The Complete Guide to Clean and Maintain Your Area Rug
Seasonal changes, dust, spills, and other nuisances can spoil the look of a carpet. Rugs intend to become dirty, if not maintained well. These may even go through wear and tear. Therefore, along with cleaning tips, basic care suggestions for rugs and carpet are mentioned below. Adhering to this advice can keep carpet spick and span.
1) Vacuuming Cleaning
To keep dust and dirt at bay, one of the common techniques is to vacuum carpets. You may resort to this method every week. Vacuum the backside as well as the surface of your carpet well. Move the cleaner in the direction of the pile to save the yarn and fringes from being ruffled. You can even use the vacuum cleaner over rug pads.
2) Spot And Stain Cleaning
Blot leaks and spills immediately. Utilize soft and clean cotton cloth to blot the spills. Use certified and recommended cleaning agents to dim stains. Baking soda dissolved in lime water can act as an active agent to clean natural carpet spots and stains. Avoid chemical applicants as much as possible. Buy cleaning products that suit the material and dye used in carpet.
3) Scrubbing And Washing
Washing carpets can be done manually with hands or professionally. Not all carpets should be treated with water. Some of these may require dry cleaning. If a small part of our rug is dirty, you can scrub that spot with cleaning agents using a gentle brush. Regular washing of carpets will help to remove superficial dirt and dust.
4) Removal Of Pests
Pests may infest natural carpets more than the synthetic ones. Wool carpets are susceptible to moths while wood and bamboo ones can suffer from termites. Rats, cockroaches, bugs and other pests can chew carpets. Some of the pests may hide in the backing of your rug or latch in between strands. Vacuuming, washing, pest control, pest resisting pellets and regular cleaning of the rug can remove and prevent such hassles.
5) Beating Carpets
Another simple way to clean large area rugs is to beat them to get rid of dust. Many homeowners and even professional cleaner may choose this carpet cleaning method. Hang your rug on a rope or rod. You may utilize a stick or strong object that you can hold to beat the backing and surface of the carpet. Loose dust and dirt particles can fall out easily by this technique.
6) Steam Cleaning
This is one of the popular techniques for cleaning large area rugs. If you are not sure on how to use a steam cleaner, you may consider professional help. Fill the steam cleaner unit with cleaning solution and hot water. Set the temperature and auto-steaming timer. Roll the cleaner efficiently on the carpet surface and see how the foam of cleaning solutions cleanses away the rugs by itself. The steam cleaner can also dry the carpet well.
7) Getting Rid Of Stubborn Particles
Mud, food chunks, cigarette butts and other particles may sometimes lodge in rug yarn, edges, fringes, and backing. After vacuuming and washing, sometimes these particles may still stay. Use of bristle brush and soft scraper can help remove such stubborn particles away from the carpet. This process maybe times consuming but is worth the effort.
8) Eradicating Scars, Burns And More
Cigarette burn and fireplace sooth and fuel can harm rugs. These can leave the carpet surface scarred and bear the burn marks. One of the ways to remove burns is to cut out or scrape away the burnt area and fix new fabric here. Sometimes repainting, and cleaning the scars with specific agents can blur such scars.
Prevent Rugs From Getting Dirty
1) Choosing According to Areas
For low traffic areas, silk, cotton and leather carpets can be perfect. In high traffic areas, you can utilize coir, jute, polyester and wool rugs. Wood, seagrass and bamboo carpets are great for moderate traffic areas. If you choose the right material rug for a specific area, it will keep the carpet protected from irks that may affect when placed in unsuitable areas.
2) Packing and Storage
When planning to store carpets, roll them in suitable packing materials. Install stink and pest resistant pellets. Stock away the carpets in an area that is devoid of dampness and wetness. Do not keep the carpets exposed to harsh sunlight. Instead, place them in a space, which is dry yet not too hot. This method will ensure the carpets to remain clean even when not in use.
3) Stop Bleeding of Dyes
Carpets may sometimes bleed of dyes. Bleeding dyes may create smudge marks on the surface and seep into the backing of your rug. Such an adversary can take place when wrong cleaning method is used. So, be careful to read the instructions regarding rug cleaning of your carpet before undertaking any technique. Blotting dyes when they leak and repainting the carpet in times can be some of the preventive measures.
4) Rotate Carpets
To prevent scars and dent marks in carpets, shift the furniture on the rug to another place. Another way is to rotate the carpet itself so that dust marks do not collect on the surface.
The above-mentioned tips describe the different cleaning techniques for carpets. Added measures to prevent dirtying of rugs will also help to keep them clean.
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