The best carpet cleaning solution tips + tricks

Posted on 12:00pm Monday 11th May 2020

The flooring you choose for your home is a big investment. It can cost hundreds of pounds per room to lay carpet or hard flooring. If you opt for carpets then it’s a good idea to know how to maintain your investment for years to come with some of the best carpet cleaning solutions out there. It’s inevitable that one day there’ll be a spillage or that over time your carpets will need a good clean to get them back to new.

Why we chose to ditch tap water + drink distilled water (1)

List of easy carpet cleaning solutions:

If the carpet stains are old and difficult to remove then you can call on carpet cleaning professionals for a thorough professional clean with the latest equipment, but if they are manageable then read on to learn how to clean your carpets yourself. Did you know you can use ordinary household products like salt and vinegar for domestic carpet cleaning?

You don’t always need expensive and harmful chemicals to clean your carpets. Read on for some of the most effective and safe carpet cleaning solutions including homemade carpet cleaner ideas. These tips can help you remove many carpet stains and surface dirt.

Steam carpet cleaning

Carpet steam cleaning is a very powerful option, which you can use to remove water-soluble stains and to disinfect your carpets.

Steam is the safest and probably the most effective cleaning method, which you can use for sanitising many surfaces at home – including the bathroom tiles, kitchen appliances and the carpet.

If you do not have steaming equipment at home, you can order professional deep steam cleaning services for your carpets. They are affordable and widely used as one of the best methods for refreshing a carpet and giving it a brand new look.

Whilst you can tackle many stains yourself as they arise and vacuum daily to pick up most dirt and debris, it’s still likely your carpets will look dull over time and a professional steam clean every year or so is a great way to really keep your carpets looking as good as new.

Never leave a stain

One of the top carpet cleaning tips is to tackle any spillages or stains immediately. The longer you leave them, the tougher they’ll be to get out! Unfortunately with a fitted carpet, you can't just throw it in the washing machine! If you could then you could simply use your machine with this Amazon detergent sheet and job done. Unfortunately, it's not that easy when you stain a carpet so here are lots of solutions to clean your carpet. Firstly, blotting a carpet:

If you’ve spilt something into the carpet then blot it gently to absorb as much of the liquid as possible. Resist the urge to rub a liquid spill as this will only rub more of the liquid into the carpet, as will over-blotting.

Use a carpet cleaner as soon as possible for any spillages that have stained the carpet.

Good old water

In general, water is a useful first aid for a dirty carpet, stain or spillage. It can dilute the stain and help to lift water soluble particles. Many of us instantly reach for water to clean our carpets when there’s an accident, but sometimes good old water isn’t enough, so read on for lots more ingredients that can be put to work on your carpets for effective cleaning.

Baking soda

Baking soda can help you with almost any kind of dirt - even with old carpet stains. Sprinkle the powder on a stain and carefully pour hot water on it. Avoid using boiling water!

After the baking soda has had a contact time of a few hours, you can dab it off again - the stain should have disappeared.

Carpet cleaning with salt

Red wine stains are one of the most serious concerns associated with carpet maintenance, especially if you have light coloured carpets!

If you spill red wine then you need to act quickly.

Sprinkle salt generously on the stain while it is still fresh.

Start from the outside in so that the liquid cannot spread any further and ensure the whole stain is completely covered.

The grains of salt will absorb the wine!

Leave it to completely dry, overnight if needed, and then vacuum up the salt and fingers crossed, the red wine stain has vanished!

Use white wine to remove red wine stains!

If you do not just want to rely on salt, you can try another brilliant trick: red wine stains can be eliminated if you pour white wine on them!

It sounds too crazy to be true, but there are lots of videos and evidence online of this working!

Shaving foam helps to clean the carpet

Yep, shaving foam can also clean carpets! If you have some in your bathroom then this is a handy trick to remove all sorts of carpet stains. How does carpet cleaning with shaving foam work?

Put the shaving foam on the stain and massage it slowly with a brush. Leave it for around 30 minutes and blot it up with a dry cloth.

Be careful: the shaving cream should not contain any colours or methanol.

Effective carpet cleaning with vinegar

White vinegar is the perfect option for cleaning, deodorising and even disinfecting carpets. Plus it’s cheap and you can buy it in bulk. It will last for ages as it’s super concentrated!

You can dilute half a cup of white vinegar with a cup of water. Pour into a spray bottle and treat the stain carefully.

Let the vinegar take effect for 10 to 15 minutes and dab it off with a paper towel.

It is usually a good idea to test the cleaning solution before you start. Spray on a small portion of the carpet to ensure that no discolouration occurs. White vinegar can have a bleaching effect, especially the more concentrated it is.

Cleaning the carpet with dishwashing liquid

Dishwashing liquid is a great product for removing water-soluble stains and for some types of greasy carpet stains. Choose a mild and clear liquid detergent, as the colour of some types can discolour the carpet.

Dilute with a little warm water. A good ratio is half a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid to a cup of water.

Dip a sponge in the cleaning liquid and gently rub it into the stained area of the carpet.

Dab with a paper towel and let the carpet dry. Vacuum it thoroughly to remove any residue.

Freeze chewing gum

Eek! Chewing gum can make a big mess as it’s gets stuck in the piles of your luscious home carpet without realising it’s got stuck to your shoe whilst walking along the street…

The best tip to get sticky chewing gum out of the carpet is to freeze it with an ice cube and then pull it away once hardened. If any residue remains that can’t be picked off then you may need to cut it away with scissors very carefully so it’s not noticeable you have cut the carpet.

Vacuum regularly

The thing with carpets is you can’t see all the dirt and debris that is on them. Much of the dirt and debris gets stuck in the carpet fibres and is not visible to the eye which can attract dust mites and cause allergies if not regularly cleaned. If you're suffering with allergies then ensure your carpets are regularly cleaned, consider changing to hard floors instead and take a home allergy test to find out what is causing your allergies.

Regular vacuuming is a quick and easy way to keep your carpets looking fresh and clean on a regular basis.

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