7 Money Saving Tips When Cleaning and Maintaining Your Carpet

7 Money Saving Tips When Cleaning and Maintaining Your Carpet from North Carolina Lifestyle Blogger Adventures of Frugal Mom

A carpet adds a lot of character and warmth into a home. To keep it clean and smelling fresh, it’s recommended to vacuum at least twice a week and have it professionally cleaned once a year. However, regular home functions and living can require professional cleaning more often, which means spending more on it. Regular replacement is also costly.

The good news is, you can keep your carpet in good condition for years and reduce the number of required professional cleaning to the bare minimum. Here are seven ways on how to do this affordably.

1. Vacuum Often

This is one way to extend the time between professional cleanings. When dirt and food particles get ground into the carpet’s fibers, it gets even harder to clean, requiring a professional cleaner more often. By vacuuming your carpet regularly, you ensure nothing gets bound on the fibres as vacuuming can successfully remove any loose dirt.

2. Spot Cleaning

Sometimes, all you have is a spot or stain on a section of your carpet. If you learn how to clean this up, such stains should not rush you into taking the carpet to a professional cleaner each time they occur. Here are few common stains and how to clean them up:

• Coffee stains

Try and dab the coffee with paper towels to soak it up. Dab it rather than rub it. The latter can spread the stain around or sink it deeper into the fibres. If you have a wet-dry vacuum cleaner, use it. This is excellent as well because it will suck it up as opposed to spreading it around.

Mix dishwashing detergent with warm water and put the mixture in a spray bottle. Spray the stain directly, and blot the spot with white water.

Once this is done, mix 3 ounces of plain vinegar with 6 ounces of water. Apply to the stained area from a spray bottle again and repeat the blotting process. You should do this until the plain white towel you’re using to blot the spot has no traces of the coffee.

Ink stains

For ink stains, use 90% isopropyl alcohol. You can use 70% as well if that is what is available.

Pour the alcohol on a rug and dab it on the stain, not the other way round. Do this until there is no more transfer.

Pet stain removal

Even the best house-trained pets suffer a few accidents from time to time. Here is how to clean up:

Sprinkle baking soda on it to absorb as much moisture as possible. Follow this up with a hydrogen peroxide solution or vinegar solution to blot off the stain with a rug. Again start from the outside going in so as not to spread the stain.

Hydrogen peroxide is great for removing blood stains as well.

If these homemade solutions are not appealing to you, you can opt for store-bought natural enzyme removers. These cleaners contain organisms that feed on odour-causing bacteria found in stains.

However, If these remedies don’t seem to make a dent on your stained carpet, then Carpestology Brisbane Carpet Cleaning can use the right technology to completely clean off the stain or make it barely noticeable.

3. Use Mats and Runners

Dirt and other particles trapped in shoes tend to wear down your carpet as well as make it dirty. If you invest heavily in a carpet, it’s only fair that it gives you a reasonable duration of service while remaining in good condition. This calls for a bit more care of your carpet.

One thing you can do is have mats or rugs outside your home where people can wipe off their shoes before coming in and stepping on the carpet. This will keep your carpet much cleaner for months, saving you the regular professional cleaning costs. You can also use runners for areas of our home that take the most foot traffic.

4. Ban Bringing Shoes Indoors

Another extremely effective way to keep your carpet in tip-top shape is to have a no shoe policy in your home. Instead, have a designated area where people can leave their shoes near the door. You can even provide comfy sandals for indoor wear. These actions help protect the carpet, keeping it in good condition for longer.

5. Be Selective With The Products You Use

While dabbing off a stain, ensure to use a clean white cloth. Using a coloured cloth can transfer the cloth’s colour to the carpet. Also, as much as possible, try and use homemade solutions. These are commonly found in your kitchen and are therefore much milder than commercial cleaning solutions.

The latter can be too abrasive and can damage your carpet fibres. This will wear your carpet faster requiring replacement or patch up work. A good repair job can be costly.

Also, do not buy into the hype that the highly priced products are the best in the market. This is not necessarily true. You can find more affordable products that are extremely effective. Items like hydrogen peroxide, baking soda and vinegar are reasonably priced, readily available and can do the job just as well.

6. Clean Stains As Soon As They Occur

Your best bet for clearing a stain or at least diminishing its appearance is by cleaning it immediately it happens. This goes for all stains. Do not wait until your next professional clean or until your cleaning day on the weekend. Doing this only gives it time to infiltrate the fibres and set.

7. Stretch It Out

Apart from being unsightly and a tripping hazard, ripples in a carpet can shorten its lifespan. This is because ripples make it easier to crease and even tear.

Ripples can be caused by humidity and moving heavy furniture. When moving furniture, try to lift as opposed to pushing or dragging it on the carpet. Stretch out any ripples as soon as you spot them. If your carpet is not affixed to the wall, you can use the bulkier pieces of furniture to hold it in place.

In addition to these tips, look out for professional cleaning discounts in low seasons. This can get you an excellent professional clean at a fraction of the usual price.

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