Having a good rug and carpet at home can add accent and personality to your dull living room. Purchasing one is quite easy and an enjoyable experience. However, the true challenge comes when it’s time to clean it out. Dust and mites are the most common rug and carpet dirt. And letting them pile up on the carpet is bad not only to the rug’s exterior look but to the health of the home owners. Aside from these two, there are some accidental spills, smeared chocolate, food crumbs, and other stains that can ruin the rug. Maintenance of carpets and rugs is a tedious job and that is why carpet cleaning services are hired to do it.
It’s good to have the carpets cleaned by these services. But once they leave, it will be your responsibility to maintain it until the next cleaning service. It is ideal to have knowledge on carpet and rug cleaning especially during emergency situations like getting it stained while visitors are around. You can’t call in the cleaning service to come right over, but you can do something about it ASAP.
Here are some simple tips in cleaning and tricks about rug stains that you need to know to keep it clean.
Rug Cleaning Tips
· Take Care of the Stain
Do not leave stains unattended. Make sure that you will be able to take care of any stains immediately and not let it just seep down. However, take into consideration the type of stain and the rug material before doing any first aid cleaning.
· Have it Deep Cleaned
The service can be different depending on the cleaning service. Some steams the rug and others makes use of chemicals to remove any deep seated dirt and stains.
· Don’t Scrub it
This is applicable only to liquid or sticky spills. Don’t scrub the spill with a paper towel or else it will smear all over the rug making washing a lot tougher. Use the paper towel to blot it out or absorb everything first before scrubbing the area with cleaning agents.
· Clean the focus area
You will notice that there is a part in your rug where people keeps walking on or sitting down. These area needs special attention and of course cleaning.
· Dry it out properly
If you cleaned the rug with any liquid cleaning product, make sure you will dry it out properly. If it is a small rug, take it out and let it sit under the sun until dry. If the rug carpet is fixed on the floor, use a hair dryer to dry it out.
· Watch for Moulds
Moulds can be nasty under the carpets and rugs. The reason why they thrive under there is moisture. If the carpet or rug gets wet, dry it out or else the mould will live, spread and can cause damage on your beautiful rug. That is why there is an emphasis in making sure carpets are dry.
· Brush out hairs
If you have pets in your house whether it’s a cat, dog, or hamster, if you see any signs of hair on the carpet, brush it out to one direction only. Do not brush the hair in different ways because the hair will simply spread.
· Clean braided rugs
These types of rugs are popular. But cleaning can be difficult because the braids can get loose and dirt can get stuck in between braids. To clean them out, place the rug inside a pillowcase with a zipper. After placing it inside, you can now wash it in a cold cycle. This way you will be able to protect the rug from dirt and lint.
Rug Stain Cleaning Tricks
· Gum
Usually kids will be the culprit for getting gums on the rug, but adults can also cause it too. To get rid of gum on the rug, simply remove first what you can and use ice cubes to freeze the rest. After it becomes stiff because of the ice cubes, you can now peel it off or scrape it.
· Blood
It could be from a bloody nose or an accident, but no matter where it came from and how it got to your rug do not leave it to dry out. Use cold water to remove majority of the stain. The remainder can be sprayed with cold water and with liquid detergent until moist. Then you can wipe it off using a paper towel.
· Candle wax
This can be very tough. But there is a solution to it and that is ice cubes. Place ice cubes in a plastic bag and let it sit on top of the wax. Once stiff, you can scrape the wax off. The rest of the wax can be removed by rubbing alcohol.
· Mud
When you have kids or pets, there is a high chance that mud will get into your rug. O take care of it, let it air dry and then you can break it into pieces. Afterwards, you can now vacuum the area and rinse it with water and soap.
· Vomit
To take care of vomit, pour some baking soda on top of it and pat it with a paper towel to absorb the vomit. Let it sit for a few hours until it dries out. The baking soda will deodorize and sanitize the area and once it dries up it can be vacuumed.
· Nail Polish
Use a nail polish remover or a paint remover that is not oil based. Moisten a cotton ball with the nail polish remover and dab it on the affected area. Careful not to scrub it in any way because the color will spread. This is time consuming but your rug will be saved.
· Pen Ink
A rubbing alcohol can take care the pen ink mess on your rug. Use a cloth to be moistened by the alcohol and use that to dab on the ink until it disappears. The ink will not be removed completely on the first try so you have to repeat the process until it is completely cleaned.
· Coffee
Another common stain is coffee. To treat a coffee stain, mix a few amount of vinegar and soap with water. Use a spray bottle to spray on the stain several times and wipe it off with a cloth or a paper towel.
Final Thoughts
When you own a rug, remember that you will have the responsibility to keep it clean and tidy. However, if things gets a little out of hand and you cannot take care of it by yourself, don’t hesitate to call in reinforcement. Call the most reputable carpet cleaning service you know and let them take care of the mess while you take care of the things that matters to you. Don’t stress out with the stains and cleaning, just relax, pickup your phone and call carpet cleaning service.