Clean and soft carpets look great and make your home look cozy and inviting. Unfortunately, rugs and carpets are also a common host to grease, dog urine, coffee, and other smelly stains. Before you ditch soiled carpets for a new one, you may want to try things that could reverse the damage. Here are some tips on how you can effectively remove carpet stains.
Act fast
Make sure you once you notice a blemish in your carpet. The faster you act, the more comfortable and more likely you will be successful at removing stains from your carpet.
The first thing to do is to remove any visible debris you see on the carpet using a fork or spoon. You can also vacuum solid, dried bits and debris. You need to avoid pressing the materials deeper into the fiber because this makes removal more difficult. You should not also use a scrub or brush because it can damage the fiber, only making the problem worse.
You can then gently dap the soiled area with a cloth or paper towel. See to it that you do not over-wet the carpet. Make sure you also use fabric or papers towels with no prints and colors to avoid dyes leaching into the carpet. Companies offering carpet cleaning in Draper, Utah suggest being patient as the process can take several minutes to complete.
Use the right stain removal solution
The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI), the trade association for the North American carpet industry, recommends using CRI Certified Seal of Approval carpet cleaning products. These products have already been tested, but it is crucial to still pretest any cleaning product on a scrap of carpet or an unseen area of the carpet before you use it.
If you do not have a CRI-approved carpet cleaner at home, you may want to make your solution. For stains caused by beverages such as coffee and tea, the standard recommendation is to use a combination of 1/4 teaspoon of liquid dishwashing detergent and a cup of lukewarm water. While it may be tempting to add more dish soap to the solution, experts say this will make rinsing the carpet more difficult in the end. For blood stains, you can use a solution of ½ cup of water and a tablespoon of ammonia.
One round of cleaning may not be enough to remove the stain. It may take multiple sessions of cleaning before the stain completely disappears. This means that if your first attempt to remove that red wine or blood stain did not work, repeat the cleaning process and the blot should eventually disappear.
Hire professional carpet cleaners
If everything else fails, it should be time to call for professional help. Carpet cleaners are equipped with the right equipment and cleaning solutions to treat soiled rugs. They also have years of experience in this profession; they know the right cleaning method to use depending on the kind of stain and material. Even without stains, experts still recommend having carpets professionally deep cleaned every 12 to 18 months to prevent any health risks it may cause.
Keeping your carpets clean help make your home more inviting and comfortable. Follow the tips as mentioned above to keep your carpets and rugs clean and great-looking.
