Household Remedies for Rug Cleaning

Do you have children, pets? Have you purchased an expensive area rug for your home? With young kids or pets in the house, the chances your expensive rug or carpeting might get stained or dirtied rapidly would be pretty high. To keep your carpeting and rugs looking clean and smelling fresh, the home owner might need to practice a few cleaning tips to keep your carpets and rugs clean and protect them from staining. Children and pets drag in soil and contaminants, the first thing you should do, is to have the high traffic areas vacuumed on a regular basis. Regular vacuuming removes dirt and grime that would settle and be ground in to the fabric of the rug. If dirt is allowed to accumulate and be pressed in to the fabric, the process of rug cleaning becomes more difficult later on.

Many of the chemicals you need to do your own rug cleaning are household items that are available at the local store or drug store. Club soda, vinegar, baking soda, dish detergent, household bleach and ammonia are very effective in removing stains and bad odors from your expensive upholstery and carpeting. Infant and pet urine stains can be combated by using dish detergent, warm water, vinegar and vacuuming. Most organic stains from food, vomit, urine and excrement can be removed by using these items. Baking soda is also very effective in removing organic stains. If your rug is light colored, household bleach (hydrogen peroxide) can be useful for stain removal. For stains that are oil based use dish detergent and warm water to remove the oily residue. Apply the detergent soapy solution (1 teaspoon detergent to 2 cups of warm water) in small amounts without soaking the carpet through, blot the extra solution. Rinse out the area with warm water and vacuum up the excess. Apply iso-propyl rubbing alcohol, citrus solvent or dry cleaning solvent. Rinse out with warm water and blot like before. This process may be used to remove similar non-water based stains like stains from Vaseline, make up, mayonnaise etc. If you spill something acidic, try neutralizing with ammonia solution (a mixture of 1:4 parts of ammonia to warm water). If the spill is alkaline, or if you want to neutralize too much detergent, use a mild acidic solution like vinegar in water (1 part of vinegar to 4 parts of warm water). Adding room freshener will also make the area smell good. For long life and optimal condition, hire professionals at least once a year to do a complete rug cleaning. Los Angeles home owners can consult professionals who use steam cleaning and other techniques.