Easy green carpet cleaning tips
Contributed by Abby Fowler
Almost every home and property has at least one carpet that needs suitable cleaning.
Soiling, grit, dust mites, allergens and other pollutants get trapped in the fabric. They can not only make the carpet look dull and darker, but contaminate the air.
Use these easy green carpet cleaning tips to freshen up your carpet. They are effective against mold, mildew, harmful microorganisms, spillages, and smears.
Regular vacuum cleaning will reduce the spread of dust mites, the main instigators of asthma and allergic reactions. Use a vacuum cleaner with HEPA filters, strong engine, and rotating brushes.
A good vacuum will trap the dirt and dust and not let them return on the carpet. Repeat the vacuum cleaning several times especially on high traffic areas.
Beyond vacuuming: spills and odors
Clean the spills from your carpet immediately after they appear. Use a paper or fabric cloth to cover and soak the spill. Sticky substances scrape with a spoon or spatula. Don’t rub the spill. Rubbing will damage the carpet fabric and spread the stain on a larger area.
You can easily make an effective and easy cleaning solution for removing stains. Mix half teaspoon of the detergent (for laundry or dishes) or liquid soap in glass of warm water.
Apply it on the stain. Blot with a white cloth, pressing it onto the stained area and then removing the cloth. Repeat several times without rubbing until the stain vanishes.
Rinse with a cleaning solution made of several drops of white vinegar dissolved in a glass of water. Blot with another cloth.
Club soda is effective in removing red wine stains from carpets. You can use corn meal, baking soda, or corn starch to remove greasy stains from carpets. Sprinkle any of these on the carpet and let them sit for six hours or overnight. Then vacuum clean the area.
To remove odors from your carpets, use baking or washing soda. Most carpet deodorizers contain ingredients and fragrances that only mask the odors. The soda will soak up and neutralize the smell. Sprinkle it on the carpet surface and let it work for 15-30 minutes, then vacuum.
Deep carpet cleaning: steam cleaning
Use a steam cleaner to provide deeper cleaning and refreshing of your carpet . Carpet shampoo leaves a residue. You don’t need it. Use plain hot water to clean the carpet working with the machine according to the manufacturer’s directions.
If you want more carpet cleaning power, use a solution of a glass of white vinegar and 2 gallons of water. SparklingCarpets North West London advises 2 glasses of vinegar for an even more concentrated and stronger cleaning solution.
Steam cleaning with this solution not only removes the dirt and deodorizes the carpet. It also extracts shampoo residue left on it from previous cleaning sessions.
Open the windows or/and turn on the ventilation system in the room while steam cleaning and after completing it. Doing so will protect the carpet from mold and odor. Don’t steam clean the carpet on damp and humid days.
Using these tips will freshen and deep clean your carpet and improve its condition. They use only safe, non-toxic ingredients that you already have around the house.
I had no idea that steam could be such an effective carpet cleaning tool. It is also nice to know that water combine with vinegar would be really helpful when it comes to cleaning the carpeting. It seems like that would be a good things to try if you aren’t sure how to get stains up.
I have rented steam cleaning machines, although not recently enough that I can remember where. I put clean water in and poured out really dark, nasty-looking water, so it must have picked up a lot that the vacuum didn’t. I also remember how damp the carpet was after I finished. I ran fans to make sure it dried quickly and didn’t have a chance to grow mold. I have used the Oreck dry carpet cleaning system the last several times I have cleaned carpets.
Thanks for commenting.
Here’s a little trick I found when working in the hospital. I will use EXTREMELY HOT water and a mixture of glass cleaner. It works real well. You can use this with carpet extraction or surface cleaning. It will work with either one. I thought about trying this because we were on such a tight budget and the glass cleaner was about 1/2 the cost of the carpet cleaner. There’s more tips like this at http://venicecarpet.com.
Thank you.
This is a really great article! Thanks for explaining this process so well. Many don’t really understand what it takes to maintain your carpets. Keep it up!
Best advice I can give to a DIYer, Use little chemical as possible. Watch out for some of those spot treatments that contain “oxy” in their verbage. It can bleach out an area – especially on natural fibers. Try to rinse area with plain water.
Professional Carpet Cleaning Stamford CT
Thanks. And keep coming back to read!
An important warning. Thanks.
I like the power of vacuum. Frequent vacuuming will prevent wear and assist in prolonging the life of the carpet protector. Oh btw, nice tips here mate. Very informative indeed!
Nice tips. If the club soda doesn’t eliminate the wine stain, mix some vinegar with water and spray around the stained area. Let it stay for about 15 minutes then blot it away.
Thanks for the suggestion!
Thanks. I appreciate your comment.
Thank you for the tips. Yes, make sure you don’t get the carpet too wet since that will also cause the carpet to shrink if not done properly. Always work your way into the stain. When using a white cloth, use multiple or part of the cloth that is not soaking up the stain. That way you get to see how much is coming off!
Good points. Thanks.
thankyou for this tip nice post ,
I agree that steam cleaning works well, but don’t like the damp carpets. I, too, have used the Oreck dry system. I stumbled across some recipes online for home-made dry carpet cleaners. The next time I clean my carpets, I’ll have to try one out to see how well it works.
Your tips are more than great! I’ll use all of them for future carpet cleaning. really environment safe and pet friendly metod Thank you for posting!
I clean carpets in an area that is very environmentally conscious (outside of Seattle) so people are always asking me 1) what they can do to take care of their carpets at home and 2) how they can do so without harming the environment.
This article really outlines some good techniques that I think homeowners can use to clean their carpets with minimal impact on the environment. I plan to adapt some of these ideas and share them with my clients so they can start being better stewards of our environment.
Thanks Andrew.
Very helpful and useful tips. Almost covering all types of rugs. Very informative too. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks, Jack.
This blog is very helpful and informative.I agree that steam cleaning works well, but don’t like the damp carpets. I, too, have used the Oreck dry system.i know about the company who is providing same service at affordable prices.
Great minds think alike! Thanks.