Do It Yourself Carpet Cleaning Tips For The Budget Conscious
Nowadays, with the economy so unstable it makes sense to try and save money where ever possible. Carpet cleaning is one of those domestic services we normally get a professional to do but it is possible to clean them yourself with a bit of cheeky inside secrets and elbow grease. As we know knowledge is power so we are about to unveil some of our secret carpet cleaning goodies to make your carpets clean and your pockets full. so you can't justify cleaning those carpets clean and make sure you have the right tools for the difficult stains.
Going back a few decades we wouldn't of dreamed of paying someone to come to our house and clean carpets unless we were of high class, royalty of a government employee (they get everything paid for!) Fast forward to 2012 and finding a carpet cleaning company in Google or any of your preferred techniques is as as common as paying the electricity bill. Guess what? You don't have too!
Back in the 70's and 80's the trend was to carpet as many rooms in the house as possible, it became like a social newp newp, everyone was like hey look at these guys they have carpet everywhere, fully loaded!
As you know having carpet in every room just isn't practical (especially in the kitchen, hello stains!) We have now toned down the carpet stigma and moved onto bigger and better things to please the hungry appetites of our fellow consummated souls. That being said having carpet in certain rooms such as a lounge or bedroom is common practice so let's stop all the nonsense and get down to what you came here for, Saving Cash! The following has been presented by an Australian company carpet cleaning brisbane, they provide tips and advice on cleaning your carpets at home and saving money when it counts.
1. What You Need
Head to the cleaning isle in your local supermarket, load up on a few carpet cleaning products, buy a carpet cleaning stain removal spray and a solution you can mix with water (If you have no money to spare, then normal soap will suffice). Other necessities include a vacuum cleaner, and dish cloth and a dish washing sponge (for stains). Oh and don't forget a bucket of water to dilute your chemicals.There are numerous cheap carpet cleaning detergents out there. You must be wary before buying these brands. Some of these cause stains that cannot even be removed by professional carpet cleaners. Make sure that you trust the brand of the carpet cleaning detergent you are going to buy. You can also check out the regular discount days for certain grocery items. Who knows, you might even be able to purchase these cleaning materials for a low price.
2. Pre Wash
It is advisable to vacuum your carpets every week to eliminate the risk of getting any carpet heavy soiling but if you are here I would hazard at a guess that you haven't done that, don't worry you're not the first. Most people don't realize that it is important for them to clean their carpets regularly, or at least remove the dirt, grime, mold and mildew. By cleaning your carpets with a vacuum cleaner or a simple brush regularly, there will be less things for you to worry about once you start the grueling routine of removing stains. If you do give your carpets a regular vacuum and come across a stain then it won't be so hard to remove the stains immediately. Dilute the stain with water, gently rub the stain with your sponge to loosen the dirt an particals, then grab a towel and slowly kneed it like bread, you will see that the stain becomes less visable, repeat these steps and if it doesn't have the desired affect then read on.
3. Time To Attack
Next we will start to attack the stain with our weaponry. Side note: The manufacturer of your carpet normally recommends the best solution to use, although sometimes most of them use a generic solution for this, sometimes a quality carpet manufacturer will actually test their carpets with different products and their advice is worth taking on board. Don't go over board with your product use, using too much can often lead to carpet discoloration. The solution should be used in steps, use a little and check the results. If it's not sufficient, use a little more until the stain is cleared. It is wise to use blotting towels instead of rubbing the carpet.
4. Bringing Out The Big Guns
• Vinegar works excellently when used to remove carpet stains. You should mix an small amount (1 teaspoon) of the vinegar with water. The solution should be spread over the carpet using the dish-washing sponge or light towel. The spreading must be even to safeguard the quality of the carpet. The odor of the vinegar should not be a problem if your an Aussie, just think of all the vinegar on your chips at the footy. If your not a footy fan and can't handle vinegar we have al alternative, baking soda. Baking soda can be used when the smell is irritating for you. Again use a small amount with water, dab the area gently and then wipe away excess liquid with a normal towel or paper towel. Once the liquid is dissolved wait 5 min minutes and go over the area with your vacuum .
You may think these tips are funny since you are just going to use regular kitchen supplies. But vinegar has been proven to work well with all kinds of stains. It is even used to clean jewelries and such. All do-it-yourself carpet cleaning tips require is that you have an open mind when it comes to the suggestions presented to you.
5. The Alternatives | Heavy Duty Stains
• Bleaching agents such as peroxide can be useful when the stain is obstinate. However, you must be careful while using the bleaching agents because they can easily damage your carpet. You should use small quantities of of bleach, about a 10th of what we used earlier. It is always good to dilute bleach heavily before using it and only use on white or very light colored carpet, unless you are sure you know what time it is. Testing the agents on a small area of inconspicuous carpet is always advised.
6. Steam Cleaning
• Steam cleaning should be used with great care. Definitely, it is the best way to clean a carpet however, it can easily destroy the appearance of the carpet if not used carefully. A carpet that is often steam cleaned loses its color fast and can ruin your carpets longevity. Steam cleaning should be done professionally at intervals of at least 6 months.
As much as it would be nice to have a professional carpet cleaning company come in our house and clean our carpets for us, this is not always the case for most of us. Since we have to save as much money as we can, it is important that we learn how to do things by ourselves. Cleaning carpets is a chore not everyone is willing to do, mainly because it is so tiresome and such a heavy-duty job. Before you begin cleaning your carpets, you must ensure that you are actually ready to do it.
If you have the budget to have a professional cleaning company take care of your carpets, then you must choose the best method. Some carpet manufacturers require a certain type of cleaning method for their products. It is best to follow them. However, any professional carpet cleaning can still be able to suggest new methods for your carpets. Since they are already experts in this field, you may like to listen to their suggestions as well.
OK so we have come to the end of our little guide for do it yourself carpet cleaning, we hope that we have inspire you to take it upon yourself to save some money and give it a crack. If you have questions of comments we would love to hear from you!
Carpet cleaning is even a fun activity that the family can do together. Group the family in pairs and assign them to a particular carpet or part of the carpet. Since carpet cleaning is a tough job to do on your own, it is equally important that you have people to help you do it.
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