stain since it can dissolve the glue holding the fibers together in the carpet.

 

If your carpet exudes a foul and stinking odor, then baking soda and peroxide are your best solutions. Make solution by mixing 3 parts of peroxide with 7 parts of water. Add ½ teaspoon of baking soda per cup of solution. Test a spot for colorfastness. Pour some solution on an old towel and blot it on the stain. Henceforth, rinse the stained area with a solution of 1/3 cup vinegar per quart water.