An Interesting Method to Remove Carpet Stains

Removing stains from you carpeting can be a tedious chore, but it must be done to preserve the life of your carpet. I have mentioned many different cleaning methods for the various stains you may encounter.  Today I came across a video of a carpet cleaning process that is said to be able to be used on any types of stains and carpeting. But as the video’s disclaimer reads, you use this advice at your own risk. This is pretty much what all tip websites and videos sites have to say now for their protection. But let’s focus on the video.

The usual tools we see come out, white towels, dish soap, buckets, and water. The extra step added by the man in the video, is the use of a steam iron. Instead of just blotting up the stain, as most tips sites tell you, he applies a dish soap and hot water solution. After pouring a bit of that solution on the stain, he layers white rags soaked in hot water on top of the stain. Then he uses his iron on medium heat and low steam to work over the towels. Over time this will start to steam up the stain, which will rise and get collected in the wet rags. He repeats this process as necessary, until the stain is removed. When the stain is gone, he works to remove any soap residue and water by applying dry white towels. He also employs the use of a wet/dry vac.

I just gave a brief summary, check out the video here:

Dry Powder Carpet Cleaning

One of the worst aspects of getting your carpet steam cleaned is the drying time needed for you to be able to able to walk on a carpet that is not damp. This is one of the most thorough carpet cleaning methods, but sometimes you just want a quick once over job like vacuuming. Not all carpet cleaning methods require water and shampoo. Some have little to no drying time at all. These methods are aptly named the dry carpet cleaning methods. Today, we will focus on the dry powder method. There is a wide variety of powdered carpet cleaning products.

In this method a powdered substance mixed with detergent is spread evenly over the carpeted area to be cleaned. A round or cylinder shaped brush is used to work the powder into the carpeting. This action in turn causes the cleaning particles to attract to the dust and dirt. When the process is done, one simply vacuums up the powder. There you go a quick and easy method with no drying time.

The drawback of this method is that it does not achieve that deep down full cleaning, that the other water methods can. This is good for a good quick cleaning that will collect the majority of the dirt and grime from the top half of the carpeting.

Having wet carpeting is a terrible predicament to be in. If not remedied quickly, mildew and mold can set in, as well as the general rotting of the carpet. Depending on the location of the carpet and the problem that caused the excess water, this will be an easy or tough task to accomplish. Leaking and broken pipes are one main cause of wet carpets, and must be fixed before you can fully dry out the carpet. Another cause is rain that seeps into your home from under the foundation.

If your wet carpet is on the ground level, you task may be a little easier. Assuming fair weather outside, open up your house and let the air in. A good choice for soaking up water would be a wet/dry vac. You can also employ towels and rags. Then you want to set up some floor fans to keep the air moving and dry. This will be a long process, but given enough time your carpets will dry out. The padding underneath your carpet will also be wet, so even if your carpets appear dry let the fans run for a while longer. Mold can also develop in the padding if left wet.

If the wet carpet is in your basement, pretty much follow the same process as above. It just might take longer, since you cannot open up your house. Open up any windows that are available, to get the outside air. If there are not any windows, you will have to solely rely on the fans, towels, and wet/dry vacuum. If you think the problem is beyond your capability, then you should consider hiring a remediation service.

Carpet Mold and Green Products

Mold is not a good thing to have in your house anywhere. Mold can be a tough item to get out of your carpeting. Unless you kill it off at the source, mold will continue to resurface in the affected area. The cause of mold is wetness and moisture in the carpet. This may have come from a leaky water pipe, wet clothing on the floor, unattended spills, etc. The best course of action is preventative. Clean up any spills as soon as you notice them. If you think you have leaking pipes, get a repair man out to inspect the area. You may be saving yourself from a bigger restoration project down the road.

One way to get rid of carpet mold is to just get rid of the whole carpet and get new carpeting after any other problems have been remedied. This of course, is more costly than treating the existing carpeting. Your decision to do this will probably be based on the severity of the mold infestation. There are various cleaning solutions to kill mold in your carpeting. Everyone is now on the green product bandwagon, so that is the solution you always seem to read about. You can avoid the ill effects of using toxic chemicals to treat the moldy areas of your carpeting.

