Despite the vast selection of various carpets known today, the traditional rug will never go out of style. It doesn’t matter if it is an expensive Turkish wool carpet or an ordinary old carpet from Sumner, WA– the vocation of any carpet is to keep the atmosphere of coziness and comfort in the house.

For the carpet to remain beautiful as long as possible and perform all its functions, it must be carefully looked after. Proper care and timely cleaning is a guarantee that the carpet will serve you for many years and at the same time retain its original appearance.

Basic rules of carpet care

How to care for a carpet so that it pleases its owner with the brightness of colors for as long as possible and retains its volume and splendor? There are simple rules for caring for home carpets:

• After wet cleaning, it is undesirable to lay the carpet on the damp floor.
• Periodically, you need to turn the carpet, change its location so that it is possible to prevent the appearance of abrasions in those places where the most significant mechanical stress falls on the mat.
• If there is heavy cabinet furniture on the carpet, then soft pieces of rubber or an ordinary stationery eraser should be placed under its legs.
• If scuffs appear on the carpet’s body, they can be sewn with threads to match the rug. This must be done from the inside out, and the loops that remain on the front surface of the carpet must then be cut.
• To remove greasy stains and other dirt from the carpet, you need to sprinkle them with wood sawdust soaked in gasoline.
• A vinegar solution will help renew the carpet’s original color (1 tablespoon of vinegar for 1 liter of water). A brush moistened with this solution should be carried in the direction of the carpet pile.
• And finally, the last important rule: the home carpet should be cleaned regularly, and not only with a vacuum cleaner. In the summer, it is advisable to “ventilate” the carpet: take it outside and thoroughly beat all the dust out of it.

Now we come close to the next question – the issue of cleaning carpets. What should you clean your carpet with, and what is the best way to do it at home? This will be discussed further.

When should you clean your carpet?

Many people mistakenly believe that the carpet cleaning process should be limited to just using a vacuum cleaner. But dust is not the only source of carpet contamination, so other cleaning methods must be used.

First and foremost, it is essential to learn how to identify when your carpet requires a new cleaning. Generally, carpet cleaning is necessary in the following cases:

• when enough dust has accumulated in your carpet;
• when stains appear on the mat (from wine, fat, or chocolate), this usually happens after large-scale feasts and holidays;
• when your carpet starts to emit not very pleasant smells and aromas;
• When there are pets in your house that are not yet toilet trained (in this case, it is very often necessary to seek help from specialists since it is tough to remove the smell of animal urine).

How can you clean your carpet at home?

Today, a vast number of carpet cleaning products are used at home. So, for cleaning home carpets they use:

• snow;
• laundry soap;
• baking soda;
• vinegar solution;
• special shampoos;
• special cleaning powders;
• sauerkraut;
• Glycerin, etc.

Below are the most popular and most effective carpet cleaners.

• Mitex is a cleaning powder with antiallergic properties. It is effectively used for cleaning not only carpets but also upholstered furniture and various textiles. The product does an excellent job with dust and dust mites; however, difficult to remove stains (from wine, blood, or coffee) will not be within its power.
• Means “Karcher” – a product that contains environmentally friendly ingredients. Perfectly cleans carpets and upholstered furniture. This tool’s principle of operation is as follows: the foam penetrates the carpet’s fabric, after which it dries, turning into a crystalline powder, which can then be easily removed with an ordinary vacuum cleaner.
• Extra Profi is a powder that successfully fights gum stains, blood stains, and unpleasant odors from pets.
• Flash is an effective remedy for stubborn stains. Besides, the use of this remedy will help get rid of unpleasant odors for a long time.
• The Spot Lifter is a cleaning agent that can be used successfully for wet cleaning of carpets and cleaning without water use. It is suitable for cleaning all types of carpets.

Ways to clean home carpets

As mentioned above – in practice, there are many types and methods of cleaning carpets. This can be a classic carpet cleaning method that involves rinsing the rug thoroughly with soapy running water. Previously, it was very often possible to observe how right in the courtyards of houses people were straightening and washing their carpets with hoses.

The so-called foam cleaning is quite popular today when the dirt is churned with a brush into foam, which can then be removed without problems. Dry cleaning of carpets is also used (when cleaning reagents in the form of dehydrated granules are rubbed into the rug body) and extractor cleaning when the process is carried out with a special washing vacuum cleaner.

Cleaning carpets with snow

This method is applicable only during the winter season. For this method, you need to wait until fresh snowfalls. To clean carpets, you will need to find an area of ​​clean, dry snow.

The carpet is laid on the snow with the pile down, after which it is turned over to the other side. Then, you need to evenly sweep the snow on the rug’s entire area and wait for a little (until the snow absorbs the dust from the carpet). Then the snow is carefully swept away from the carpet surface with a broom. This method itself is excellent because it allows not only to clean the carpet from dust and dirt and refresh it, saturate it with frosty freshness. Also, if the family has children, you can involve them in cleaning carpets with snow. They will definitely love this activity!

Cleaning carpets with soda

To prepare the desired solution, you need to take half a glass of soda and dissolve it in five liters of slightly warmed water. The answer should be sprayed evenly over the carpet surface (you can use, for example, a spray bottle for this). When 30-40 minutes have passed, the carpet must be thoroughly vacuumed.

In addition to the direct function of cleaning, soda also can return the carpet to its original color.

Cleaning carpets with vinegar

If you want your carpet to look bright and beautiful again, use a vinegar solution to clean it. It is prepared very simply: you need to take a tablespoon of vinegar for a liter of warm water. If the carpet is heavily soiled, you can add a spoonful of cleaning powder to the solution.

It is necessary to thoroughly clean the entire carpet area in the direction of the pile with a brush moistened with this solution. Then, after half an hour, the rug is gently blotted with a sponge and vacuumed.

Powder carpet cleaning

There is a large selection of such products in stores, and the entire cleaning procedure is usually described in detail in the instructions for a particular product.

The procedure for cleaning the carpet with powder is straightforward and quick. The cleaning powder should be spread evenly over the carpet’s surface and rubbed thoroughly into the product. The powder granules will immediately begin to absorb the dirt from the fibers. After a while, the powder will need to be removed from the carpet using a conventional vacuum cleaner.

Foam carpet cleaning

Along with powders, this is another method of the so-called dry cleaning of carpets. Foam is an excellent product with significant benefits: