Carpet Cleaning Tips for West Palm Beach Residents

Some Florida residents practically do away with carpeting altogether, but for those of us in West Palm Beach that love our carpets, we often have to deal with a few problems that our non-carpeted friends don’t – stains, spots, and tough dirt.

Obviously, the best solution to these problems is a good, old-fashioned professional cleaning. But even when you opt for a professional to take over the job, the truth is you aren’t going to have a professional always at your beck and call 24/7. For some of the more unlucky among us, a nasty stain or a tough spot can happen only days or even hours after the pro has just packed up his equipment. (It’s not as if you can choose when you’re going to stain your carpet.)

So, even if you do take care of your rugs with regular cleanings, there are going to be times when you need to do a little personal cleaning for yourself until the next time you can get a pro in to do the job.
Below or are several carpet cleaning tips that may do the trick for you in a pinch.

Tip #1 – Your First Move
The first thing you might want to try is vacuuming the spot with a shop-vac. You will want to be careful about vacuuming with a regular vacuum because you may do more harm than good. The reason for this is you don’t want to rub the offending material into the carpet. And if you have a less-than-powerful vacuum, this may be what you end up doing if you run the vacuum over the spot again and again.

With a wet/dry shop-vac, however, you can put the nozzle of the hose directly down onto the spot and potentially suck the liquid or material straight up out of the carpet.

However, if you don’t have a wet/dry vacuum handy, the first thing you’re going to want to do is blot area with a clean towel or paper towel. Be careful not to “wipe” it or soak it. If you wipe it, you may just be rubbing it in. If you soak it, you may just be spreading the stain and driving it deeper.

Tip #2 – Cleaning Juice Stains from Your Carpet
If the stain is a juice stain (that includes wine, of course), then try the following formula:

1. Mix ammonia or lukewarm water with laundry detergent
2. Blot the affected area with the solution
3. Put some club soda on a sponge and blot the area agin
4. Blot the area once more with your original ammonia/water and detergent solution
5. Cover with a paper towel until dry
6.  When the area is dry, brush it to loosen the dried particles of the stain and then vacuum

Tip #3 – Cleaning Grease Stains from Your Carpet (Also for Ink Stains)
If the stain is a grease stain, then try the following (blotting from the edges of your stain in towards the center):

1. Blot the area with dry-cleaning fluid (not much, just a little)
2. Blot gain with warm water and dish soap
3. Cover with a paper towel until dry
4. When the area is dry, brush it to loosen the dried particles of the stain and then vacuum

Tip #4 – Cleaning Dairy Product Stains from Your Carpet

1. Blot the stain with ammonia
2. Use a sponge to blot the stain again with warm water
3. Mix white vinegar and warm water together and blot the area with this solution
4. Cover with a paper towel until dry
5. When the area is dry, brush it to loosen the dried particles of the stain and then vacuum