Which carpet cleaning method is best is a question that many homeowners ask. Our lives would be much easier if we had the answer, and wouldn’t struggle with different methods that give mediocre results. While having your carpet cleaned professionally is a good idea, it can be troublesome. Moving your carpet every time you have a stain is a burden, and it can be costly too.
In our today’s guide, we will discuss different ways you can clean your carpet at your home. When it comes to carpet cleaning, the best method to keep hygiene at the highest level is regular maintenance. Many people only clean their carpets when it is essential because they are worried they will quickly lose their good looks. Due to some older products, there is a myth that shampooing your carpet leaves residue in the fibers.
Nowadays, carpet cleaning products are much more advanced and leave almost no residue. So, it would be best if you were quick to clean even the smallest of stains before they get out of hand. Here are some helpful tips you can use to deal with stains and spills.
Never Rub the Stains
When you accidentally spill something on your carpet, your first instinct is to start scrubbing. It is natural as you want to get rid of the stain as quickly as possible. In this situation, it is best to remain calm and patient. It would help if you got a clean cloth or a sponge and gently dab on the spill.
Try to absorb the stain into the material instead of driving it down into the carpet’s fibers. When soaking, always move from the edges towards the center of the spill. By blotting this way, you prevent the spreading of the stain to a larger area on your carpet.
Club Soda Solution
Before you resort to hiring professionals, try the DIY cleaning with a homemade cleaning spray.
The club soda solution is a great way to get rid of beer and wine spills. You need to pour club soda onto a cloth and start dabbing the stain like we previously mentioned. Try to blot it without letting it spread or go further down the fibers. When you start noticing that the stain is slowly disappearing, repeat the process with a new clean cloth and more club soda.
If the stain is tough and the club soda alone isn’t helping, get a spray bottle and mix club soda, white vinegar, and water at a one-to-one ratio. Spray the solution all over the stain and leave it to soak for about 15 mins. When it is done soaking absorb the stain with a dry sponge. Wash the area with clean water and put a few paper towels on top of it. You can weigh them down with something heavy and leave them for a day to dry out the spot.
Cleaning With Shaving Cream
If the stain you are dealing with is caused by something heavier than beer and wine, you can try putting shaving cream on it. Professional cleaners reported that it is a great way to remove hard stains.
Just apply shaving cream on top of the stained area and leave it like that for about 30 mins. Afterward, blot it up with a clean cloth and spray it with white vinegar and water mix. This should work with most stains from any kinds of spills.
Ice Cubes for Bubble Gum Removal
But spills are not the only thing you have to deal with when you are cleaning your carpet. If you have bubble gum stuck to your carpet, none of the previous solutions will help you. It is a nasty situation, and many people will resort to cutting and tearing to get rid of it.
Luckily for you, the best way to remove bubble gum from your carpet is much more harmless than that. All you have to do is put some ice around the bubble for about a minute until it freezes. You can use ice cubes or anything frozen from your fridge. When the gum is cold, it loses its stickiness and is much easier to remove.
Dish Soap for Greasy Spills
Another common issue that carpet owners struggle with is greasy stains. They can be a real problem if you don’t know this simple trick to remove them. It would help if you used grease-cutting dish soap mixed with water.
Spray it on the stain and let it soak for a few minutes. Then gently blot it up with a clean cloth or a white paper towel. The dish soap should do the trick even if the stain is old and dried up. If it’s not working from the first attempt, try repeating the process a few times until you see results.
Removing Hardened Wax
Similar to the bubble gum situation, candle wax can get stuck onto your carpet. In this case, instead of freezing out, you should do the opposite and heat the wax until it becomes semi-liquid.
You can achieve this with an iron and a piece of clothing or a towel. Make sure you put the iron on the no-steam setting and gently place it on top of the towel. Keep them on the wax stain for a short amount of time as it will quickly start melting. Once it becomes soft, you easily remove it with a butter knife.
Soaking up Blood Stains
As you may already know, blood stains are some of the hardest to remove. Many people give up on cleaning them up because they don’t have the proper technique on how to do it. You tried washing them with water and detergent, but you can still see the unsightly stain.
What you need to do now is use Hydrogen Peroxide. It can remove blood stains effortlessly. Just apply the solution directly on top of the stain and leave it like that until it starts foaming. This is a natural reaction, so don’t panic when you see it. Just grab a clean cotton cloth and start dabbing it until you soak it all up.
