How to clean a carpet at home: an overview of quick and effective ways

Carpets on the floor give the home shades of warmth and comfort, but they are also the main dust collectors. Every housewife should know how to clean the carpet at home, return it to a neat and fresh look. Regular care is also needed in order to prevent the appearance of dust mites, mold and fungus, rapid wear of the floor covering.

How to vacuum the carpet?

The main way to clean the carpet is to use a vacuum cleaner. The broom is not suitable for this purpose, because thick twigs do not penetrate deep into the pile and do not remove fine dust. Vacuum the carpet at least 2 times a week.

It is advisable to use S-shaped nozzles. First, the carpet is vacuumed against the direction of the pile, removing dust and debris from the lower layers, then vice versa, to prevent deformation of the loops.

Pay attention to the type of pile. For carpets with sheared loops, bristles with hard bristles are suitable. But a long and soft pile requires an ordinary nozzle.

Do not turn on the wet function of the vacuum cleaner if you are cleaning carpets made from natural fibers. This will result in quick deterioration of the product.

Dry clean

Over time, the pile accumulates so much dust and dirt that even after using the vacuum cleaner, the carpet remains untidy. It takes on a gray tint and becomes tough. Therefore, 1-2 times a month, it is recommended to dry clean the carpet.

First you need to choose a brush. They are of three types:

• hand held;
• mechanical;
• electric.

Hand brushes are cheap. If you need to clean the carpet in only one room, then you can do it in 20-30 minutes. Hand brush allows you to get rid of even micro dust. To wash the carpet from dirt, choose products with fine bristles that do not deform the pile.

Mechanical brushes are convenient to use (no need to bend your back), but are more suitable for cleaning floors. With their help, you can clean the carpet only from large debris: crumbs, hair, dust spools and wool.

Electric brushes have the same mechanism of action as mechanical ones, but they accelerate the cleaning process due to the built-in motor. Stronger dust retraction.

Mechanical and electric brushes (as well as their dust collectors) must be regularly cleaned. Otherwise, you will simply transfer garbage from one part of the carpet to another.

How to clean carpets in a dry way?

1. Without removing the carpet from the floor, sprinkle dry powder on it. Spread the product evenly over the entire surface with a brush.
2. Wait 15-30 minutes (depending on the degree of carpet contamination).
3. Walk with a soft bristle brush on the carpet, collecting powder.
4. Use a vacuum cleaner.

Instead of a special powder for cleaning carpets, you can use ordinary baking soda.

Three advantages of a dry cleansing method:

• keeps a dirt-repellent covering on carpets;
• does not lead to deformation of pile loops;
• after dry cleaning, moisture does not accumulate in the carpet, which means that it is not threatened by fungi and mold.

Popular dry cleaners

The composition of powders for cleaning carpet includes adsorbents that absorb dust, dirt and grease well. However, some products contain aggressive chemicals that can ruin the color of the carpet and the structure of the pile.

We recommend that you purchase one of two powders that have positive reviews. When used correctly, they will not ruin your carpet.

• Udalix Ultra Carpet Cleaner

It can be used dry or diluted with water until foam is formed to clean the carpet from stains. One bag (100 grams) costs only 80 rubles, and enough for 30 square meters. The tool allows you to refresh the look of the carpet, remove stains of dirt, sauces, drinks. Eliminates unpleasant odors.

The powder is not suitable for long pile carpets.

• Vanish Gold Carpet Powder

A package of 650 grams costs 470-500 rubles. Not only cleans and refreshes the carpet, but also removes old stains. If you need to clean a carpet from wool or other natural pile, first check the product in an inconspicuous area. The powder is left on the floor for 20 minutes, and then proceed to cleaning.

Vanish Gold contains 5% oxygen bleach, so be especially careful when using powder on dark colored carpets.

Wet cleaning

Despite all the advantages of dry carpet cleaning, this method does not allow you to get rid of old pollution. And in the household chemistry store there is a much larger selection of shampoos and liquid concentrates for carpets than powders.

