What Should You Do?
- Dab stains with a cleaning solution or powder with a clean cloth, kitchen towel, or a sponge. The key to soaking up liquids is blotting. Blotting puts a small amount of pressure on the stain and soaks it up into the cloth. Rubbing causes the particles to get ground into the carpet fibres. Always blot from the outside of the stain inward - blotting outward can spread the stain and increase the 'damage zone.'
- A great product to use on tough stains is baking soda and carbonated water. Blotting the stained area with the baking soda and water will normally do the trick with most drink spillages. If that doesn't quite do the job, then mix one part white vinegar with one part water and pour it into a sprayer if you have one handy. Spray the solution onto the stain and let it sit for up to 15 minutes. Afterwards, press a clean sponge onto the area to soak up the solution, and the stain should come too. Rinse the area with warm water to remove any remnants of baking soda and dirty solution. Use your hand or weigh down some paper towels on the area to soak up all moisture - you don't want a damp smell in your carpet.
- We have all been there with this one - sitting/standing in chewing gum. And its always when you wear your favourite pair of shoes or your new jeans! The best thing to do is freeze the gum with ice cubes for about 30 seconds, or shove the shoe or item of clothing in a plastic bag in the freezer. The gum will freeze solid, enough for you to break the gum off. When it comes to chewing gum in the carpet, use a spoon to lift up the gum and cut the strands of carpet as close to the gum as possible, making sure to only cut small strands of carpet off; the spot shouldn't be noticeable.
- Burning candles in the house can result in wax dripping onto the carpet, where it quickly dries and can be a nightmare to remove. The best thing to do when this happens is to heat the wax back up. Take a white cloth (always white to prevent colour running) and lie it on top of the wax. Take your iron and warm up the area of wax for no more than 30 seconds. The wax will become malleable enough to scrap off with a knife in one go.
- And last but no least, we have all had wine spillages! The first and easiest thing to do with a red wine spillage is to sprinkle the area with salt - this will absorb the wine and turn pink. This will work on bedspreads, curtains, couches and other home items. Using other items such as baking soda, white wine and carbonated water.
The Best Carpet Cleaners for You: Powder or Shampoo?
When it comes to cleaning carpets, plain old soap and water just isn’t going to cut it really, especially if you’re dealing with persistent stains, deep-rooted odours, or years worth of muck. Most people go for either a carpet powder or carpet shampoo when cleaning the carpets in their home; these are the most common and obvious options of course.
It is easy really; when it comes to tackling dirt and stains, its worth looking for a carpet powder rather than a shampoo if you want to make it a quick, effective cleaning job. Shampoos can take hours to take effect and dry, leaving the room off-limits until dry again. Powdered products can be vacuumed up much quicker, and are just as effective as the time consuming shampoos. Whatever carpet cleaning product you do decide to use, make sure to follow all instructions carefully and methodically.