Rules for cleaning carpets at home: features of working with long, light and natural pile
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The use of soft carpets as a floor covering has not only undeniable advantages, but also disadvantages, the most obvious of which is the difficulty of cleaning. Many housewives do not even think about how to clean the carpet at home correctly, in accordance with its features. They simply use tools that are considered universal.
This allows you to clean the product, but often negatively affects its appearance, texture and even functional features. In order to constantly enjoy the cleanliness of the carpet and to walk barefoot without fear, you need to learn how to properly use available folk remedies, specialized preparations, and technological devices.
Folk remedies for carpet cleaning
When cleaning carpets, there are two basic rules to keep in mind. First, cleaning should be regular, even if it seems that the product does not yet need processing. The frequency of manipulation is selected individually and can range from once a month to once a season. The second - it is better to expose fresh spots immediately, without waiting until they dry. Neglect of this recommendation often leads to the appearance of faded areas on the surface of products.
To quickly and efficiently wash the carpet with your own hands, you should turn for help to affordable household cleaning products that can be easily found in any kitchen:
- Soda. This component collects dirt better than others, while at the same time absorbing odors and weighting the dust. To wash the carpet with the dry method using soda, you can simply sprinkle abundantly with powder the place of contamination, wait half an hour and collect the dirt-binding agent using a vacuum cleaner.
Tip: An even more effective analogue of this option for dry carpet cleaning is the method with the addition of fine table salt or starch to the main component. If the stain has dried out and is a dense crust, then it is better to dilute the soda with raw potatoes, grated on a fine grater.
- Ammonia. Ideal stain remover when you need to clean the carpet without a vacuum cleaner. A teaspoon of the active ingredient is mixed with a teaspoon of any washing powder. The resulting mass is diluted in two glasses of slightly warm water. We apply the finished product to the stain and, without waiting, begin to rub it with a soft brush. Then wipe the area with a dry cloth and leave the material to dry. If necessary, repeat the approach.
- Lemon juice. It copes better with other dried mud and bright spots (wine, ink). We apply concentrated strained composition to the problem area without any additives and leave for a couple of hours. Then we take barely warm water, add mild cleaning products to it and with the resulting composition we wash off the sticky formation with dirt. We rinse the area with clean water and dry at room temperature.
- Laundry soap. It is not recommended to use for processing carpets with long pile, as just one manipulation can give the product a “washed out” look. But with it you can clean the palace at home, and the composition is equally effective in the processing of coffee, wine and tea stains. Bring a tablespoon of soap sawdust in half a liter of warm water. The resulting composition is distributed over the contaminated area, gently wash with three materials. Repeat again and dry using the natural method.
- Vinegar. It is recommended to use to clean the house carpet from minor surface contamination. We dilute two tablespoons of 9% vinegar in three glasses of cool water, apply to the product and begin to process it with a soft sponge. No need to rinse, the pungent aroma will quickly disappear by itself. This method also allows you to get rid of unpleasant odors in the apartment.
- Snow or very cold water. To wash a carpet that has traces of blood or fresh dirt, it is not necessary to resort to the use of chemistry. We take a soft brush and ice water, we carry out intensive cleaning of the item with our own hands, refreshing the bristles in the liquid every few seconds. Using snow, you can quickly and efficiently clean a white carpet. We take the product out to the street, knock it out, sprinkle it with snow, peel it off, sprinkle it again and peel it off. Repeat this several times until you can refresh the color to the desired level.
In the winter months, it is recommended to freeze carpets. A dry and clean product is hung out in the cold (for example, an open balcony) for a day. After that, it is recommended to clean the carpet at home using one of the proposed methods. This processing method will get rid of dust mites and fleas.
Professional approaches to the processing of carpets and rugs
Mistresses who prefer not to use folk remedies for cleaning carpets can resort to one of the following methods:
- Vanish. A suitable option for those who want to wash the carpet quickly and efficiently, while minimally touching the reagent with their own hands. The product is sprayed on the surface of the product, forming a strong foam. After a certain time, it must be removed with a vacuum cleaner.
- Steam cleaner. It can be used to soften stains and facilitate the process of eliminating them. It is highly recommended not to be used on a woolen surface. Be sure to combine with other exposure options.
- Washing systems. Compact and efficient devices do the job better than any other means, while requiring a minimum of physical costs from the hostess. True, they are not cheap and take up a lot of storage space.
When using technically advanced devices and specialized drugs, you must carefully read the instructions. Neglecting the recommendations can turn a light carpet into a spotted one, and a soft and fluffy carpet into a dense shapeless mat.
Carpet processing depending on the type of material
None of the popular or industrial methods for cleaning carpets can be considered universal. Before washing a specific product, you must familiarize yourself with the following points:
- To clean the carpet with a long pile and not to spoil its appearance, you need to use the most mild detergent, and only foam can be applied to the surface of the product. After the composition penetrates the structure of the pile, it must be removed with a vacuum cleaner. Aggressive components are used only to remove local stains.
- Woolen palace, products from fur and sheepskin love cleaning soda. Wet exposure in this case is extremely undesirable. When dampness appears in the fur and wool layer, there is a risk of the formation of mold and fungal colonies.
- Synthetics are very unpretentious and steadily endures all experiments. The main thing is to vacuum it at least twice a week, and use aggressive processing options only if necessary.
- White pile may turn yellow from lemon juice, and dark pile will acquire a light coating when exposed to soda, potatoes and starch.
Cleaning the carpet at home is not easy, but grateful. With a careful attitude to the subject, it will retain its functional and decorative properties for many years.
I always had cats that were well-mannered and did not create problems in terms of cleaning. But when the kittens went, my struggle for the cleanliness and freshness of the carpets began. What I just did not try, and from the beginning I tried to use professional tools, thinking that they would certainly help. The disappointment was deep - the spots were not always removed, and the smell only masked briefly. The ammonia became a real salvation, the method of its use is described in detail and very correctly in the article. Plus, every year I clean the carpets with the first and last snow.
I want to share the unsuccessful experience in using household soap. The article says that it is not recommended to use it for processing a long pile, but I did not know this before and cleaned the wine stain on a chic deep carpet with soap and water. The dirt has receded, but the “trampled” clearing has replaced the red blot. A friend suggested one way to restore the pile - to moisten a brush to comb down fluff in animals with clean water and treat the area several times, each time allowing the material to dry. Tormented for several hours, but the method really helped!