Carpet remains a top floor covering option in many British homes and commercial spaces. But whatever the reasons are for gravitating towards carpeting, it is essential to keep your carpets clean as much as possible.
Since carpets typically experience a lot of foot traffic, they can accumulate dirt, grime, dust mites, pet hair, pet urine, and more. These elements can easily compromise the luxurious feel and look of your cover flooring. They can also impair indoor air quality and, consequently, worsen asthma symptoms or trigger other allergic reactions.
Cleaning your carpets regularly can’t be emphasised enough. Vacuuming them at least once a week or even daily in spaces with pets or high traffic is a highly recommended practice. However, it shouldn’t be your ONLY way of cleaning.
Today, we want to share some of the top carpet cleaning hacks to squeeze more life out of your carpet, as well as save money.
Treat Stains Instantly And Correctly
Mishaps occur. Perhaps, it’s a coffee, a tea stain, blood, grape juice, or artwork from a little one that got on your carpet. The stains should be removed immediately and with proper care.
- To Prevent Discoloration, one must not rub or scrub the stain with force.
- Gently clean away the stain with cloth starting from the edges.
- In the case of Mud, prints leave it to dry and then remove.
Remove pet hair using a window squeegee
Remove pet hair using a window squeegee
- Who said Squeegees are only for windows?
- Use a damp Squeegee and move it side to side.
- Repeat and get rid of every hair strand!
It’s that Easy!
Clean carpet with a clothes iron
Blotting stains can be effective when you’re able to act immediately. But sometimes stains can occur and you fail to realize in time. Fortunately, you can try fixing the dry stains using a clothes iron.
Great for removing dried stains!
- Vacuum the carpet.
- Blend Vinegar + Water (1:3) and spray it. (Wait 5 mins)
- Place a towel over the stained spot.
- Put the heated iron on the towel with a little pressure (10 sec).
- The stain will relocate over the towel.
- You can Repeat. (Clean area of towel every time)
- Vacuum again.
Oil stain buster – baking soda or corn starch
It doesn’t matter the type of oil that’s spilled on your carpet, baking soda or corn starch are excellent oil absorbents to get the job done.
- Cover stain with a coat of powder.
- Apply slight pressure and brush the powder into the fibers.
- After 15 mins. A Dry Crust will appear which you can remove.
- Clean the powder
- Sprinkle Dishwashing Detergent and use a toothbrush.
- Pour Warm Water and Clean the Detergent away.
Let it Dry.
Carpet de-odouriser
Baking soda also doubles up as a de-odorizer. The baking soda particles can get into the carpet fibers and neutralize odors trapped in there, including pet urine smells. The particles can be sucked out in a vacuum.
- Guess what? You can get rid of that repulsive smell with Baking soda
- Apply the soda and leave it for several hours until the smell vanishes.
- In case of strong foul scent, just leave it for the whole night.
If you notice excess liquid in some areas, take a dry cloth or towel and remove it. The unpleasant smell should go away after the carpet has been air-dried and then vacuumed.
Melt the wax away
- Apply slight pressure of the warm iron on a bag/paper towel that you placed on the hardened wax.
- Wax will shift onto the material due to heat.
- Repeat it with clean areas over the leftover wax.
- (Optional) You can also pretreat it with alcohol.
Freeze the gum with ice cubes
With kids in the house, chewing gum can find its way onto your carpet. Even if you don’t have kids or you’re not a gum chewer, it is possible to sneak the sticky mess into your house through the shoe soles.
- Place the ice cube pouch on the gum for 30 seconds.
- Use a Butter Knife to remove it.
- In case of a stain, soak the cloth in a solution (soap + 1 drop vinegar) and clean the area.
Rubbing alcohol remedy for nail polish stains
Oops! You spilt nail polish on your carpet! We know nail polish can seem a big disaster on your flooring material, but don’t fret.
- Let the nail polish dry for you to scrape off with a butter knife.
- Dampen a white cloth with alcohol and rub it on the nail polish gently.
Finally, use a dry towel to dry it.
Hydrogen peroxide for blood stains
Blood can leave unsightly stains that just keep annoying you. Your carpet isn’t ruined forever though. The hydrogen peroxide trick can effectively get rid of those unsightly bloodstains.
In case of fresh stains, use a kitchen paper towel to blot the area. If the bloodstain has dried, use a mild detergent mixed with water to loosen it up. With a dull knife, scrape off the loose stains from your rug.
The next step is to apply hydrogen peroxide to the stained area. After saturating the stain, scrub with an old toothbrush to work the solution deep into carpet fibres. Leave it for a few minutes, preferably for 10 to 15 minutes. You will see some foam and fizz, meaning the hydrogen peroxide is working its magic.
Take a paper towel and blot up the peroxide and blood residue.
Use lint rollers after vacuuming
Lint rollers have a certain kind of stickiness, which allows them to remove small fibres and loose hair from upholstery, clothing, and linen. Use Lint Rollers after Vacuuming to remove the minute loose particles out of the carpet.
Unexpected DIY carpet cleaner – shaving cream
- Do not use dyed and greasy shaving cream, only white.
- Leave the cream for 1 hour and clean it with a cloth/towel.
- Spray solution (white vinegar + water) and clean it away with a cloth.
- Leave it to Dry.
Use eco-friendly carpet cleaners
- As a Responsible citizen always prefer environment-friendly carpet cleaners!
Using organic cleaner, in most cases, involves spraying it directly on the stained area, and then followed by gentle scrubbing. Finally, you use a white towel to wipe up the cleaner and stain.
Don’t forget to deep clean your carpet regularly
Frequently use a Deep Cleaning Machine for a thorough clean-up!
Deep cleaning machines are powerful enough to penetrate the fibers of the carpet and backing. They can effectively suck out dirt, grime, and remove deep stains.
Final word
These are the carpet cleaning hacks we could think of at the moment. However, we must say they are not a substitute for professional carpet cleaning. Some carpet stains will require specialised machines and cleaning solutions.