15 Carpet Cleaning Hacks
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Cleaning your carpets doesn’t have to cost you a small fortune. It’s a common misconception that in order to effectively deep-clean your carpets, you’ll need to pay for professional assistance, or otherwise you’ll need to invest in some expensive, specialist equipment. This is often not the case. There are numerous carpet cleaning hacks and methods you can use to keep your carpets sparkling clean without spending endless amounts of time and money.
Each of the carpet cleaning hacks listed below can be done with minimal equipment and highly affordable products. The tools and products we recommend using are all things you’re likely to already have laying around the house, or they can be easily found at Amazon or in your local grocery or hardware stores.
We’ve only included methods that use absolutely no harmful chemical cleaning ingredients or synthetic toxins. These can be detrimental to the health of you, your pets, and anyone else living in your household – not to mention the terrible impacts these products have on the environment!
These cleaning hacks will enable you to maintain consistently clean carpets using just natural ingredients and a little elbow grease. We’ve divided them up into categories for convenience, so let’s start with some general carpet cleaning and maintenance hacks.
General Maintenance & Carpet Cleaning Hacks
Here, we’re going to go through some of our top carpet cleaning hacks that will enable you to efficiently deep-clean your carpets and tackle some of the most common problems people experience.
1. Make Your Own DIY Carpet Cleaning Solution
The quickest way to sanitize and clean your carpet is by using a convenient and effective carpet cleaning solution. The one we recommend simply consists of equal parts white vinegar and distilled water.
Mix the solution in a clean spray bottle and spritz over your entire floor space to disinfect and sanitize the carpet. White vinegar is an extremely effective cleaning agent, with odor neutralizing and antibacterial properties, making it great for carpet cleaning. Once you have sprayed the carpet with your cleaning solution, leave it to soak for several minutes before rubbing with a stiff brush or microfiber cloth and then drying thoroughly.
Plastic Spray Bottles 2 Pack
This hack is great for regular light maintenance between deep cleans, and the cleaning solution is multi-purpose, meaning it can be used all over the home and is super eco-friendly and cost-effective.
Related: How to Deodorize Carpet: 5 Safe and Natural Methods
2. Use a Lint Roller or Squeegee for Hair Removal
Vacuuming might be the most efficient way of picking up loose dirt particles from your carpet, but it’s not always the most effective when it comes to removing more stubborn debris like hair and clothing fibers.
Using a squeegee is an easy way of loosening the hair strands and pulling them out from within the carpet fibers. A lint roller can then be used to pick these up and remove them from the carpet.
Scotch-Brite Lint Roller Value Pack
This might be a little more time-consuming than simply vacuuming, but you could be surprised by the amount of hair and other dirt particles that are hiding in your carpet and are uncovered using this method, even after vacuuming.
3. Steam Clean Your Carpet Using Your Iron
Steam cleaning is a great way of cleaning your carpets, killing bacteria, and drawing out excess moisture and dirt from the base layers of the carpet. However, steam cleaners can be expensive and you might not want to invest in one for this reason.
Instead, use your iron as a makeshift steam carpet cleaner. Simply heat up your iron and then take a clean terry towel and lightly dampen it with some distilled water or the DIY cleaning solution mentioned in the first hack. Lay the damp cloth on the floor and place the iron directly on top, taking care not to hold it in one place for too long to avoid burning the carpet fibers.
This is a great, easy way of sanitizing your carpets using tools you already have in your home.
Stain Treatment Hacks
Next up, we’re going to look at carpet cleaning hacks that focus specifically on treating and removing stains from your carpets.
4. Use Hydrogen Peroxide to Treat Stubborn Stains
Hydrogen peroxide is a naturally derived chemical that is excellent for stain removal and the treatment of discoloration in fabrics and hard surfaces.
With that being said, it’s a pretty tough ingredient and has been found to cause color lifting in some fabrics. It’s not recommended that hydrogen peroxide is used on dark or brightly colored carpets, as this is likely to result in permanent bleaching.
If you have light or white carpets, however, hydrogen peroxide is excellent for the stain treatment. Simply apply the liquid per the instructions, and leave to soak for the recommended amount of time. Take a clean microfiber cloth to remove the excess liquid, rinse with cool water, and then wipe over the area again to ensure all of the hydrogen peroxide is removed. You should see a significant lifting of the stubborn stain.
