Home Improvement

Proper carpet care from the start generally will keep you from needing to do carpet cleaning as often, but there are some things that are just too difficult to control. Carpet stains from wine, chemicals, food, and gum can all have their own methods of removal.

Oil and dirt on the undersides of shoes can bring in other numerous types of problems to your carpet as well. One of the things that should be considered is the removal of shoes before entering carpeted areas. While this is not going to happen in every home, there are other options for removing what is tracked in.

Vacuum your carpet on a regular basis. This while very simple is a way to eliminate dirt and other loose dry substances that could bury into the carpet if wetness mixes in.

It can be a bad idea to clean a carpet in some instances with liquid carpet shampoos since these can cause the carpet to soak up soap and just cause a further problem since the soap can’t be completely rinsed out.

Instead you can rent a cleaner that uses water to clean the carpet. This allows you to pull up dirt out of the carpet rather than add something that gets left behind. Make sure to use warm water and about 2 gallons of vinegar mixed in.

Club soda is a great way to help remove red wine stains. While it is essentially water, it is believed that it works as an agent to blot out stains rather than remove them. Adding a little club soda, and then blotting can get most wine stains out.

Brake cleaner and shaving cream are also good solutions to removing food stains. make sure to never dig into the carpet but always blot. With shaving cream it is a good idea to add it to the dirty area and then let it set for a bit followed by blotting. With brake cleaner, you can add a small amount to a rag and lightly blot the area.

Getting gum out is not so tough when you have something cold. Rub ice cubes on gum to cause it to harden and then scrape the area gently with a butter knife or dull object which will not tear at the carpet.

For oil and grease you may want to check for a specific cleaner which removes them since they can be deeply entrenched in the carpet and require special care. Follow all instructions on cleaning agents, and never add more chemical than needed as this could either be damaging to the carpet or cause a larger area to clean.