Cleaning an old carpet is not an easy job. Unfortunately, your momentary carelessness can ruin these masterpieces. To help you prevent that, this list contains 7 tips to make carpet cleaning easy.Before you start, make sure to clear everything off the carpet, the best way to do this is to organise everything into safe temporary storage until you have finished with cleaning the carpet.
- Try using a lint roller
There are always some crud or crumbs that the vacuum won’t be able to clean. No matter how hard you try, they stick to the carpet too hard. People with long hair carpet face this issue often.
That’s when this lint roller comes to the rescue.
You must apply elbow grease on those problematic areas and collect all the particles. You are now free from those crumbs.
Don’t spend more than 5 minutes after putting the grease.
- Use ice cubes and rub the carpet with a stiff brush
These nasty furniture marks can make the carpet look older than it is. So, remove it as quickly as possible. Put the ice cube on top of the stain and wait for it to melt.
Do not use a hair dryer in high mode to melt the ice; it will do more harm than good. Instead, use the hair dryer in low mode.
After the ice melts down, gently scrub that area with a stiff brush and pull the fibers back into their first place.
- Dab the stained area to remove it
You might find stains here and there while cleaning the carpet. You may be aware of some, and you might fail to grab the attention of others. No matter what category they fall under, your mission is to remove them.
Start by dabbing the stains with a cleaning solution. You can use gentle clothes, paper towels, or sponges for dabbing. This technique pressurizes the stained area so that you can soak it up.
While doing this, ensure you are bloating the outer edge of the stain inward; otherwise, it will spread the stain across the carpet.
- Use a squeegee to eliminate pet hair
The shedding season of your pet is a nightmare for your carpet. The hairs will stick to the surface, and you cannot clean them with a vacuum cleaner. Squeegee is your guy for this job.
This tool will not only clean your windows but also help you remove all those tiny hairs. It’s primarily because a squeegee helps remove gunk, frost, and any other substances that form a thin layer on a surface.
Don’t forget to water the squeegee. The steps are the same as window cleaning.
- Consider baking soda and vinegar to revive dilapidated carpet pile
The most common problem with old carpets is those carpet piles. It takes away all the shine of your carpet and makes it look dirty. It’s time to get rid of them.
Rub the baking soda with a brush in every direction of the carpet and leave it overnight. This will absorb odors and bacteria. Then, vacate the carpet and spritz water and vinegar mix the next day.
Then pull out the pile with the brush, and voila, your carpet will look like a new one. Don’t worry about the vinegar smell, as it will disappear within a few hours.
- Remove the greasy spills with dish soap
Greasy spills are the most dangerous kind of spills in the carpet world, as it is very hard to remove them. But with this trick, you can remove them in minutes.
So, first, mix your dish soap with the water. Keep shaking them until you stop seeing the trace of the soap. Pour this into a spray bottle and use the bloat technique with a paper towel. Depending on the stain’s intensity, age, and size, you might have to repeat this a few times.
- Use a steam cleaner
The most effective way is to steam clean. The best steam carpet cleaner helps to lift the dirt and grime on the carpet using a mixture of hot water. Prepare your carpet for steam cleaning by vacuuming it first.
Then fill the machine with hot water and carpet cleaner. If you don’t have a carpet cleaner, use vinegar in a 50:50 ratio with water, and you are ready to start the cleaning process.
Don’t start walking on the wet carpet, as the dust particles on your feet can make the carpet dirty again. Instead, wait for it to dry, and then start using it. You can also look for the best steam clean carpet across the country and hire professionals to do the job for you.
Over to you…
Now that you know all the tips, you can clean the carpet yourself and also boost its durability. If you have an expensive carpet, it’s best to hire a carpet cleaner for the safety of the carpet.