Since ancient times, carpets have been present in our homes, because people have always sought to create comfort in their homes. At first, there were skins of dead animals on the walls and floors. But as man mastered the art of sewing, carpets became widespread and took on different forms. Today, they are also actively used in both modern and retro styles. Being an integral part of interior design, they require careful treatment and care. In order for the carpets to serve for a long time and have a good appearance, it is necessary to monitor their condition and carry out periodic cleaning. At home, you can clean the carpet yourself, without resorting to the services of dry cleaners. So, consider the existing ways to clean carpets.
When is the carpet cleaned
Of course, regular vacuuming is the key to the good condition of the carpet, including the wall. But not always cleaning the dust can clean its surface. Let's take a look at some other cases when carpet cleaning is required:
- Very often outwardly the carpet does not seem dirty, but it can emit an extraneous "aroma". This happens if the carpet is in the kitchen or inan environment where strong odors are constantly present. Here you need to take the carpet out into the fresh air and “knock it out” well.
- When the carpet is physically soiled with dirty shoes, groceries, a pet messed up its toilet, etc. In this case, a specific cleaning method is used depending on the damage. It should be immediately taken for cleaning, preventing contamination thoroughly soak the carpet.
- For various reasons, the carpet has become covered with a layer of dust and needs a thorough cleaning.
General Carpet Cleaning Tips
To effectively clean carpets at home, you need to apply the right cleaning products to a particular carpet. But there are general tips for cleaning carpets regardless of soil conditions:
- The first step is to clean the carpet regularly with a vacuum cleaner, preventing it from becoming very dirty. After a long period of non-cleaning, even a new carpet will lose its appearance, and it will take a lot of effort to restore it.
- When choosing a cleaning method, dry cleaning should always be preferred if allowed. This is especially true for wool carpets.
- If water is used when cleaning the product, it should be thoroughly dried at the end of the process. You can use a hair dryer or a fan with warm air. Otherwise, fungus and mold may form in the carpet.
- Carpets "do not tolerate" hard brushes and hot water, as it promotes absorption and moredeep penetration of dirt into the fibers. Such cleaning methods should be immediately abandoned.
- Existing carpet cleaners have different formulations and apply to completely different materials. It is impossible to clean any coatings with one means. In order not to damage the carpet, you need to determine the material on which a particular product can be used. When cleaning natural materials, it is better not to use chemicals at all.
Cleaning the carpet with snow
This is the simplest and most applicable method to help freshen up your carpet, rid it of light odors and remove minor stains. You need to choose a place with dry, clean snow and place the carpet on it with the face in the snow. After the carpet is turned over and we sweep snow on it so that it absorbs surface dirt. Naturally, there is no need to be zealous, it is enough to powder the surface - persistent dirt cannot be removed in this way anyway. After the snow is swept away. If the effect was not noticeable, you can repeat the procedure.
Soda cleaning
This method is generally accepted and received a lot of positive feedback. At home, cleaning carpets with baking soda is one of the most affordable and lint-friendly methods. In addition, the beneficial properties of soda include not only the removal of odor and old stains from the surface, but also disinfection. A solution is prepared in the proportion of half a glass of soda to 5 liters of warm water. Next, the solution is evenly applied to the surface of the carpet (it is better to usesprayer) and left for about 40 minutes. During this time, the soda will perfectly absorb the dirt, and then it must be removed with a vacuum cleaner. As a result, the carpet will restore the appearance with fresh colors.
But it should be noted that woolen and silk products, long pile do not "tolerate" moisture well, and therefore it is recommended to use dry cleaning with this substance for them.
Dry cleaning with baking soda
With dry cleaning of the carpet at home, soda also effectively copes. The powder is scattered all over the carpet and rubbed into the pile with a rag or sponge. At the end of the procedure, the carpet remains in this form for an hour. After the vacuum cleaner cleans the surface.
In order to care for the carpet and make it shine, you can stir soda and s alt in equal amounts and do the above procedure. By the way, this proportion is also useful for wet cleaning. For greater effect, the entire cleaning procedure can be repeated.
In general, cleaning the carpet with soda at home has a number of advantages such as absolute safety for the he alth of people and their pets, the absence of an unpleasant chemical odor after treatment (as is often the case when using special chemicals) and unconditional availability to everyone.
This method is also used for cleaning fur or sheepskin coats.
Vinegar cleaning
Vinegar can significantly refresh faded carpet colors. For cleaning, an vinegar solution is used, which consists of a liter of warm water and one tablespoonspoons of vinegar. Before processing, the carpet must be cleaned of dust. Using a brush, the solution is rubbed in the direction of the pile. You can also add a tablespoon of powder to the liquid to enhance the cleaning ability. After half an hour, the entire surface is washed with a wet sponge. Next, the carpet is vacuumed.
