For a long time, carpets have been present in our housing, because people have always sought to create coziness in their home. At first, the walls and floors had the skins of dead animals. But as a person mastered the art of sewing, carpets became widespread and took on various forms. Today they are also actively used in both modern and retro style. Being an integral part of interior design, they require respect 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 conduct periodic cleaning. At home, you can independently clean the carpet without resorting to dry cleaning services. So, consider the existing methods of cleaning carpet products.
When to clean the carpet
Of course, regular vacuuming is the key to a good condition of the carpet, including the wall. But not always cleaning dust can clean its surface. Let's analyze what other cases there are when carpet cleaning is required:
- Very often, the appearance of the carpet does not seem dirty, but it can emit an extraneous “aroma”. This happens if the carpet is in the kitchen or in an environment where strong odors are constantly present. Here it is necessary to take the carpet to fresh air and thoroughly "knock out".
- When the carpet got physically contaminated with dirty shoes, food, the pet mixed up its toilet, etc. In this case, a specific cleaning method is used, depending on the damage. Immediately start cleaning, avoiding thoroughly soaking the carpet.
- For various reasons, the carpet is covered with a layer of dust and requires thorough cleaning.
General carpet cleaning tips
In order for home carpets to be effectively cleaned, you need to apply the right cleaning products to a specific carpet. But there are general tips for cleaning carpets regardless of the conditions of pollution:
- The first step is to regularly clean the carpet with a vacuum cleaner, preventing it from becoming very dirty. After a long absence of 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, you should always give preference to the dry method, if allowed. This is especially true for woolen carpets.
- If water is used when cleaning the product, it should be thoroughly dried at the end of the process. You can use a hairdryer 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 helps to absorb and deeper penetration of dirt into the fibers. Such cleaning methods should be discarded immediately.
- Existing carpet cleaning products have different compositions and are applied to completely different materials. Do not use any product to clean any coatings. In order not to damage the carpet, you need to determine the material on which a specific tool can be used. When cleaning natural materials, it is better to completely abandon the use of chemicals.
Carpet cleaning with snow
This most simple and used method will help to freshen the carpet, rid it of mild odors and remove small impurities. You need to choose a place with dry, clean snow and place the carpet on it with its face in the snow. After the carpet is turned over and snow is laid on it so that it absorbs surface contamination. Naturally, one does not need to be zealous, it is enough to dust the surface - persistent contamination 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 solution cleaning
This method is generally accepted and has received many positive reviews. At home, cleaning soda carpets is one of the most affordable and harmless to pile 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. Then the solution is evenly applied to the surface of the carpet (it is better to use a spray bottle) and left for about 40 minutes. During this time, soda absorbs pollution well, and then it must be removed with a vacuum cleaner. As a result, the carpet will restore its appearance with fresh colors.
But it should be noted that woolen and silk products, a long pile do not “tolerate” moisture well, and therefore it is recommended to use dry cleaning of this substance for them.
Dry soda cleaning
With dry carpet cleaning at home, soda also copes effectively. The powder is scattered throughout the carpet and rubbed into the pile with a rag or sponge. At the end of the procedure in this form, the carpet remains for an hour. After the vacuum cleaner cleans the surface.
In order to care for the carpet and give it shine, you can stir the baking soda with salt in equal amounts and do the above procedure. By the way, this proportion will come in handy when wet cleaning. For greater effect, the entire cleaning procedure can be repeated.
In general, cleaning a carpet with soda at home has a number of advantages such as absolute safety for the health of people and their pets, the absence of an unpleasant chemical smell after processing (as is often the case with special chemicals) and unconditional accessibility to everyone.
This method is also used for cleaning fur or sheepskin coats.
Vinegar Cleaning
Vinegar is able to significantly refresh the faded colors of carpets. For cleaning, vinegar solution is used, which consists of a liter of warm water and one tablespoon of vinegar. Before processing, the carpet must be dust free. Using a brush, rub the solution 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 vacuum cleaned.
