A Quickstart Guide To Cleaning Rugs At Home
Posted by VILLEDOMO INDIA
A well-chosen rug can change the atmosphere of a room, but maintaining it in pristine condition can be difficult. Here is a short article on cleaning your rug at home so that you won't have to go through the trouble. A rug or carpet adds far more to your home than just its appearance and character. It now serves a more practical purpose, presumably the reason it is becoming more and more common in contemporary urban residences. Let's examine the benefits of carpeting in the home in more detail.
- Rugs and carpets reduce injuries, give additional safety coverage, and soften footsteps and the impact of slips and fall, especially for elderly and young children.
- They operate as passive air filters, trapping and removing dust and other dangerous debris from the breathing zone, enhancing the quality of the air indoors.
- They are more practical since they offer greater comfort and warmth thanks to thermal insulation and resistance, as well as a perfect area for sitting, working, and playing.
- They serve as effective sound barriers that lessen or even prevent sound from travelling to adjacent rooms or floors below, and they can even absorb or disguise the sound of frequent or heavy foot traffic.
- In terms of interior design, they improve your décor, hide flaws, brighten a somewhat gloomy area, and make it feel more welcoming to guests.
- There are fibres in them, which can be quickly brushed off or cleaned, making them easier to maintain than genuine wood flooring.
- They assist a specific space or room feel more grounded and the furnishings in it feel more rooted, such as a living room, dining room, or even a bedroom.
It is important to note that the type of cleaning method or combination of cleaning methods you eventually employ will be determined by the substance of the rug or carpet.
Using a Steam Cleaner/Vacuum Cleaner at Home
Pathogens, dust, bacteria, and other tiny particles that are impossible to see with the naked eye are frequently concentrated in carpet fibres. The good news is that by employing these two carpet cleaning techniques, you can guarantee that they won't return to your homes.
Steam Cleaner
One of the greatest carpet cleaning techniques, steam treatment employs only hot water vapour and no chemicals. Steam mopping kills germs as well as other pests like fleas and dust mites. Combine steam cleaning with routine vacuuming to minimize dust and viruses by 98% and achieve the best results on your rug. The procedures for steam cleaning are as follows:
- Remove any furniture or other items from the floor/to another room to make cleaning simpler.
- To prevent it from getting caught on your mop head when you use the steam mop later, first vacuum up any crumbs, hair, and loose dirt particles.
- Since they vary depending on the model, carefully read the steam cleaner's directions. To determine whether it is safe to use a steam cleaner throughout your rug, perform a patch test in a discrete corner. The reason for this is that high-temperature water vapour may have various effects on different types of rugs.
- Fill the tank of your steam cleaner with distilled water rather than ordinary tap water. This prevents the tap water's minerals, salts, and limestone from clogging your brush head over time and preventing it from dispersing steam to its full capacity.
- To avoid ever having to step on a damp rug and undo your hard work, begin steaming at the furthest corner of the room and gently work your way back.
- To avoid leaving any unclean lines behind, work in portions and use long lines rather than small strokes while using the steam cleaner.
- To avoid mould or mildew growing on the rug, thoroughly dry it by opening windows or putting on ceiling fans.
Vacuum Cleaner
You can remove just dry dust and food scraps from the surface of the rug by vacuuming. Slow, back-and-forth motions with repeated strokes are required. By doing this, it gets rid of around 85% of the dry dirt in the rug. It is advised that you perform professional cleaning services at least once a year and vacuum your home at least twice a week.
Cleaning A Rug at Home Without A Cleaner (Dry Methods)
Don't worry if you prefer using homemade treatments and don't like to spend a lot of money on bulky cleaning supplies. There are a few quick and effective ways you can clean rugs on your own. A few of these include:
- Placing and beating the rug upside down.
- A stiff-bristled brush and a dustpan (low-pile carpets are easier and faster to clean; high-pile carpets may require more patience, time, and a keen eye).
- To get rid of pet hair from the carpet's most noticeable regions, use a lint brush or packaging tape.
Spot Cleaning A Rug With Hands (Wet Methods)
- A scrub brush and a 1:3 mix of white vinegar and lukewarm water (dip the scrub brush into the solution, massage it into the carpet fibres well without completely soaking the carpet in it, and then use a soft cloth to dab the carpet and blot the excess moisture).
- One spoonful of ammonia in one cup of warm water (use it only on natural fibre carpets as it is highly alkaline and may damage the surface of the carpet, spray the solution over the carpet, wait for 2-3 minutes and then blot the area with a soft white cloth). Alternately, use a water and window cleaning solution (in equal parts).
- To remove fresh, sticky, and moist stains, use club soda/ice cubes and a highly absorbent cloth (dab the area with a soft and highly absorbent cloth so that the stain loosens itself before it starts setting in, and then rinse the spot with a fresh cloth).
- To remove stains, mix mild dish soap, baking soda, table salt, and cornstarch with warm water (2–3 drops per cup of water) (vacuum the area first to remove solid particles, use baking soda or mild dish soap with warm water to sprinkle the greasy or oily stain till it is completely covered, rub it softly in a circular motion using an old toothbrush till you see some bubbles, wait for a few minutes, dry the carpet using a fan and then vacuum it again).
White or light-coloured rugs look just as lovely and clean in your house as rugs that are deeper in colour, but they require a little more upkeep as they tend to draw more dirt and stains and eventually lose their original colour from constant use. Therefore, you must understand how to maintain a white carpet that is always bright and tidy.
How Frequently Should a Rug Be Cleaned at Home?
The cleaning/washing schedule relies on several elements, thus there is no "one size fits all" solution to this subject. And these are:
For houses with little traffic, vacuum once per week, spot-clean every day, and deep-clean every 12 to 18 months. Vacuum four times per week, spot clean every day, and deep clean every three to six months for households with just one pet. For big families with multiple pets, vacuum every day, spot-clean every day, and deep-clean every two to three months. Light-coloured carpets should be vacuumed once per week, spot-cleaned every day, and deep-cleaned every six to twelve months. Vacuum twice a week, spot clean every day, and deep clean every 6 to 12 months for families with children or senior residents. We honestly hope that this new article has given you useful advice for cleaning and/or washing your carpet at home.
