Carpet Cleaning Tips For Your Home

This article aims to provide many useful carpet cleaning tips. Since the majority of carpet cleaning jobs start with vacuuming, we’ll also start this article by examining the basics of vacuuming and discussing what is important while doing this type of job.

Carpet should be vacuumed at least once a week, but it should be done even more often in spots that get heavy traffic. If you vacuum often it will prolong the life of the carpet since it will remove most of the dirt and grime particles that could cut carpet fibers. Further, every few weeks, take some extra time and make sure to clean the area around baseboards and radiators, as well as in many other hard-to-reach places. When vacuuming wall-to-wall carpeting, a quick carpet cleaning tip is to divide your room and carpet into quadrants, each of which should be vacuumed before moving to the next one. Do not hurry during the vacuuming process, especially on occasions when the dirt is deeply embedded. This means that you should pass more than once over those places. Special attention should also be paid to areas where people frequently walk. These areas should be vacuumed with a crisscross pattern of overlapping strokes.

Carpet Cleaning Tips for Spills

Further, let’s discuss some tips regarding cleaning carpet spots and spills. The chance for successful cleaning rises only if you clean them immediately, meaning you have to “catch” the spills while they are still fresh. The entire area should be carefully blotted (not scrubbed) before any type of cleaning solution is applied. The spill should be removed as much as possible. You should also test the carpet in an inconspicuous area just to make sure that the cleaning solution will not damage or discolor it. Remember, never rub the spill with a rag or sponge while its still fresh, as this might worsen the problem. Once the cleaning agent is applied, start cleaning from the outside to the inside in order to avoid spreading of the stain.  Then once the blotting is mostly done, feel free to add a bit of fresh water and then continue to blot up  the moisture. For drying the carpet, use a clean white towel. If you suspect that there is still too much moisture, place a thick stack of white towels over the spot you have just cleaned and put a heavy object on the towels to increase the absorption.

Most Common Stains and Carpet Cleaning Tips for Them

Finally, we will discuss how to remove some of the most common stains.

Another handy secret that we’ve used …and we’ve seen many carpet cleaning tips over the years…is to try to use either very warm or very cold water as you clean depending on the nature of the stain.   If you are ever in doubt, check the underside of your washing machine lid…no really… we mean it.  There you will most likely find a chart of stains and suggested water temperatures to use on your laundry.  Follow the same chart for cleaning your carpet.

Spots that come from alcoholic beverages or coffee should be very quickly diluted with the cold water. Further, absorb the excess liquid and mix one teaspoon of mild detergent, one teaspoon of white vinegar and one teaspoon of warm water. Apply this solution directly to the spot and let the carpet dry off. Finally, perform the vacuuming process very gently.  You may also find that club soda will help lift the stain quickly and efficiently too.  You’ll often find that if you ever spill food or coffee on yourself at a restaurant, that the server will offer you club soda to help get the stain out.  It works!

For animal or pet accidents, we suggest using warm water along with the mild detergent solution.  If it happens to be a cat, check out our article on mixing a natural cat urine odor remover.

Regarding stains that come from blood, first absorb them as much as possible. All the other steps for this stain are the same as described previously in our other carpet cleaning tips.

In conclusion, we hope the various  carpet cleaning tips described herein will be useful for your home.  Most of the tips can be applied to most stains, but you should certainly follow the cleaning guides you received from your carpet manufacturer as well. Those carpet cleaning tips are not to be ignored!