subject: Effective Techniques For Carpet Cleaning [print this page] Obvious, but still worth mentioning, the first best way to clean your carpet is to keep your carpet clean from the start. First, always remove your shoes when walking on the carpet, to help keep soil and stains from outside from being tracked onto the carpet. Then, when you come across stains, always treat them as soon as possible, before they get ground in. Vacuuming is the obvious regular step to keep your carpet clean, and should be done at least once a week.
Once a stain has hit your carpet, you're stuck dealing with it. First off, you'll want to be sure that you are never rubbing a stain: usually it just presses the stain in and spreads it. Instead, blot at it, absorbing it. For most stains, a mixture of water and shaving cream should be a good solution: just blot it, and then afterwards wash the mixture off with a water/vinegar mix. This will usually work to help get more stains off your carpet.
When a dye is involved, you'll want to try a mix of hydrogen peroxide and water to get it out. You'll want to test it on a small area; to be sure it doesn't do any damage. When a food stain is involved, using a brake cleaner can help work the stain out, as it works to dissolve the compounds involved. Blot the stain with it, then blot it away with water.
Animal stains, with their odors, are the domain of enzyme products. A mixture of peroxide and baking soda can be a good follow up if one is needed. Blot with water as needed to clear up the residue.
Oil and grease stains on carpet can be difficult, and may require special products to remove. Suggestions are Orange Clean, Simple Green, DeSolvit, and WD40. Blot on with the solution, wait half an hour, and then blot off. If necessary, repeat.
Deeper cleaning jobs are often necessary, and that means using a carpet cleaner. This is usually the case if the carpet is matted or heavily soiled. In these cases, you'll want to make use of single strokes rather than back and forth. Try not to put pressure on the machine. When you are finished with the cleaning, fluffing the carpet to allow it to dry faster will help. And of course, don't walk on them until they're dry.