Interestingly, based on reviews on carpet cleaning at home, vinegar is not able to remove 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 are no significant contaminants on the carpet and only to refresh the appearance of the product.
Cleaning with soda and vinegar
These products occupy a leading place 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 when mixing, accompanied by the active release of carbon dioxide, that even old dirt can be removed from carpeting. It is important to apply the reagent to a dirty place during mixing soda and vinegar. And by adding washing powder, you can enhance the effect.
The solution is prepared as follows: in a half-glass of warm water, 4 tablespoons of vinegar are added, 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 can pour 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 cloth or brush. Especially dirty places can be rubbed.
There are cases when the hostesses mixed vinegar with soda and powder right at the place of contamination and immediately brushed to obtain the maximum effect. But experts advise to first process a small part of the carpet in an inconspicuous place to see the effect of the reaction on the floor. Thus, you can clean the carpet with soda and vinegar at home.
Cleaning with 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 mixed 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 dirt from the treated area.
It is important to remember that peroxide has whitening properties. Therefore, this method of cleaning is used exclusively on light and white tones of the coating.
Ammonia cleaning
If you need to remove a stain from wine or fruit juice, ammonia is considered the most effective means for cleaning at home. The rules are roughly repeated: first you need to clean the floor. After, add 2 teaspoons of ammonia to a liter of water. Only the wetting place is not wetted, but the brush. Do not touch the base during cleaning. 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 coating is dust free. Since the product has a strong smell, which is clearly unnecessary for the carpet, the cabbage should be washed well before use. Cabbage should also be without vinegar. It spreads evenly on the carpet and rolls with a broom, broom or brush until it becomes dirty. After the cabbage is collected, washed and the procedure is repeated until the cabbage ceases to become dirty on the carpet. At the end of this cleaning, the cabbage is collected and the carpet is vacuum cleaned.
Sawdust gas cleaning
This method is used to clean carpets at home with such difficult soiling, such as nail polish, plasticine, chocolate, wine, urine and so on. Immediately “striking” is the disadvantage of this method, which is a persistent and unpleasant odor that does not leave the carpet for several days after cleaning. First, a soap solution is prepared and mixed with gasoline in a ratio of 10 to 1. In the resulting solution, add sawdust, which should be well saturated. After these sawdust get enough sleep on dirty places and dry, absorbing spots. At the end, the sawdust is removed with a broom.
Cleaning with special chemicals
Dry cleaning can be replaced at home, using special chemicals at home to clean the carpet. Typically, such funds are available in the form of a spray, shampoo, powder or granules. The last two perform dry cleaning if they are evenly scattered on 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 the 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 remains with a vacuum cleaner. It is important that the liquid itself does not get on the pile, as it is a very aggressive agent and can change or even discolor the coating.
The spray is sprayed to the right place and rubbed into the surface with a sponge. Such cleaning can be carried out after the applied product will remain contaminated for 2-3 minutes. And then you just have to wait for the spray to dry and vacuum.
Naturally, the presence of chemicals in the composition of such products provide their toxicity. Therefore, at the end of cleaning, the room should be well ventilated.
Stain control without wet cleaning
To remove stain from the carpet at home, dry cleaning will be the first way to start. Of course, removing the stain without the help of fluids will be a daunting task. But when the carpet does not allow the use of wet procedures, it remains only to try dry stain removal with soda. The dry cleaning procedure is about the same as cleaning the entire carpet. The only difference is rubbing soda into the stain in the direction from the edges to the center. You can rub more aggressively with a palm or brush, but with a pile of medium hardness. It is advisable to carry out this procedure immediately after the appearance of a stain.
As you can see, you can effectively clean the carpet without unnecessary efforts, without resorting to dry cleaning, thereby protecting yourself and your loved ones from unwanted chemical fumes and unnecessary expenses.