Carpet cleaning tips

Good morning.  Here are a few tips for cleaning your carpet.

Carpet Stain Removal: 

• Carpet Stain Removal - Method 1

Mix some neutral pH detergent with a cup of warm water. Blot, don't rub onto the carpet. Prepare a slightly acidic solution of one third of a cup of white vinegar and two thirds of a cup of warm water. Again blot, and don't rub onto the carpet.

Apply cold water and blot Absorb all of the liquid with clean, white towels. Allow the area to dry thoroughly and then go over it with a vacuum cleaner.

• Carpet Stain Removal - Method 2

Soak up as much of the spill as possible. Mix a few drops of dish soap into about a cup or two of hydrogen peroxide. Use a sponge and carefully blot on the carpet.

Treat carpet stains as quickly as you can. Only use white towels or cloths to prevent bleeding from the material into the stain. When blotting, work from the outer edges of the stain in towards the center. This will prevent unsightly rings from remaining on the carpet. Pretest all mixtures in an inconspicuous area of the carpet before using on the actual stain.

If the stain persists contact a carpet and rug cleaning professional. With the use of heavy duty equipment, industrial cleaners and steam extraction, they may be able to remove stains that have left you frustrated.

• Carpet Cleaning tips

To keep your carpet clean, it is important to clean up spills as they happen. Blot up the spill immediately using clean, white paper towels or a regular towel. Do not rub as this will force the spill deeper into the carpet.

There are several ways to clean spills that have turned into stains. Club soda makes a great emergency spotter. Pour it on the spot, let it sit for a few seconds and pat it dry with a clean white towel

Older stains do well with an acidic formulation as follows: combine 2 tablespoons detergent, 3 tablespoons vinegar, and one quart warm water. Work into stain and blot dry. Cover the spot with a clean towel or paper towels and place a heavy item such as a book on top of it to help draw out excess moisture. When the towel becomes damp, replace it with a dry one.

• Emergency Stain Removal

It is inevitable that things are going to be spilled.  For gravy spills, big food spills, red wine, soda, coffee or tea, sprinkle with a heavy layer of salt right on the spill.  The salt works like a magic sponge, soaking up the spill, keeping the stain from setting.  Vacuum or wipe up the salt and get to work removing what ever small amount remains.

• Quick carpet cleaning tip

Baby wipes are miracle workers on carpet stains, from motor oil to blood, they remove almost anything.  I have used this one several times, it works very well on fresh stains.

• Remove Candle Wax Stains from carpet

First, remove as much of the wax as you can by hand after it has dried. You can try using a credit card or a plastic knife or spoon. Then place a piece of paper towel or a wet towel over the wax in the area you want to clean and go over it with a warm iron. (warm not hot! hot temperature will burn some carpets!)

Keep the iron moving, and move the paper often. The heat from the iron melts the wax, and the paper wicks the wax OUT of the carpet. Repeat until it is gone.

• Remove Blood Stains

Blot with a white paper towel toremove as much of the blood stain that you can.  Next, neutralize by spraying the stain with a solution of 1/2 cup cool water and 1 Tbs, of clear ammonia.  Blot to remove exess moisture.  (Use a white paper towel for blotting)  Then spray on a solution made with 1 qt. cool water and 1/4 tsp. of dish detergent. (NOT containing bleach or lanolin) Joy or Dawn are good for this.  Continue if you see the spot being removed.  Now use a spray bottle filled with cool water to rinse.  Then apply a pad of paper towels and place something heavy on top to absorb the moisture. If all of the stain does not come out, moisten the ends of the fabric with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. Let stand for 1 hour. Blot and repeat until carpet is stain free.

My favorite easy clean up is what the sister in law told me...Shaving Cream.  I've used this to clean up spilled grape juice...which I found several days later.  It was on beige carpet and the stain is dang near spotless.  Yep...shaving cream has become one of this mommie's best friends.  Yeah...I don't have much of a life...lol...serious look...lol.

I hope ya'll had a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.  Ours was...well, nothing...we did absolutely nothing and it was boring as heck.  Same as our entire summer.  I'm getting ready to put a For Sale sign on the motor home.  It seems pointless to keep it when we've only used twice in 4 years.  Sheesh! 

The only fun we had was just me and Rylie hanging out at the pool, by ourselves.  I actually found the time to read a book, my first one it 4 years.  Yea!  Rylie met a lot of other kids around her age and had a blast playing with them.  Her swimming skills have increased so much this year and I am so proud of her.

I think the socialization with the other children were a huge benefit too.  Her speech skills are a lot better than they were at the beginning of the summer.  So a big "thank you" to all the children she was playing with at the pool.

I was hoping that we would get a lot of projects, which have kept getting put off, done this summer.  However, not many things have been done...at least not at our home.  Funny how there is always time to help everyone else get their stuff done, but never any time to do a few things around here.  Amazing...not even time to finish a simple afternoon project. 

Oh well...looks like it's time for me to start cleaning and pitching.  There is a community garage sale coming up.  I can either sell some of the junk in that or just pitch it all and be done with it that simply. 

I've got to get busy around here.  Ya'll have a great day.
Jill Marie

 

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