The average person will spend around $500 per year on cleaning products. This number can go up a lot more if major stains call for professional cleaners. It’s best to try to mitigate these stains by handling them yourself when they occur.
A homemade carpet cleaner, for example, will go a long way for saving your time and money on common spills and maintenance. In order to get the best results and save the most money, you need to first know what fabrics you’re dealing with. Is it made out of synthetic or natural fibers?
This guide will center natural carpets. The cleaning solutions work on synthetic carpets, but you may need to use higher concentrations. After you confirm your carpet’s material, follow this quick guide to removing and preventing stains with homemade cleaners.
Homemade Carpet Cleaner for Food & Drinks
This homemade cleaner will defend against coffee, wine, tomato sauce, beer, syrup, and more. You start with a teaspoon of dish detergent mixed with a cup of water. Soak a microfiber cloth and dab it into the carpet.
Repeat this process a few times until the spot is soaked. After about thirty minutes, the food or drink particles should have broken down. Then, after drying, it’s time for our second cleaning solution.
Mix equal parts vinegar and water together. Soak the spot and leave it for 15 minutes. The stain should look noticeably lighter and you can now pull it out with warm water and a clean towel.
Lay the towel on top after pouring a few cups of warm water to dilute. Set a heavy weight on top of the towel to absorb the leftover moisture.
Dust, Dirt, and Mud Removal
It’s important to practice regular cleanings to get rid of dust mites in carpets. This will improve your overall health and sensitivity to allergens. Before applying our homemade cleaner, we have to vacuum up as much dust and dirt possible.
Next, it’s time to mix the detergent solution of 1 teaspoon per cup of water. The best way to cover a large area with your carpet cleaner is to get a large spray bottle. A pump-action sprayer can make the job much easier.
After you have everything coated, go over it again with the vinegar solution. Instead of doing equal parts vinegar and water this time, do 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water. This will reduce the smell of vinegar, plus we aren’t doing a deep stain removal, so the vinegar isn’t needed as much.
Lastly, spray lukewarm water over everything after about half an hour between applications. All dust, dirt, and mud will have dissolved, then you do one more pass with the vacuum cleaner.
Gum and Ink: Carpet Cleaning Enemies
We’ve covered the most common culprits of carpet staining, but we leave the worst for last. Gum and ink are two very different substances that can permanently ruin carpets and rugs. There’s a solution to each one that is simple, yet effective.
For gum, there are two steps:
- Fill a plastic bag with ice and apply it directly to the gum. Leave it there for a few minutes until it hardens. Break it with a hammer and run a vacuum over it.
- Take fingernail polish remover and blot it with a cloth over the area to dissolve any small pieces.
You may still have to cut some of the gum out of the carpet. The process is the same for ink stains, except for the ice part. Soak the ink mark in nail polish remover for 15 min and rinse it out with warm water.
When It’s Time to Call the Pros
If you’re still struggling to remove stains with these homemade carpet cleaner tips, don’t give up. Instead, call professionals who have more tools and resources. Blue Jay Carpet Cleaning is a professional cleaning company in the DFW Metroplex offering many floor cleaning services for your home or office.
Get a quote today and avoid having to buy a new carpet.