Candy Stuck on the Carpet
This is another common problem, especially for homeowners with young kids. When you find pieces of candy stuck to your carpet, the best thing to do is to try and remove the sugar. Otherwise, this area will attract more debris and dirt as it will remain sticky. You can do that by soaking up the area with a mix of water and mild soap. After you remove the candy, dry up the area with a cotton cloth or paper towels.
Steam Cleaning as the Carpet Cleaning Best Method
Now that you have the proper technique to deal with everyday spills and stains, we can talk more about your carpet’s regular maintenance. There are many ways to clean the carpet frequently, like vacuuming and shampooing. All of these methods can help you keep the carpet clean and looking brand new.
What is more critical when cleaning and maintaining hygiene is taking care of your and your family’s health. Carpets hold a significant number of bacteria and germs that require regular attention, especially if you have infants in the house. It does everything at once. This is my favorite cleaning method and will be yours too when you discover how to steam clean your carpet correctly.
When using a steam cleaner, hot water mixed with detergent is being sprayed on the carpet. This dissolves the dirt particles making them easier to remove. It is important to note that hot water kills bacteria. At the same time, the steam cleaner vacuums the debris and all the microbes into its chamber. This results in a deep clean that leaves the carpet bacteria-free and good as new.
Benefits of Cleaning With a Steam Cleaner
- You can use the steam cleaner on any surface around your home. It will deep clean your carpets, floors, walls, bathroom even windows.
- It is an environmentally friendly way to keep your carpets clean.
- Cleaning with a steam cleaner will disinfect and remove bad smells and odors.
- It effectively deals with difficult stains and greasy areas.
- When cleaning with a steam cleaner, you eliminate mold and bacteria.
Other Uses of Steam Cleaner
Steam Cleaning Tiled Floors
When steam cleaning tiled floors, we recommend using a cloth to fold over the floor nozzle. Consider using a microfiber cloth; when you see the steam coming if, move the nozzle back and forth.
This way of cleaning requires much steam, so keep it going continuously. It is a good idea to vacuum the area before using the steam cleaner on it. An important note is to use a steam cleaner on tiles that have been professionally laid and glued because it can be quite strong.
Steam Cleaning Laminate Coatings
You can also clean laminate coatings or polished parquet surfaces with a steam cleaner. They require half the amount of steam to be cleaned, and you should adjust the settings correctly.
Use two clean cloths to minimize the contact of steam with the floor. Keep the cleaner moving and don’t stay on the same spot for more extended periods. Similar to the tiled floors, we recommend you vacuum the laminate before you deep clean it. And only use the steam cleaner on professionally laid and glued floors.
Steam Cleaning Bathrooms
The bathroom wall tiles, mirrors, and installations are relatively easy and uncomplicated for the steam cleaner. They don’t require any unique adjustment before you give them the deep clean. With the microfiber cloth, you can remove even the most stubborn dirt.
Steam Cleaning Windows and Mirrors
An important note can be made for steam cleaning windows and mirrors in the winter. Warm them up by applying steam from a greater distance before you use the full blast on them. If they are cold, and if you apply sizzling hot steam on them, you can easily break them.
Once they are ready, apply steam on them from top to bottom with the detailed cap. Simultaneously, remove the condensed water using a dry sponge. In the end, finish it off by wiping it with a clean cloth.
Steam Cleaning Stoves
As we previously mentioned, the steam cleaner has multiple purposes, and you can use it to give your stoves and ovens a deep clean. You can do this by adding a stainless steel spiral scrubbing wire to the round brush.
Don’t worry; it won’t damage the surface. Cleaning the steam will form a sort of lubricating layer that will ensure the surface is nicely cleaned and not scratched up. For the edges, you can use the round brush without a lid, with a detailed cap.
Steam Cleaning Clothes
Another one of the great functions of the steam cleaner is using it to deep clean and renew your clothes. By using the textile cap with minimal effort, you can clean the hairiness and the lint in your clothes.
Since it works at a very high temperature, the steam cleaner will even iron your clothes out. So you have washing and ironing substituted in only a few strokes. And finally, it will effectively get rid of odors on your clothes.
Conclusion
If you are reading this article, it is safe to assume that you understand the importance of proper hygiene and keeping your carpets clean. You can only achieve this through regular maintenance and effort on your part. There are no shortcuts when it comes to our health and the proper way to deal with bacteria and germs.
We gave you some hints and tips on dealing with some of the most common spills and stains; the rest is in your hands. If you are not happy with the first answer, being hard work and regular maintenance, our second answer is the steam cleaner. It is by far the best method of keeping your carpet clean, compared to all the others. It is multifunctional and does the washing, vacuuming, and disinfecting at once.