5 Top Tips for Cleaning Carpets (From A Commercial Cleaning Company That Knows!)

Carpet stains are a nightmare. Spending hundreds of pounds on a beautiful cream carpet, only to have it ruined with muddy footprints, coffee stains, makeup/nail varnish, the list is endless.

Whether it's children or pets or just dust and dirt in general, you want it looking clean.

In this article, i have teamed up with leading commercial cleaning company It’s Clean to provide you with some useful tips for cleaning your carpets.

1. Coffee & Tea stains

Hot drinks like tea & coffee leave dreadful marks on the carpet, as they are so obvious and can't be hidden. Here are our tips to avoid permanent staining:

Firstly, dry the spot by blotting the stain with a dry white towel. If it is a large spillage keep changing the cloths to stop you from spreading it even more.
Try using a remedy of, vinegar, water and a gentle non bleach detergent in a spritzer. Spray and carry on dabbing the stain.
Additionally, there will also be several products sold in general stores specifically for this type of carpet stain. If you decide to use a new product, ALWAYS perform a patch test to assure no damage to your carpet is made from the chemicals.
Keep blotting with the home-made remedy/ shop bought cleaner until the stain is gone.

2. Pet stains

All pet owners will have endured this experience at one time or another. If your pet has had an accident on the carpet, follow these tips for removing the stain and smell as quickly as possible:

Clean up the initial mess, use gloves and dispose of it in a local doggy bin or a bin outside. Avoid putting it in a bin in your house!
If the mess is wet use the blot method to soak up the moisture without smearing it or rubbing it in any other areas on the carpet.
If the mess has dried onto the carpet fibres, the best way to treat this type of carpet stain is to moisten it and apply a carpet stain cleaning product, especially for pet stains.
The smell can be very pungent and can linger for a long time if it is not sorted quickly. Try mixing 1/4 cup of vinegar with a quarter of warm water and spray it onto the stain. Let the remedy soak in for a couple of minutes then begin to blot the stain until it has disappeared, and you can no longer smell it. Additionally, you can also use this method but instead of the remedy simply mix 1/4 cup of warm water with stain-fighting laundry detergent in a spray bottle, then spray it on the spot. Allow it to soak again for a couple of minutes, rinse with warm water and repeat.

3. Blood Stains

Blood stains on the carpet...not an ideal situation.

Blood has the ability to seep deep into the carpet and make stains even more difficult to remove. The stain should be treated as quickly as possible to avoid permanent staining. Don't panic! These tips will help:

Always use COLD water instead of hot. This is important as blood coagulates with heat, cold water will prevent the blood from permeating into the carpet fibres.
Oxiclean is a bleach free product with the ability to oxygenate most carpets, a product ideal for blood stains. Apply on the stain using a spray bottle or pour a small amount of the solution onto the spot. Blot it until it is dry, rinse the cloth and spray again. Repeat until the stain has disappeared.

Blood stains will take a lot of patience and persistence so be prepared!

4. Nail varnish

It's never a good time to tell your parents that you have spilt bright red nail polish all over the new cream carpet. Again, you don't need to panic, as we have some simple steps to make the nail varnish stains magically disappear:

Firstly, absorb as much of the nail polish as you can with a paper or clean dish towel, DO NOT scrub the stain, this can cause it to set even faster.
Keep changing the paper/dish towel to avoid smearing the stain.
Next use a non-acetone nail polish remover. Gently apply a small amount directly onto the nail polish stain. This should start to lift the stain off the carpet.

No need to tell your parents anything...

5. Mud and Dirt

There’s a reason homeowners say 'Take your shoes off before going into the house'. You only really understand why they made you do this until you have bought your own carpet. To get rid of muddy carpet stains, follow these steps:

Let the mud dry, then vacuum off the dried mud. DO NOT use water to get it off as it will only make it worse.
Mix two teaspoons of hand dishwashing detergent and two cups of cool water. Use a cloth, sponge or soft bristle brush to work the solution into the mud stained areas. Blot away the soil with a paper towel as it is lifted.
Rinse the area with plain water to remove any soapy residue.
Allow the areas to dry away from direct heat or sunlight and vacuum lifting the carpet fibres.

You may not be able to avoid carpet stains however, knowing how to get rid of them makes it less of a stress. If you have not got the time to get rid of all the carpet stains in your house, then use a commercial cleaning company to solve your carpet cleaning problems. At It's clean we provide an excellent carpet cleaning service - please call on 01423 566785 or visit our website for a free quotation https://www.itsclean.co.uk/.

*this post was written in collaberation with itsclean.co.uk*