Welcome to the best article ever for the top secret carpet cleaning tips! And here’s a bonus – these tips are from “the” pros, not just any pro. Before you create a mound of snow all over your carpet with that store-bought foam spray, check out the awesome tips shared here.
Without any further ado, let’s get to the top 10 secret carpet cleaning tips from “the” pros:
1. Proper Carpet Maintenance – General Upkeep
Creating a vacuum schedule. Lifting soil before it gets embedded into the carpet is the most important step in maintaining clean carpets. They recommend that you vacuum about once a week or more depending on traffic level. Use slow and repetitive motions, about four times, over each area that you vacuum, and make sure you get in nooks and vacuum the edges where allergens accumulate.
Here are soome great tips for keeping your carpets clean:
• Use mats to reduce the amount of dirt that enters your house.
• Take off your shoes and ask those who enter your home to do the same.
• Change your air filters to ensure fewer dust particles fall on your floors.
It is also recommend that rather than scrubbing spills, you blot liquids with a white cloth or paper towels, from the outside of the spill in, and do not scrub! It will spread the mess. And, as a final general tip for spot-removal, only use a tested and approved carpet cleaning solution and that plain water is better than an untested carpet cleaning solution.
2. Cleaning Pet Stains and Odors
Pets are family and like family, pets can have accidents too! The most important factor to prevent odor and stains from pet mess is to clean the mess up quickly! Scoop up solids and start by blotting urine up. The quicker you lift the urine and excrements, the more likely you won’t have the lingering odor.
A vinegar solution that is very helpful. Vinegar is an odor neutralizer and very effective in neutralizing pet odors.
Cat odors may be more difficult. So, if this solution is not working, there are enzyme-based treatments available in most veterinarian offices.
Two additional helpful tips about what not to do:
• Do not use a steam clear to remove pet stains because the heat may permanently set the stain and odor.
• Do not use ammonia because urine consists of ammonia and rather than deterring your pets, it may invite your pets to do it again in the same spot.
Yikes! Noted.
3. Getting Grease Stains Out of Your Carpet
If you have no idea how to clean grease stains from your carpet, panic is bound to set it! Not to worry. We have you covered.
The pros over at NO1 Carpet Cleaning Melbourne have some great advice about eliminating grease stains from your carpet. The following tips apply to machine grease, cooking grease, and pretty much any oil-based greasy substance.
Like other stains and spills, blot up what you can first. Then, you will apply an absorbent like cornmeal to the grease stain and using a stiff-bristle brush, break the grease up. If the grease is still visible, apply a dry-cleaning solvent using a clean sponge. Then, create a dry spotter by combining 8 parts liquid dry-cleaning solvent and 1-part coconut oil. Apply this solution with an absorbent pad and continue to lift the stain up until it’s gone.
4. Removing Coffee and Tea Stains from Your Carpet
Coffee spills are common. And if you fancy tea, then tea stains are probably common in your home or place of work. Therefore, we’ll combine ways to remove both stains from carpet.
After blotting up the spill, you mix one tablespoon of white vinegar, one tablespoon of liquid dish soap, and two cups of warm water. Sponge the stain with the solution using a clean white cloth, blotting with a dry cloth as you go along. Repeat until the stain disappears. Follow up by applying cold water with a sponge and then blot dry.
5. Cleaning Blood Stains from Carpet
If you have the misfortune of getting blood stains in your carpet.It is recommend to use either cold water, hydrogen peroxide, water and detergent, salt paste, or water with ammonia.
Do a quick spot rinse with cool water followed by a mix of ¼ teaspoon of dishwashing liquid mixed with one cup of cool water, followed by a blot dry is the way to remove blood stains.
6. Cleaning Paint from Carpet
Getting grease out of the carpet is a cakewalk in comparison to paint spills in your carpet. If you have dealt with this or you are dealing with a paint spill in your carpet, you get it!
While you will have your work cut out for you, there is hope! Grab your paint cleaner (the type depends on the type of paint spilled), carpet cleaner, dish soap, rags or cloths, utility knife, need nose pliers, and a scrub brush.
7. Removing Nail Polish from Carpet
To remove nail polish from carpet, the cleaning method with depend on whether the spill is wet or dry. Below are some useful tips in removing nail polish for either scenario.
If you have a wet nail polish spill, dab the spot with a dry cloth to absorb as much of the nail polish as you can. Then, you’ll apply a small amount of non-acetone polish remover. Continue until the stain is removed. While you are cleaning the stained area, make sure you switch to cleans sides of the cloth to ensure you don’t spread the nail polish around.
The Professionals advise to remove dry nail polish, you will wet the stain with cold water, and then spray about 15 pumps of hairspray on the stain, followed by application of rubbing alcohol. Scrub the area for about a minute with a scrub brush and repeat until the stain is removed.
8. Lifting Red Wine Stains from Carpet
Don’t let red wine spills spoil your evening! But act fast. Your chances of removing the stain are best immediately after the spill. When you are dealing with spilled red wine on your carpet, if the spill is fresh, get busy blotting the spill until you’ve removed as much of the wine as possible with a dry cloth. Like most spills, don’t rub and blot from the outside in. Here's a great recipe to apply to the stain:
Mix together 1 tablespoon of dishwashing soap, ¼ cup white distilled vinegar, and 3 cups of warm water into a bowl.
Soak the mixture into the stain. Let it sit for approximately five minutes and blot up the moisture until the stain is eliminated. Repeat as needed. To draw out any remaining moisture, get salt or baking soda to absorb the remaining moisture. When this is dry, vacuum the powder up.
9. Removing Chewing Gum from Carpet
Last but certainly not least, there are three ways to tackle removing gum from your carpet. One method consists of ice, a scraper, and 409. Ice is the most recommended method for removing gum. It may take trying a few methods to completely get the gum out. The second suggestion uses WD40, and the third method applies heat vs. cold to remove the gum.