5. Use an Iron to Lift Stains
As well as being useful for sanitizing and cleaning carpets, your iron can also be used to effectively treat stains and the method is very similar to the aforementioned iron hack.
This time, however, you should apply your white vinegar and water solution directly onto the stain, allow this to soak for several minutes, and then place your clean terry towel or cloth that has been lightly dampened over the affected area.
Then, take your iron and apply direct pressure to the stained area for a few seconds, repeat this step until the towel has absorbed the stain and the carpet below is left clean.
6. Use a Toothbrush and Baking Soda to Remove Stains
Much like white vinegar, baking soda is an excellent natural cleaning agent to keep in your home. It’s super affordable and easy to get a hold of, and it also has countless uses when it comes to cleaning.
For this cleaning hack, sprinkle baking soda over the stain on your carpet until it’s fully covered but not oversaturated. Allow this to soak in for several minutes and then go in with a clean toothbrush and work the baking soda into the stain.
If you feel the stain is particularly stubborn, you can also add your white vinegar and water solution over the top of the baking soda and allow this to soak for another couple of minutes before going back in with the toothbrush.
Work in the solution until the stain has lifted out of the carpet and then wipe away as much liquid as possible using a clean cloth or towel. Once the carpet has dried, you can remove any residual baking soda using your vacuum cleaner.
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As with any of the hacks listed in this article, we recommend carrying out a patch test if you are going to use this method. Try out the products on a less visible area of carpet to ensure they are compatible with your carpet’s pile, material, and coloring.
Related: How to Use Baking Soda as a Natural Carpet Cleaner
Deodorizing Hacks
Now, let’s take a look at some hacks that will effectively neutralize any unpleasant odors within your carpet and leave them smelling super fresh and clean.
7. Use Baking Soda & Essential Oils as a DIY Deodorizer
Creating your own natural deodorizer couldn’t be easier. The first method involves mixing baking soda with your choice of essential oils.
Add your baking soda to a sealable container and then add a few drops of your essential oils. Citrus oils are excellent for removing bacteria and adding a super clean smell, while more floral scents will fill your home with a fresh, airy scent. Just be sure to carry out some research before choosing your essential oils, as some blends can be harmful to dogs and other pets.
Once you have mixed the baking soda and essential oils in your container, place the lid on and give it a good shake before leaving them to saturate for a few hours. When you reopen the container, you should have some wonderfully perfumed baking soda particles.
Dust the perfumed baking soda over your carpet, taking care not to over-saturate, as this can then be difficult to remove and may damage your vacuum cleaner. Leave the baking soda to sit on the carpet for as long as is necessary (we recommend anything up to 8 hours) and then simply vacuum away to leave a super fresh and clean-smelling carpet.
Related: Carpet Odor Removal: The Best Natural Carpet Deodorizers
8. Use White Vinegar & Essential Oils as a DIY Deodorizer
A similar method can be applied using white vinegar in place of the baking soda.
Add some white vinegar to a basin or to several small containers or bowls. Add in your choice of essential oils and then place these around the carpet you wish to deodorize. The white vinegar will absorb unpleasant odors and the essential oils will be emitted into the air, lightly perfuming the space. This method is especially effective if you also place a fan in the room.
Of course, if you are going to use this method, ensure that no pets or children are able to enter the room to prevent ingestion of the solution.
9. Make Your Own Deodorizing Pouches
Finally, you could make your own DIY deodorizing pouches using many of the same ingredients. Take a small pouch made from a loose-woven fabric such as chiffon or muslin (paper envelopes also work well) and fill this with your baking soda and essential oil mixture.
These pouches can then be sealed using string or ribbon and left in the area you wish to deodorize. These are a great ongoing solution to unpleasant odors within your carpets and also provide a nice little DIY crafting session to engross yourself in!
Tendwarm 20 Pieces 4×6 Inches Cotton Drawstring Bags Reusable Muslin Sachet Bag
Drying Hacks
Here, we are going to look at a few carpet drying hacks. Drying your carpets is equally as important as cleaning them thoroughly.
If left with residual moisture in the fibers or base of the carpet, you’re likely to see bacteria growth and subsequent presence of mold and mildew, undoing all of the time and effort you have spent cleaning the carpet. So, these carpet drying hacks are super useful!
