There’s just something about carpets that make the whole home look complete. They beautify every room, keep our feet warm, and hide inevitable scratches and holes in the floor. But carpets also take a lot of abuse from us – we walk on them with our outside shoes, let our pets run around them, spill food and drinks, etc. If you do all of this to your carpets, you would also need to do something that will prolong their lifespan. That is, you need to take care of them. And, taking care of your carpets starts with cleaning them regularly. However, that doesn’t mean just vacuuming, no. Certain things will help you efficiently clean your carpet. So, if you want to know all the tips and tricks on having clean, fluffy, and perfumed carpets, keep reading.

1. Clean the Stains Immediately 

To clean your carpet efficiently, you must deal with the stain as soon as it appears. For instance, if you drop something on the carpet (coffee, red wine, nail polish, ink, liquid food, etc.) or your children and pets have an accident, you must clean the stain instantly. To do that:

1. Take a credit card or a dull knife and lift the solids.
2. Take a paper towel and blot away the moisture.
3. Take a carpet cleaning solution and rub the stain gently until it is all gone.
4. Of course, let it air dry, and if necessary, repeat the cleaning process.

If you can’t remove the stain, the next best option is to take your carpets to professional carpet cleaners. They will know what to do! Moreover, it would be a good idea to have your carpets professionally cleaned whenever you want to have an efficient spring cleaning, or something similar. Carpets tend to collect a lot of dirt, and if they are not deep-cleaned occasionally, they can become carriers of pests, mould, and who knows what else.

2. Use Distilled White Vinegar

If you have some persistent stains on your carpet but you don’t want to have it professionally cleaned, don’t worry; there’s a solution. Get a spray bottle and pour inside a mixture of water and white vinegar (three parts water and one part white vinegar). Then, find a hidden part of your carpet and add this mixture to check the colourfastness. If you don’t see any change of colour, you are good to go. Spray this mixture on the stain (or on your entire carpet) and wait for 5 to 10 minutes. Finally, take a damp microfiber cloth and start gently rubbing. It would be best if you also let the whole carpet air-dry before you start walking on it again.

Don’t be afraid of using white vinegar to clean your home – the smell will evaporate in a couple of hours if that worries you! The best part about this cleaning technique is that it is all-natural. So, you won’t have to worry about your children and pets playing on the carpet right after you are done cleaning.

3. Or, Use Baking Soda and Salt 

If you don’t have any stains on your carpet but want to freshen it up a bit, you can try using baking soda and salt. First, mix equal amounts of soda and salt. Secondly, prepare a spray bottle and fill it with plain tap water (or distilled water, if you have it). To efficiently clean your carpet this way, you should vacuum it thoroughly, sprinkle the carpet with a pre-made mixture, and spray it with water. Wait a couple of hours, spray the carpet with water again and start scrubbing with a microfiber cloth.

This technique works wonders when you have smelly, old carpets. Or, even if you have mould, pests, or some dirt on your carpets, that just won’t go away. Because of this, many carpet experts believe that you should always do this method if you plan to have them ready for transport – when moving them to a new home or when packing them for storage, for example.

4. Shampooing Proved to Be the Best for Carpet Cleaning 

Every once in a while, you should clean the carpets using hot water extraction. You have three options for this. First, buy a steam cleaner. Second, borrow a steam cleaner from a friend or a family member. Third, have your carpets professionally cleaned for the best results. Our advice is to choose the third option as it will take the least of your time, energy, and money.

Shampooing the carpet has many benefits. But, let us mention just some of the most important ones:

• Kills 99% of all bacteria
• Removes mould
• Prevents mould from appearing again
• Eliminates bed bugs, dust mites, carpet beetles, etc.
• Fights against fungi and yeast
• Removes stains, smells, etc.

To always have a clean and safe rug, you should have it steamed and deep cleaned once a year. Or twice a year if you have children and pets. However, don’t hire the first carpet cleaning company; do some research and find the most reliable one in your area. That should be a company that cleans using good machines and in a clean environment.

5. Dish Soap and Shaving Cream to the Rescue

When talking about tricks to efficiently clean your carpet, we cannot but mention the newest one – cleaning the carpets using dish soap and shaving cream. This trend is all over social media, and we are glad to inform you that it works! Namely, if you have some stains (greasy and oily ones) that just don’t want to disappear, you can try putting first dish soap and then shaving cream on them. Wait for a couple of minutes and then start scrubbing. This should remove even those most stubborn stains.

As you have seen, there are many tricks to efficiently clean your carpet. Try the ones we mentioned above; if nothing works, call the professionals. But, whatever you do, don’t wait for the stain to disappear on its own, because it will not! By not acting immediately, the stain will become a permanent part of your carpet, and you will never be able to eliminate it again.