You can attempt to remove the mold yourself, or you can hire a restoration service that specializes in mold remediation. They will come evaluate your situation and advise you on what to do next.

Tips For Cleaning A Rug

Aside from carpeting to clean, many people also have rugs in their homes. Rugs also need cleaning from time to time. Luckily rugs are portable and can be cleaned in more thorough ways that a carpet. If you notice that your rug is dusty or full of grit and debris, you can simply take it outside and shake it out. If you want to go more old school, get a stick and beat the carpet. If that does not suit you, you can always vacuum both sides of the carpet to get out the majority of the dust and debris.

If you decide that your rug needs a more thorough cleaning after vacuuming it, you can wash it with rug shampoo and water. Just treat the rug with water and shampoo or a mild soap. Work in the suds with a laundry brush, but be careful not to over work the brushing. You might end up doing more harm than good. When cleaning the fringe of the rug, brush away from the pile. When you feel you have successfully cleaned the rug, rinse it out with cold water. After rinsing, try to squeeze and work out the water. Some articles have suggested using a rubber squeegee. From there you just need to find a nice sunny spot to lay the rug out to dry. When the first side is dry, flip over the rug and dry the other side.

If you need to clean out any specific kinds of stains from your rug, refer back to the previous blog postings.

Cleaning Dog Poop Out Of Your Carpet

Anyone who has dogs has done it at one time or another. You go out into your backyard and unknowingly step in your dog’s mess. Since you didn’t realize you stepped it in it, you track it back through your house. Eventually you will start to smell it, if you haven’t seen it in your carpeting yet. Or maybe you have indoor dogs and they didn’t quite make it outside to do their business.

As with many carpet stains, the sooner you see it and take care of it, the less of a chance that it will become a permanent stain. So be calm and work fast to avoid further carpet damage.

Step 1—Collect the poop and any debris from the area and throw it out. Blot up any liquid mess.

Step 2 – Next you can treat the area with a variety of different cleaning products. You can spray on some laundry stain remover to pre-treat the stain. Next get some soapy water and a brush to scrub the area. Keep clean towels handy to blot up the liquid and keep the moisture level in the carpet. Repeat this process until the stain is gone.

Step 3—There may be some odor of the dog poop left behind after the stain is gone. The help get rid of the odor; treat the area with a half and half mix of vinegar and water. Repeat the process of pouring the mix on the stain and drying it up with towels. Baking soda is also good for absorbing odor, so you can sprinkle some on the stained area and let it settle in. Leave it there for a good amount of time and then vacuum it up.

The Benefits Of Carpeting Over Hardwood Flooring

Though everyone will have their own personal preference, there are some advantages of having carpeting in you house versus hardwood or laminate flooring. Some of those benefits are:

1.     Insulation- Having carpeted floors helps to keep your house a little warmer and not lose heat too fast. And as such, it is warmer to walk on than a hardwood floor. This can save you energy and reduce your heating bill.

2.     Cosmetic Uses—Carpet can be used to cover up old or damaged flooring in your home or apartment. It can be a less costly fix than having the floor replaced.

3.     Noise Dampening- Carpeting is great at absorbing sound and keeping noise levels down. The sound of walking on a carpet is nothing to that of the noise of echoes created by walking on a hard floor surface.

4.     Potential Safety- Carpet can be safer in some situation, since it is not slippery like a hard floor surface. It also provides some traction. Since there will be a little padding, any dropped dishes will be less likely to break.

5.     Easy to Clean- Many carpets are now stain resistant to some level and can be easily cleaned. If a spill soaks into your wood floor, it is likely to be permanent.

6.     Keeps the Air Clean- This may be debatable. Carpet does trap dust and allergens, but they can be easily launched back into the air while vacuuming. So actually the amount of times you clean and vacuum your carpet will affect the air quality in your home.