Wet cleaning is done no more than 1 time per month. It should not be carried out categorically in relation to the following carpets:

• from wool;
• with a long pile;
• with a "fluffy" coating.

The stains on the carpet are cleaned in a dotted manner. And carefully, so as not to smear dirt on the entire surface of the carpet.

How to carry out wet cleaning of carpets?

1. Take a vacuum cleaner through the carpet.
2. Dilute a tablespoon of liquid with a liter of water.
3. Pour the resulting solution into the spray bottle and spray evenly throughout the carpet.
4. Leave the product for 0.5-2 hours (or for another time specified in the instructions).
5. Wipe the carpet with a damp cloth, sitting directly on the floor, and go with a vacuum cleaner (or immediately use a washing vacuum cleaner, if you have one).
6. Open all the windows in the house so that the carpet is thoroughly dry.

Before cleaning the carpet, we recommend that you check the product. Pour shampoo (concentrate) into a bowl of water and leave overnight. In the morning, pour the liquid out of the dishes. If soapy deposits remain on the walls of the bowl, then the same thing will happen to the carpet after cleaning. The sticky residue on the carpet will attract dirt and dust.

There is an alternative way to wet cleaning, familiar to many people since childhood. If it is winter outside, ask family members to help you get the carpet out. Put it in a pile on the snow and knock it out well. So you get rid of not only dust, but also dust mites.

The best wet cleaning products

A good carpet cleaner should meet the following requirements:

• Do not leave light stains and smudges on the surface;
• clean the pile of old stains of dirt, blood, drinks;
• dry quickly;
• do not contain chemistry harmful to the respiratory system.

What liquid products meet the above conditions and have proven themselves well?

• Shampoo "5+"

It is applied to the carpet in the form of lush foam, which avoids excess moisture. Suitable even for natural pile carpets. It contains a color-saving additive and optical brightener, so after cleaning the carpet looks like new. Shampoo removes static electricity and eliminates unpleasant odors. A liter of “5+” means about 160 rubles.

• Vox Drop Liquid Concentrate

Another inexpensive domestic product (80 rubles for 0.5 liters), which removes dust and dirt from the carpet. For removing old stains is not suitable. The advantage of the concentrate is that it does not need to be washed off with water after cleaning. Also, “Vox Drop” contains a pleasant aromatic additive.

• Vanish Oxi Action Spray

Convenient in that it does not need to be bred in water, but can be immediately applied to the carpet. Designed primarily to get rid of old spots. The disadvantage is the high price - 310 rubles for 0.5 liters.

Foam cleaning

Foam contains components that corrode dirt (alkalis, acids, alcohols), abrasive substances for absorbing dust and a detergent base. It is an intermediate cleaning method between the use of dry powders and wet cleaning. Suitable for carpet made of natural pile, because it does not leave excess moisture on the product. It is applied to contaminated areas of the coating for 20-40 minutes, and then removed with a vacuum cleaner.

Examples of good brands of foam:

• Vanish Gold (450 rubles per 600 ml);
• Tuba (325 rubles per 600 ml);
• Nordland (300 rubles per 600 ml);
• "Carpet cleaner" from Luxus Professional (480 rubles per 600 ml).

How to remove pollution from the carpet with folk remedies?

As you can see, many cleaning products are not cheap. And sometimes it becomes necessary to quickly remove a fresh stain (from spilled coffee or juice, blood) from the carpet, and there is simply no time to go to the household chemistry store. Fortunately, skilled housewives know how to clean carpet with folk remedies.

If you spilled something directly on the floor, do not rush to rub the stain, otherwise ugly stains will remain on the carpet after drying. Absorb excess moisture with paper towels, and then apply a little soda and salt to the stain. Then walk through the contaminated area with a vacuum cleaner. After final drying proceed to treatment of a stain.

Each type of pollution has its own folk remedies and procedures. For clarity, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the table below.

Thus, cleaning the carpet at home is a responsible event that requires certain knowledge. The abuse of wet cleaning, the wrong choice of shampoo or powder lead to rapid wear of the carpet. Before cleaning, pay attention to the type of pile, and also check the product in an inconspicuous area of ​​the carpet.