How To Clean Rugs Yourself?

Wondering how to clean rugs yourself? Isn’t it strange how you could live in a house with just 2 other people, yet it’s always an unsolved mystery as to how stains ended up on your rug?

Unfortunately, despite your intentions, your rug will eventually get a stain at some point. Chances are that you are reading this article because you’re in this very same situation. Fear not. In this post, we’ll take a look at how to tackle some of the most common stains.

As well as a rug cleaning guide as to how you can clean your carpet yourself.

1) Acid and Food based Stains

For acid-based stains such as vinegar or food-based stains, the key to cleaning it is to immediately dilute it with water, club soda, or baking soda before it dries. Once you’ve done that, create a solution that consists of ammonia as well as water at a ratio of 1:10. Then, rinse the carpet with the solution and let it dry before you vacuum it.

2) Alcohol, Coffee and Fruit Stains

If you accidentally spill wine or liquor on the rug, dilate the affected area with hot water. Then, absorb the area with a rag. If you spilled wine or other another colored drink you’ll need to create a mix solution that should consist of 1 teaspoon white vinegar, 1 teaspoon of detergent, and 8 ounces of water. Once the solution is made let settle on the stain for 20 minutes and then vacuum it gently.

3) Chewing Gum

Before you toss the carpet out and regard it as being permanently damaged, try this simple rug cleaning tip. Add ice. Ice cubes will harden the gum and make it less sticky and easier to remove.

4) Crayon, Playdoh and Slime Stains

If your child spilled playdough or made crayon drawings on your rug, you may especially like this tip. The key to removing stains like these is to place a plotter over the affected area Then, use a warm iron and press the blotter against the affected area. It will absorb the color of the crayon. For slime and playdough related stains, use ice cubes to make them become hardened and easier to remove.

Maybe you don’t necessarily have a stain you want to clean but rather, wish to deep clean your carpet yourself. If so, read on check out this rug cleaning guide.

1) Test For Colorfastness

One of the first things you should do when it comes to rug cleaning is to get a white towel and rub the carpet cleaning solution of your choice unto a small section of your carpet. The reason for this is to test if the color of the carpet will bleed out, once you apply the solution to a larger area. If it doesn’t the solution you have is safe and ready to be used.

2) Remove Obstructing Objects

If you want to give your carpet a thorough cleaning, you should remove any furniture which may be on it. If your carpet is under something which you can’t move by yourself, such as your bed, ensure that you wrap the legs of said furniture with foil or a plastic wrap. This minimizes your chances of leaving stains on your carpet while you clean.

3) Dry Clean Or Wet Clean

When it comes to rug cleaning, one of the major choices you have to make is whether you want to dry clean your carpet or wet clean it. While dry cleaning your carpet with a regular vacuum is okay, it won’t be able to reach the deepest stains. In addition to that, if your pet urinates on your carpet you may not be able to spot it so you can clean it with a liquid solution. Therefore, for a true deep cleaning of it, I highly recommend that you get a wet vacuum.

4) Be Gentle

Regardless if you choose to remove stains individually and use a dry vacuum to clean the carpet, or if you decide to thoroughly clean the entire carpet with a wet machine, in order for you to preserve the life of your carpet, be gentle. Ensure that you only apply single strokes going in one direction.

5) Apply Cleaning Solution To Furniture Legs

As far as rug cleaning goes, it may sound counterproductive to splash cleaning solution unto the legs of your furniture. But at some point you may splash some carpet cleaning solution onto the furniture legs and cause them to leak. By doing it before hand, you can clean it up during the process as opposed to after,

6) Drying

Regardless if you just cleaned a few stains by hand or if you used a wet vac, you will need to dry out your carpet. This shouldn’t be overlooked, wet carpets can lead to mold infestation underneath it. Once the bottom section of a carpet experiences a mold infestation you will never be able to fully remove it. As such, use a dehumidifier to draw out the moisture from the air. In addition to that, ensure that your home is well ventilated.