10. Turn Up the Heat
The first thing to do when trying to dry out your carpets quickly is to increase the heat in the room. Hot air is able to absorb more moisture, meaning your carpet will dry much quicker in a warmer environment.
Make use of any central heating systems or portable heaters to increase the temperature, and also allow plenty of ventilation within the space by opening windows and doors to increase airflow. This will prevent the relative humidity levels from becoming too high which could then lead to excess moisture in the room and in your carpet.
11. Make Use of Your Dehumidifier
On a similar note, if you have a dehumidifier in your home or know of one you could borrow or hire, these can be incredibly useful when it comes to drying out your carpets.
By increasing the heat and using a dehumidifier, you can significantly increase the speed at which moisture can be absorbed from the carpet and then removed from the air, making your heating run much more efficiently and reducing the chance of your carpet holding on to excess moisture.
12. Ban All Traffic
Finally, when drying out your carpets, it’s important that you keep any traffic or footfall through the space to an absolute minimum. If possible, stop anyone from walking through the space and remove any furniture or heavy items from the carpet.
Adding weight to the carpet will prevent it from drying out properly and is also likely to cause permanent bending, matting, and snapping of the carpet fibers since they are at their weakest while wet.
If you have to walk over the carpet before it is thoroughly dried, always remove any outdoor footwear to prevent any bacteria from being pushed into the carpet along with the residual moisture.
Fluffing & Restoration Hack
Finally, we are going to look at some tips and hacks for restoring your carpet to its optimal condition after it has been cleaned and dried or on a general day-to-day basis.
Carpet fibers can become flattened, matted, or broken if not properly maintained or with general wear and tear. These hacks will enable you to restore your carpet to its former, fluffy glory.
13. Use a Carpet Rake or Stiff Brush to Re-Fluff
If you find that your carpets are regularly flattened down due to excessive footfall or general wear and tear, it could be well worth investing in a stiff carpet brush or rake. These tools allow you to make the carpet fluffy again by separating the carpet fibers and pushing them in different directions to reduce any matting and move them back into an upright position.
Amazer Scrub Brush
We recommend that you use these frequently, particularly in areas of high traffic such as staircases and entryways to keep your carpets looking fresh and fluffy.
If you find that the carpet fibers are particularly stubborn and don’t want to lift, you can also spray over some water or cleaning solution to loosen them up before going in with the brush or rake.
14. Use Ice to Lift Flattened Fibers
Did you know that you could use ice cubes to remove dents or lift flattened areas of your carpet? We’re talking about those areas where furniture legs or sofas have been sat for several months, leaving behind stubborn dents which may seem impossible to fix.
Place a few ice cubes over the dent and then leave these to melt and soak into the carpet for up to 8 hours. Then, gently blot the area to remove excess moisture and use your carpet brush or a dull spoon or fork to re-fluff the carpet.
The slowly melting ice cubes give the carpet fibers plenty of time to swell and regain their original shape and upright position.
15. Use Carpet Runners in High Traffic Areas
Finally, we highly recommend that you make use of rugs or carpet runners in areas of high traffic. Staircases, especially, can benefit from carpet runners, since these are areas where fiber splitting and breakage are most common due to the bending of the carpet and the high amounts of footfall.
Resilia – Clear Vinyl Plastic Floor Runner/Protector
By using a rug or carpet runner, you prolong the lifespan of your carpet and prevent it from premature damage.
Related: How to Start a Cleaning Business in 10 Simple Steps and House Cleaning Tips Before Selling
Final Thoughts on Carpet Cleaning Hacks
Carpets are a popular feature in many homes, adding warmth and comfort to any space. By utilizing some of the carpet cleaning hacks listed above and implementing them into your regular cleaning routine, you can keep the carpets in your home looking, feeling, and smelling clean and fresh at all times.
There is undoubtedly a time and a place for professional assistance when it comes to carpet cleaning. Specialist carpet cleaners are skilled professionals who will almost certainly leave your carpets sparkling clean. But, this isn’t a feasible option for many people.
You might enjoy and take great pride in cleaning your home yourself, there might be a shortage of carpet cleaning specialists in your local area, or you might simply be trying to save on some costs by taking on the task yourself. Whatever your circumstances, the carpet cleaning hacks listed here will enable you to achieve clean, well-maintained carpets on a budget.