Carpet Cleaning Techniques – Keep Your Carpet Looking Good as New
Posted on June 10th, 2009 by adminWhen cleaning your carpet, you want techniques that are effective but won’t harm the fibers or cause discoloration. While it is recommended that you have your carpets professionally cleaned once a year, you can remove many stains and spots yourself. This article will tell you how – and most are really easy.
Some stains are very stubborn, such as red wine, ink, rust, blood and pet stains. In any case, when possible get the spot up as soon as it happens. This helps prevent the substance from saturating the fibers and possibly the padding underneath. When removing old spots, here are some techniques that work really well:
1. Red wine is one of those stubborn liquids that you think will not come up. Try this little trick. Cover with salt and let it sit for a while. This will absorb the wine. Then simply vacuum with a hose attachment. If any stain remains, clean gently with a mixture of vinegar, detergent and water.
2. Ink stains can be a problem, because inks contain different resins and oils. Try hair spray on an absorbent cloth. If this does not work, you may want to try rubbing alcohol, nail polish remover or tea tree oil.
3. Blood stains can usually be removed with a paste of corn starch and water. Apply to the stain, wait a few minutes and rinse with cold water. Never use warm or hot water on blood stains, as this can set the stain in and make it nearly impossible to remove.
4. Pet stains. These are especially problematic, because of the odor that sometimes remains along with the spot. To remove these, first remove any solid material. Then, mix 1/2 teaspoon of mild detergent per pint of water and blot. After this step, mix 1/2 teaspoon of ammonia per cup of water and blot. Lastly, mix equal parts of vinegar and water, then blot and rinse. This method usually removes the pet stain along with the odor.
Most stains can be removed if you use the right materials. There are many commercial spot cleaners available in stores, but there is no evidence that they work any better than these cheap methods. Some even contain ingredients that may be harmful to your health. Try a few of these NJ carpet cleaning techniques, and you will see just how easy it is to keep your carpet looking fresh and new.
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