Professional Carpet Cleaning Tips for Your Home

We chatted with our field manager at Refresh Carpet Cleaning & Upholstery Care to get a better idea of some carpet cleaning secrets that he’s gained over his years of experience that he uses not only in customers homes but his very own home as well!

1. Don’t Rub Stains, Blot Them Instead

   “You never want to rub the stain even though that is seemingly embedded in our brain as the natural solution. Trying to scrub the stain can lead to the stain expanding further, which makes the problem a whole lot worse than when you started. By gently patting the stain, you’ll be pulling it from the carpet, rather than spreading it around.”

2. Household Items to the Rescue

   “You don’t need to have any harsh chemicals or special cleaning solutions if a stain comes up in your home. Two options using things you may have in your home include using a bottle cap of vinegar with a cup of water into a spray bottle and spray the stained area. Let it sit for a few minutes before attempting to soak it up with a clean white cloth or rag. This step will need to be repeated a few times, so don’t panic if it doesn’t come up on the first attempt. Club soda can also be used to blot the area in question, again applying a similar method. Place dry rags or paper towel on the affected area with a bit of weight, and let it sit to absorb all the liquid and pull the stain out with it.”

3. Shaving Cream

   “Another solution using a household item is to try a small area of shaving cream to any minor stains. Let it set, and once it has, you can use a clean white rag to blot the area away. Finish the area by spraying the vinegar solution, and wipe it away.”

4. Gum In Carpet

   “One of the more frustrating items to get in your carpets is unquestionable, gum. A good method to try and get it out is to set a couple of ice cubes onto the gum which will make it solid rather than sticky, then you should be able to lift it with a spoon, and carefully using scissors to cut as best as possible. You may need to make some minor reductions in the carpet, but this method should help minimize that, and leave them looking as normal as possible.”

5. Dishwasher Detergent

   “Detergent doesn’t need just to be for your dishes! Put two drops into a cup of water, and you’ve got yourself a powerful degreaser. The degreasing solution will help loosen any grease stains in the flooring, and using the same blotting method, will contribute to loosening and remove them from the floors.”

6. Melted Wax

   “Getting melted wax out of carpets is again a tricky one to deal with. A solution that can work is to take an iron like you’d use on your shirts and place a paper towel down over the area with the wax. Using the heat of the iron with the paper stock as a barrier, it will warm the wax, and bind to the paper towel. Just be careful not to attempt this for very long, and to be cautious of the color of your carpets as you don’t want any color to be transferring.”

7. Blood Removal

   “If you have kids at home, you know that it isn’t uncommon for them to get a scrape or a minor cut, and come on top of the carpets in search of a band-aid. If you happen to get a few drops of blood on the floor, a good solution to try is hydrogen peroxide. Once it mixes with the blood, it will almost immediately start to foam, and you can then apply the dab and blot method to wipe it away.”

8. Find a Good Pet Stain Remover

   “One of the things every pet owner needs to have on hand for pet stains is a good natural spot cleaner. Pet urine changes in the first 24 hours, so it’s important to address these as soon as possible. You can find organic spot cleaners in most pet stores that will be a worthwhile thing to stock in your cupboards, especially with new pets in the home.”

9. Removing Candy

   “Again with kids in a house, it’s only a matter of time for candy to end up on, and in turn, in, your carpets. If this happens, try to take a small knife to the carpets to loosen up as much as you can and pull it from the carpets. Once this is done, you can take a wet sponge and soapy solution to the area to rinse it out. Be sure to dry it after, and repeat as necessary. Sugar in your carpets is a magnet for dirt, debris, and in the summer months ants, so getting these areas clean is hugely important.”

10. Regular Carpet Cleaning

    “You’ll want to have a regularly scheduled maintenance cleaning of your carpets that does a deeper cleaning than is possible with regular vacuuming. By applying a steam rinse to the carpets, the heat and water generated will deep clean your carpets, with our truck mounted vacuums extracting all the water and the “gunk” that comes without out of your carpets, leaving them looking, feeling, and smelling good.”

More Carpet Cleaning Tips

• Helpful Carpet Cleaning Tips
• Advantages Of Professional Carpet Cleaning and Upholstery Care
• Getting Your Carpets Cleaned of Pet Urine
• Hiring Refresh Instead of Renting A Rug Doctor in Vancouver
• How Does Scotchguard Treatment Work For Carpet Cleaning?
• How to Get Food Stains Out of Your Carpet
• Wet Carpet Cleaning Benefits
• Common Carpet Cleaning Mistakes