Easy to Install- Carpet has a relatively easier installation process than hardwood flooring. In many cases, installing carpeting will cost less than flooring. And in that respect would also be easier to replace than a hardwood floor wood.

Maybe you like to have a lot of burning candles in your home, or perhaps you or your family smokes in the house. In another case you may have a fireplace that may spew out some hot ash onto your floor from the crackling wood. Whatever the case may be, chances are that at some point in time a candle may fall or some cigarette ash may fall onto the carpet and cause a burn. In this event, you don’t want to have to replace the whole carpet or hire a carpet cleaning company, so here are a few suggestions for quick fixes you may want to try out.

If it is just a small spot burn, you can try to clean up the area. Get some lightweight sandpaper and work on the small area to remove the charred melted fibers. After you have ground down the area, vacuum up the debris. If the burn was small enough to be removed by this, you can stop now.

If the burned area was more damaged or the burn is still visible after sanding it off, you may want to consider replacing that small section of carpet. If this is the case, you will want to carefully cut out the affected area of carpeting with a carpet knife or equally sharp tool. To get the replacement pieces, you can either buy a small square section of carpeting from a home improvement store, or you can transplant a piece of the existing carpeting. You would want to cut it out of an existing area of carpeting that is unseen, like inside of a closet or under the couch. Once you have cut out your replacement piece, you can glue it down into its new location. The use of a hot glue gun is suggested. Make sure all of the seams have glue on them and once set in; roll over the carpeting with a carpet tractor. Let the glue dry before walking on this piece of carpet.

From moving the lawn and doing random yard work, you will manage to collect lawn clippings and soil onto your shoes. Then when you go back into your house, you will bring those pieces of the lawn with you. Hopefully you will notice any grass or dirt you track on you carpet. You want to try and clean it before it gets too worked in. So the sooner you notice it, the better chances you have of completely removing the stain. As with other stains the cleaning methods can start to share the same processes.

Some helpful tips:

• Do your best to pick up any debris and remnants that you can. Whatever loose material you can’t pickup by hand; you can try to vacuum up. If there is any mud on your carpet, let it dry before vacuuming it up.
• When you have removed the loose content of the stain, you can start to clean up any grass stain that is in the carpet.
• One method requires the use of a solution of one part of ammonia to two parts water. Ammonia can be substituted with Vinegar. Though other sources say using Ammonia may permanently set in the stain. When working with potentially bleaching chemicals, one should test out their solution on a small portion of the material that is to be treated. Apply sparingly to the affected area and let it settle. Then rinse it out with cold water.
• Similar methods to that above have been described with the use of hydrogen peroxide or liquid dish soap. Treat the stained area with the solution, let it absorb into the stain, and rinse with clean water.

Do not leave excess liquid in your carpeting. Be sure to soak up the rinse water with some clean white rags or towels.

Stuff you can do with your old carpet.

So you’ve pulled out all of you old carpeting and replaced it with some new stuff. Now what do you do with all that left over old carpet? Yes, you could always just throw it away, but that is just wasteful. This is one of those time in which you can enact the truest form of recycling, and that is finding a new purpose for something.

So here are some ideas for things you can do with your old carpet:

§       Create bedding for your pets. Use it to line pet beds, dog houses, or just as a nice mat on the patio for your dogs to sleep on. Carpet is a great insulator.

§       Create a scratching post for you cats. Wrap some old carpeting around a wood base and you have a basic scratching post. Give your cats something to scratch before they go for your good furniture.

§       Old carpet is also great for transporting large pieces of furniture. Simply place the furniture onto the length of carpeting to easily move the furniture by dragging the carpet.

§       You could always cut it into small rectangles and create floor mats or doormats. They could also provide some nice padding in your tent while on a camping trip.

§       Carpet is also a great sound dampener. You can reduce the noise created by your washer and dryer by laying some carpeting underneath your respective machines.

§       Create cushions for yourself. Protect your knees while working on the floor or in the garden.

In any case be creative and find alternative uses for your old carpet. We want to reduce the amount of trash in this world.