No matter how careful we are in our homes there are always going to be accidents where food or drink, or some other substance is dropped on to your carpet. Spot cleaning a carpet is something that most of us do all the time. From mopping up coffee spills to cleaning up after your pet has had an ‘accident’, a carpet certainly takes a beating. There are plenty of ways to remove common spills and stains but there are 3 things carpet cleaning mistakes to avoid at all costs when cleaning your carpet.
You may think you know what not to clean your carpet with at home, so this first tip may come as a surprise.
1. Shop bought carpet cleaners
Generally speaking it’s always best to avoid buying over the counter carpet cleaning products, whether they be foams, sprays, or liquids. Most products marked ‘for cleaning carpets’ tend to leave a residue behind in your carpet. This residue attracts soil and dust over time leaving you with a brown spot on your carpet in the very area you thought you had cleaned. Soap by nature attracts dirt and is then designed to be rinsed off. When you use over the counter carpet cleaners it’s impossible to ever wash it away completely and as a result soap residues remain on the carpet and continue to attract all manner of dirt and soils.
2. Coloured towels
Never use a coloured rag or towel when spot cleaning your carpet or mopping up a spill. When you use a coloured cloth you run the risk of the colour bleeding or transferring itself onto the carpet fibres. A prime example of this is using a red towel on a pale beige carpet. Instead always use a clean white cloth or paper towels to do the dirty work.
3. Don’t rub – blot
It can be tempting to rub away at a dirty mark or spill in an effort to remove it, and this is one of the most common carpet cleaning mistakes that people make. The thing is we’re typically taught to scrub away at dirty marks to clean most things but when it comes to a carpet, the opposite action is required. All that rubbing or scrubbing your carpet does is to spread the stain over a larger area creating an even bigger stain. The answer is to BLOT it. If you feel you need more pressure then dimply stand on top of several paper towels to help them soak up the moisture. The pressure from the additional weight helps the soil or spill to transfer onto the towel that you’re cleaning your carpet with.
Spills happen. Fact. By knowing what not to do you can help your carpet look better for longer. If you do need the help of a professional carpet cleaner or are struggling to rid yourself of a stubborn stain, then give Carpet Cleaning Kings a call on 1300 7000 75. We’ve been successfully cleaning carpets for many years and have the necessary skills, products, and equipment, to restore your carpet so it looks as good as new.
