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No matter how vigilant you and those in your household are with keeping your carpets clean, they will inevitably fall prey to accidents, spills and dirt, debris or anything else that finds its way onto the soles of your shoes.
What’s more when stains do occur and you have used your best carpet cleaning skills to fix them, often it’s to no avail and you can even end up making them much worse. Don’t worry, we are here to help on how to clean a carpet.
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10 Carpet Cleaning Secrets from the Pros
We’ve covered topics like finding the best handheld carpet cleaner, finding a vacuum for pet hair and provide you with DIY tricks on carpet cleaning.
For this post, though, we are going to focus on what the professionals do when faced with the issues of stains and spillages and some of their carpet cleaning tips. If you’ve ever yours cleaned professionally, you’ll know they seem to be able to get rid of just about anything. What’s their secret? Let’s find out.
1. Regularly Deep Clean
How often do you normally have yours deep cleaned? Maybe we should rephrase that question and ask if you’ve ever had them deep cleaned? You’re not alone. How to deep clean carpet? we hear you say, if you don’t want to get the professionals in then it will require a wet and dry carpet cleaning vacuum.
Most people only deep clean theirs when they really need to but, according to the experts, you should aim to give them a deep clean, using a steam cleaner an alternative to the above, at least every 6 months if you’re an average-sized family of four.
2. We Want Candy – Off Our Carpets
Struggling to keep your clean carpet looking good. Any family with kids will know what a problem candy on carpets can be. Experts have a really simple process for removing candy from it though.
You start by trying to scrape off what you can with a butter knife or spotter brush. Afterward, take a sponge and apply a mild soapy water mixture and gently pat onto the stain, the most important thing is to get the sugar out, so repeat if necessary. Dry the area gently, once it’s clean, using towels or a cloth.
3. Use Organic Cleaners for Pet Accidents
Tips for how to clean carpet if you have pets. Any household with pets will suffer from the odd accident. Many experts prefer to use more organic cleaning solutions rather than chemicals. You can either purchase a natural cleaner or make your own, one such mix is just vinegar and water, but there are a few homemade varieties
Soak up as much as you can with paper, you might have to repeat this process, then spray your choice of cleaner directly at the stain and gently wipe the cleaning solution with towels or a cloth. It may take quite a few goes to eliminate completely but you’ll get that clean carpet back to looking as good as new!
4. Invest in Hydrogen Peroxide for those Bloodstains
How to clean a carpet if blood has got onto it. There is nothing quite as obvious as bloodstains. However, getting blood on your carpet by cutting yourself while shaving or on razor-sharp paper etc does not mean it is ruined. Not if you invest in Hydrogen Peroxide.
For the best results, mix water with a mild soap or detergent to loosen the dried blood up as much as possible. Scrape at it and remove as much as you can. Then use hydrogen peroxide on the stain to remove the remainders. As soon as it meets the blood it will foam up. You just need to dab it with towels to dry it off.
5. To Remove Wax, Warm It Up
As nicely fragranced as many of them are, burning candles can mean you have dried wax on that beautiful shag. The best way to clean carpet of wax, according to the experts, is to heat it up. Place a soft cloth over the waxy area and then use an iron to warm it up, please check that your iron is only on cool as you can melt your carpet as well.
Then place a paper towel over the remaining wax and again use the iron. The wax while melting sticks to the paper and when you remove the paper, the wax will come with it. Always use white towels and paper because colored items can transfer their pigments when heated.
6. Use Dishwasher Detergent for Grease
The best carpet cleaning solution to remove those hideous and stubborn grease stains is to use dishwasher detergent with grease-cutting properties. Gently use a cloth to dab the stain and you’ll see it start to work its magic.
7. Grab Some Ice Cubes To Get Rid Of Gum
This is just brilliant as a carpet spot cleaner for gum. Whether one of your kids drops it or it unsuspectedly comes off your shoe, chewing gum is a pain to remove. Well, it used to be.
Take some ice cubes and use them to freeze-dry the gum. It should take around 30 seconds and then when it is solid, take a spoon and lift it up, cutting stands of gum, as far down as possible.
8. Use Shaving Cream
Surprisingly, one of the best stain-removers for carpets is shaving cream. When cleaning carpet that has a stain, just apply a little shaving cream directly onto the stain and allow it 30-minutes to absorb and set in place.
Then use a dry white cloth to work at the stain. Then you can finish by spraying with a mixture consisting of one part water and one part vinegar and wiping away with another cloth.
9. Combat Wine and Beer with Club Soda
Club Soda is one of the best carpet cleaner solution for wine and beer stains when used correctly. Soak a cloth in the soda and then blot over the stained area.
If you find that doesn’t work, you should try spraying one-part water, one part white vinegar to finish mopping it up, allowing it to absorb for between 10 and 15-minutes. Then use a clean sponge to clear it up.
10. Blot, But Never Rub
You may have noticed we’ve spoken about blotting rather than rubbing. Blotting or patting is more effective because it only puts a little bit of pressure on stains, whereas rubbing pushes the particles into the carpet fibers further as well as spreading the stain further.
