By Brian Marconi
1. Regular vacuuming is a must, but if you are cleaning a rug hanging it over a line or branch and then rigorous beating will remove a lot of soil left behind by your vacuum cleaner.
2. For the natural carpet cleaner that you can do yourself use good old baking soda and
vinegar. A mild soap like dish soap will help with most common stains.
3. Pet urine, specifically cat urine, is the major troublemaker when it comes to stains and odor. First, try a natural enzymatic-based odor remover found in many pet stores. Pour the cleaner over the affected area and let it sit for a long time. The longer soak time allows for maximum effectiveness.
4. Steam carpet cleaning is the best method for removing pet stains and odors. Professional carpet cleaners who use the hot water extraction method are your best bet. Informing them of the primary reasons for the carpet cleaning prior to beginning the work is advised, as they generally have their own special methods.
5. Pet hairs are particularly difficult to remove as they contain natural oil. An upright vacuum cleaner is best for shifting them but also vacuum your pet’s favorite spots regularly to prevent the hair becoming embedded in the carpet pile.
6. Allowing only socks or slippers on your carpet keeps it from becoming soiled by hard to remove stains such as mud and oils. Most home owners vacuum their carpets once or twice a month, bringing in a professional carpet cleaner once or twice a year for deep cleaning and stain removal is always a good idea.
7. In the case of a blood stain you will find that blood binds to a fabric or surface more quickly when heat is applied, so be sure to use cold water to attempt a blood-stain removal. With blood the key is rapid-response.
8. For red wine stains, you can use club soda. For other red stains, such as Kool-Aid, using a mixture of three parts peroxide to seven parts water has been known to be effective.
9. Oil – Place an absorbent cloth over the stain, sprinkle cornmeal or cornstarch over the oil stain, let this completely dry and then vacuum off. Try to avoid using household ‘wonder’ sprays.
10. You should vacuum the heavy traffic areas of your rugs or carpets two or three times a week between cleaning. This should be done not only for hygiene and appearance but because your carpets will last much longer longer.
11. A sure fire carpet cleaning tip is to sprinkle some baking soda on an odorous carpet then vacuum it the following day. The bad smell will be eliminated.
12. Fountain pen ink stains need to be diluted with soda water then mopped up as much as possible. Make a hot solution of soapflakes and apply on the stain and leave it for 15 minutes then blot.
13. You can mix mild dish washing soap and water to make a simple cleaning solution. Make sure that the dish washing liquid soap has no alkaline or bleaching chemicals, unless you want your carpets color to fade!
14. Gum is one of the worst offenders when it comes to carpet cleaning. Use a brush or small pick to remove the outer most layers of the gum. Then take a bag of ice cubes and press it against the remaining gum in the carpets. Once the gum has frozen, use a metal spatula to scrape off the frozen bits.
15. Mud can get trapped in the fibres of carpets and vacuuming alone will not pull it out. Likelihood is you are going to require a carpet cleaning machine if you’d like a clean carpet.
16. Luckily, you can tackle many of the common carpet and rug stains you may encounter with a vinegar and water solution, and sometimes with just undiluted vinegar alone! To get that coveted foaming action that many products feature, place the vinegar solution into a well-rinsed foaming soap bottle.
17. Soil retardants can be applied to new carpets or to newly cleaned carpets. Follow manufacturers’ advice. Apply soil retardants only with professional equipment using the recommended application techniques.
18. Occasionally rotate your furniture. This helps to prevent premature carpet wear and soiling in regular traffic areas of your house.
19. To help prepare your carpet for a shampoo or hot water extraction, sweep the carpet first. This will make the pile stand up and loosen any deep down dirt. 20. Do not use harsh spotting agents unless absolutely necessary and always neutralize high alkaline or high acid cleaners after use. Sourced from Celebrity Dry Cleaners
About the author:
Brian Marconi has wriiten a number of different articles on a number of different subjects. Brian takes great care in researching the subjects thoroughly before writing about them. For Carpet Cleaning London visit http://www.celebritydrycleaners.co.uk