Interestingly, based on home carpet cleaning reviews, vinegar is not capable of removing serious stains. Moreover, it is actively used in the textile industry to fix dyes, that is, it has the ability not to fight stain removal, but rather to fix it. This suggests the conclusion that cleaning carpets with vinegar at home is allowed only if there is no significant contamination on the carpet and only to refresh the appearance of the product.
Cleaning with baking soda and vinegar
These products take the lead in home carpet cleaning recipes, because they act on stains very effectively and are always at hand. It is thanks to the chemical reaction that these two substances enter into when mixed, accompanied by the active release of carbon dioxide, that even old dirt can be removed from carpets. It is important to apply the reagent to the dirty place during the mixing of soda and vinegar. And by adding washing powder, you can enhance the effect.
The solution is prepared as follows: 4 tablespoons of vinegar are added to half a glass of warm water, as well as one tablespoon of baking soda and washing powder. Everything is thoroughly mixed and quickly applied to the surface of the carpet. For convenience, you canPour the solution into a spray bottle and spray. But you need to act quickly while the reaction lasts. For half an hour, the solution should be on the carpet, and then wiped with a rag or brush. Especially dirty places can be rubbed.
There are cases when housewives mixed vinegar solution with soda and powder right at the site of contamination and immediately brushed for maximum effect. But experts advise to first treat a small part of the carpet in an inconspicuous place to see the effect of the reaction on the coating. In this way, you can clean the carpet with baking soda and vinegar at home.
Cleaning with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide
This method is used for the most difficult and difficult stains, since it is peroxide that can penetrate deep into the fibers of the pile and dissolve the dirt. Two tablespoons of soda are stirred in half a glass of 3% peroxide. The mixture poured onto the stain is wiped with a rag and left for 15 minutes. After you need to remove the dirt from the treated area.
It is important to remember that peroxide has bleaching properties. Therefore, this cleaning method is used exclusively on light and white tones of the coating.
Cleaning with ammonia
When you need to remove a stain from wine or fruit juice, ammonia is considered the most effective home cleaning agent. The rules are roughly the same: first you need to clean the floor. After that, add 2 teaspoons of ammonia to a liter of water. Only wetted is not the placedirt rather brush. When cleaning the base, it is better not to touch it. After wiping, the treated area is left for 5 minutes, and then cleaned with a dry, clean cloth.
Sauerkraut cleaning
Even sauerkraut can be used to clean carpets at home. The cover is dust free. Since the product has a strong smell that the carpet obviously does not need, the cabbage should be washed well before use. Cabbage should also be without vinegar. It is evenly scattered on the carpet and rolled with a broom, broom or brush until it becomes dirty. After the cabbage is collected, washed and the procedure is repeated until the cabbage is no longer dirty on the carpet. At the end of this cleaning, the cabbage is collected and the carpet is vacuumed.
Cleaning with gasoline and sawdust
This method is used to clean carpets at home with difficult dirt such as nail polish, plasticine, chocolate, wine, urine and so on. The disadvantage of this method is immediately “striking”, which consists in a persistent and unpleasant odor that does not leave the carpet for several days after cleaning. To begin with, a soapy solution is prepared and mixed with gasoline in a ratio of 10 to 1. Add sawdust to the resulting solution, which should be well saturated. After these sawdust is poured out on dirty places and dries up, absorbing stains. At the end, sawdust is removed with a broom.
Cleaning with special chemicals
You can replace dry cleaning at home, using special chemicals at homecarpet cleaning conditions. Typically, such products are available in the form of a spray, shampoo, powder or granules. The last two perform dry cleaning if they are evenly scattered over the carpet and rubbed into the pile with a brush. It remains only to collect them with a vacuum cleaner.
Shampoos dissolve in water and foam is whipped. It is with its help that dirty places are cleaned by applying foam to them. Rubbing is not required. After some time, the foam will dry and it will be possible to remove its remnants with a vacuum cleaner. It is important that the liquid itself does not get on the pile, as it is very aggressive and can change or even discolor the coating.
Spray is sprayed on the right place and rubbed into the surface with a sponge. Such cleaning can also be carried out after the applied agent remains on the contamination for 2-3 minutes. And then it remains only to wait for the spray to dry and vacuum it.
Naturally, the presence of chemicals in the composition of such products ensures their toxicity. Therefore, after cleaning, you should ventilate the room well.
Fighting stains without wet cleaning
To get a stain out of a carpet at home, dry cleaning would be the first way to start. Of course, removing the stain without the help of liquids will be a difficult task. But when the carpet does not allow the use of wet procedures, it remains only to try dry stain removal with soda. The procedure for dry cleaning is about the same as cleaning the entire carpet. The only difference is rubbing baking soda on the stain.in the direction from the edges to the center. You can rub more aggressively with the palm of your hand or a brush, but with a pile of medium hardness. It is desirable to carry out this procedure immediately after the appearance of the stain.
As you can see, you can effortlessly clean your carpet effectively without going to a dry cleaner, thereby protecting yourself and your loved ones from unwanted chemical fumes and unnecessary costs.
