9 Tricks for Keeping Your Carpets Clean Like the Pros

Keeping your carpets clean can be a lot of work. Your carpets go through a lot on a daily basis. If you have pets or kids, the abuse your carpets can take increases exponentially.

Even if you don’t have to worry about messes made by pets or kids, you’ve still probably had at least one moment of panic when a spill caused a stain you weren’t sure how to get out.

When in doubt, try these tricks for keeping your carpets clean from professionals who clean carpets for a living.

1. Blot, Don’t Scrub

When it comes to stain removal, this is a key tip. Make sure you are blotting at stains as you remove them. This lifts the liquid you’ve spilled out of the carpet fibers. Scrubbing will push any liquid or dirt deeper into the carpet making the stain set into the carpet instead of lifting out – and you run the risk of permanently damaging carpet fibers. One more thing: be sure to blot from the outside of the stain inward to avoid spreading the stain.

2. Try Shaving Cream to Remove Stains

If you have some stains that are set in, shaving cream may be the way to go to get those stubborn stains out. Apply the shaving cream directly to the stain and let it sit for about 30 minutes. You’ll want to make sure to blot it up, and then for good measure follow it up with a mix of 1 teaspoon of white vinegar mixed with 1 cup water, sprayed and blotted up with a clean cloth.

3. Freeze Gum to Get It Out

The pros have special sprays that will freeze gum so it hardens up and can be quickly scraped out of a carpet. You can do the same thing with ice cubes. Freeze the gum using some ice from your freezer. Once the gum is hardened as much as possible, use a spoon to lift up the hardened wad of gum.

Snip any fibers that won’t loosen as close to the piece of gum as possible. If you only have to snip a few fibers and they’re as minimally clipped as you can manage, you shouldn’t be able to notice any difference after you’ve finished the job.

4. Dish Detergent for Grease Stains

Grease stains in your carpet can be especially hard to get out. Maybe you’ve given up ever getting them out at all. Before you write it off entirely, give liquid dish detergent a try. With its grease-cutting properties, it might just do the trick for removing grease stains.

Mix a drop or two of dish soap in a spray bottle with about a cup of water. Shake it up, then spray the liquid directly on the grease stain. Let it soak in for a few minutes before you start blotting it up. If the stain is particularly stubborn, you may have to do this a few times before you see full results, so don’t give up right away. Finish up by spraying the carpet with warm water and blotting with a clean cloth to “rinse” detergent residue.

5. Baking Soda Will Freshen Things Up

If your carpets need to smell a little fresher than they do right now, skip the store-bought carpet fresheners. Baking soda is a great solution for deodorizing carpets because it naturally absorbs odors, even strong odors from pets and cigarette smoke. Simply sprinkle baking soda over your carpets and rugs, allow to sit overnight, then vacuum it up.

6. Use a Squeegee to Lift Pet Hair

So this tip does have a limitation. If your carpet is a longer shag carpet style, this method of pet hair removal probably isn’t going to do much for you. But if you have a shorter length carpet, a squeegee will be your new best friend. Scrape it across the surface of your carpet to see instant results that a vacuum just isn’t going to deliver.

If you how that works, consider investing in a squeegee made for this job. The Evriholder FURemover Broom with Squeegee has soft rubber bristles than can dig deep into your carpet’s fibers to pick up loose fur that a regular flat head squeegee can’t – without damaging the carpet or rug.

7. Use an Iron to Remove Stains

This is a good trick for spot treating a stained area of your carpet. First, you’ll want to vacuum up the area to make sure all the dirt is removed. Then mix a solution of 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water and spray that on the stain. Allow it to soak in, then place a towel over the stain and a warm iron on top of the towel. The heat will pull the vinegar solution and the stain out of the carpet. Repeat a few times if you need to for stubborn stain areas. Be sure not to touch the iron directly to the carpet to avoid scorching.

8. Use a Lint Roller to Quick Clean Small Area Rugs

If you have a small area rug that always seems to look a little dusty and dirty no matter how often you vacuum, try a lint roller. Much like the squeegee for the pet hair, a lint roller will give you some great instant results. You’ll still want to vacuum regularly, but the lint roller is something you can grab when you need a quick clean.

9. Remove Wax from Carpet with Heat

If you love candles, you’ve probably had wax drip on your carpet at least once. It tends to be just as frustrating to get out as gum can be, but the solution is the exact opposite. To get the wax out, heat it back up. Place a towel over the wax and use a hot iron to heat the wax under the towel. After 30 seconds lift the iron and scrape away the wax with a butter knife or credit card.

With luck, you won’t need all of these carpet cleaning tricks, but stains happen and knowing what to do is the first step to keeping your carpets as clean as possible. You’ll still want to have them professionally cleaned every 12-18 months, but with these tips, you may be able to space out the time between professional cleanings and still have carpets that look fantastic.

Guest blogger Gabe Nelson is a content specialist, currently working for Msscleaning, an IICRC-certified firm offering residential and commercial carpet cleaning services in the Denver, Colorado area.

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