Keeping carpets clean is not an easy task, especially in public buildings with heavy traffic. Do you want to know how it is possible to clean the carpet’s spots without throwing money away on professional services?
There are several ways of cleaning carpets from stains manually:
- Dry cleaning – without chemicals and heavy equipment. Designed for minor contamination. A vacuum cleaner with detergent is used in dry steam or freeze mode. This method is used to process natural materials and delicate fabrics;
- By means of an extractor – it is used for cleaning carpets with the medium level of contamination and any synthetic fabrics. Cleanup is done with a washing carpet cleaner followed by drying of a rug;
- Intensive spot-cleaning – special steam machines and chemicals are applied in this case. This is not the most effective method, but it is environmental-friendly. Often, different household special products are used for cleaning;
A useful tip if you spot-clean your carpet at home: hot water is harmful to rugs – you can’t clean them against the pile’s direction. Wet cleaning should be done no more than 2-3 times a year. So, after such a method, there is no need for scuffs or hard brushes.
How to spot-clean new and hard stains?
If the stain has been already dried and stuck, then carefully, without much effort, scrape off the formed blots, adhering dust and dirt from its surface with a dull knife.
If the blot is still fresh and wet, remove the excess liquid with a well-absorbing cloth or paper towel. It is necessary to clean the blot from the edge to its middle. In such a way, you will prevent the buildup of any dried stains.
If you use a special stain remover to remove dirt, before applying, please, test it carefully. To do this, apply the product on an inconspicuous small area of
The basic method for carpet cleaning from stains
- Try to get rid of the blots as soon as possible. Do not let the mark stay on the rug for a long time. Wipe the blots immediately so that they do not have time to soak into the fibers. Hard stains can penetrate its lower part and lead to mold growth and an unpleasant odor that are very complicated to clean;
- Apply water to stains. Dampen a clean cloth and blot the dirty spot;
- Spot-clean the mark and then dry the stained area with clean paper towels. Put something solid on paper towels so that they absorb the remaining liquid;
- Blot the stains with the solution of baking soda and water. Baking soda is a good stain remover. If a glass of wine or juice spills on the carpet, use a solution. Pour a little amount of baking soda dissolved in water on the mark, and then pat it with a dry rag until the spot disappears. Do not rub too much, because you may ruin the fibers;
- In addition, do not use too much soda in water immediately, otherwise, mold will develop in the lining;
Also, experts recommend using the following DIY solution for carpet cleaning – it is a combo of hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and baking soda. Depending on the stain type appeared on the carpet, there are various tips on how and how to clean the carpet from stains at home, so as not to spoil the product and effectively remove the stain. Below, we consider each type of carpet stains separately.
Spot carpet cleaning: how to remove different stains
- Coffee, tea, cocoa or juice blots. Apply a clean cloth for a fresh stain and brush with a soap solution. If the blot is already dry, then the glycerin solution will help (you can get rid of the stain overnight), and then clean it with soapy water or ammonia combo (mix 1 teaspoon per 1 liter of water);
- Alcohol or perfume blots. Such a stain can be cleaned with barely warm water and laundry detergent;
- Ink or ballpoint. If you just spilled ink, then immediately sprinkle it with salt so it absorbs, and then clean the rug with soap and water. Fresh lemon juice, acetic or citric acid can also help with carpet cleaning in this case;
- Grease marks. Such spots are well removed with gasoline and sawdust or the above-mentioned solution of ammonia. Also, alcohol can be quite helpful;
- Fresh stains left by vegetables, fruits or chocolate. It is good to clean such a stain with a mixture of water, wine vinegar and laundry soap (1 teaspoon of grated soap + 1 teaspoon of wine vinegar + 1 liter of water);
- Wax. Such stains can be removed with ice. Apply ice in a bag and carefully remove cool wax off the fibers;
- Vegetable oil on the carpet. To remove vegetable oil from the carpet, you can use alcohol. Just slightly moisten a napkin or paper towel with alcohol and put on the mark for several minutes, and then gently wipe from the edges of the stain to its center. Then wipe it with clean water and dry. Carpet cleaning with shaving foam (not the gel type) on the oil stain and leave for 10 minutes. Then wipe the mark with a damp cloth and repeat this procedure if required;
- Chewing gum is also removed with ice cubes;
- Bloodstains are cleaned with cold water;
- Lipstick. You can easily remove it using any pure alcohol;
- Nail polish. To remove the nail polish, use nail polish remover (without acetone!), and at the end of spot-cleaning, use any multi-purpose carpet stain remover (available at any supermarket).
- Dirt from the street. It is good to clean the dirt brought from the street on shoes if you dry it first and then carefully clean it with a vacuum cleaner (preferably with a special brush or nozzle);
Expert advice: you can refresh the shade and colors of the carpet with a solution of grated potatoes with water (thanks to the starch in the composition).
Final thoughts
Spot cleaning your home or office carpets with DIY remedies is not an easy task, the main thing is to clean as soon as possible if the carpet got stains. To remove stains from a carpet, be sure to pay attention to the stain’s intensiveness and the pile type (some carpets can’t be cleaned with certain solutions and methods). Make sure to spot-clean the rug from stains before they become hard.
