Carpets can be challenging to clean. They are heavy and require heavy equipment but can smell musty and stinky if left unattended.
But what if we tell you that you can clean your carpet and rug even without a vacuum and steam cleaner?
Here are five quick tips and tricks to keep your carpet and stain and odor-free without the need to use heavy equipment.
Carpet Shampoo
Using carpet shampoo is often a method of choice when it comes to carpet cleaning. That’s because it is safe, reliable, and effective.
Although it is commonly used with a machine, you can also shampoo your carpet manually. However, it can take a while.
First, you need to sweep the carpet with a broom. This is to loosen the first particles that were trapped in the carpet’s fiber. And then vacuum it.
Next is to fill a bucket with equal parts water and vinegar before adding enough bleach-free mild dish soap.
Using a sponge or a soft brush, dip it in the sudsy solution and scrub it on the stain. Use a wet/dry vacuum to vacuum over the area and rinse it with a damp sponge and warm water. Let it air-dry afterwards.
When the carpet is slightly damp, sprinkle an ample amount of baking soda and leave it overnight. Doing so can help draw out moisture and any lingering odor.
Vacuum up the baking soda the following day.
Laundry Detergent
If you wonder whether you can use laundry detergent to clean your carpet, the answer is “yes.”
There are detergents meant to clean carpets. But if you cannot find a carpet detergent, a liquid detergent will do.
Moreover, not all laundry detergents are fit to clean your carpet. What you can do is look for High Efficiency (HE) detergents. Such detergents produce less foam, so they are quick to rinse. Yet, they clean well.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is like the mother of all homemade multi-purpose cleaners. In fact, it is a powerful cleaning tool that is readily available in your pantry.
But before treating a carpet with baking soda, we always tell our clients at Maid Sailors Cleaning Service Chicago to vacuum it. Doing so prevents you from trapping dirt and stains in your carpet.
Depending on the mess made on the carpet, here are three ways you can treat it:
Greasy Stains
Grease is, unfortunately, one of the most challenging stains to remove. Nonetheless, here’s what you can do:
- Using a wet rag, soak the stain with warm water using the dab-and-blot manner.
- Apply a thick layer of baking soda on top of the stain, and leave it overnight.
- Vacuum the spot and check whether the stain is completely gone. Otherwise, you can repeat steps one and two until the grease is untraceable.
Non-grease Stains
Similar to dealing with greasy stains, you should prepare your carpet before treating it. Once you are done, apply a thick layer of baking soda on the spot and spray it with hot water.
Leave it overnight, and then run the vacuum on the stain afterwards.
Pet Odor
If you are a pet owner, you would know how challenging it is to keep your carpet clean and odor-free. Thus, here’s how you can deodorize your carpet:
- Vacuum the carpet before applying an ample amount of baking soda to the pet stain.
- Leave it for at least three hours or overnight.
- Run the vacuum on the stain and check whether the odor persists. If it is, you can repeat the process.
Vinegar
Other than Baking Soda, vinegar is another readily available all-purpose cleaner.
Whether you want to deodorize it or remove pet odor, all you need is a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar.
The best part? You can use the solution as a steam cleaner fluid, spot cleaner, or stain remover.
Borax
Also known as the salt of boric acid, Borax has been used as an all-purpose cleaner since the 19th century. Plus, it is a natural deodorizer that can make your carpet odor-free.
If you spilled a liquid on the carpet, the trick is to act quickly and dab it with a dry clean cloth. Use ice water to spray the affected area before sprinkling it with Borax. Cover it with a damp cloth soaked in cold water to ensure that the Borax seeps through the carpet’s fibers.
Take off the wet rag and dab the spoiled area with a clean, dry cloth. Do that until no spill residue is left. Rinse it off by spraying cold water and patting it dry as much as you can.
To ensure that you have extracted all the liquid, cover the treated area with paper towels and press on it. Repeat the process until the carpet is almost dry.
The key to carpet cleaning is to react quickly. That way, stain and odor do not have to remain on the surface.
