FAMILY mommy & daddy
DIY: Keeping Your
By: Lara West
Carpet Clean
Soda, gum and dirty shoe prints on the living room carpet usually means a dollar fifty just left your bank account and went directly to carpet cleaners. How much would you love me if I told you that you can keep most (if not all) of your money and clean your carpets yourself? (Seriously!) Before we begin, it’s my duty to be sure you know that because carpets vary in many ways (fibers, texture, pile build, chemical protection, etc…) it’s very important to always swatch test all cleaning agents, DIY or commercial brand, in an inconspicuous spot before tackling the center of the room. You never know when something is going to go array and alter the beauty or the integrity of the carpet. Now that that’s out of the way, let’s shuffle into this carpet cleaning business… Beautiful carpets are possible to maintain over long periods of time with proper care and attention. It’s important that they are vacuumed regularly (two or more times a week) and spills should be treated promptly. There is several neat-and-simple carpet cleaning methods you can try for spot cleaning. Most of my house is wood flooring but the bedrooms and the television room are carpeted and I keep a light colored area rug in the front room. The entrance space is not very big coming inside, so there is not really room for us all to take our shoes off before entering in yucky weather and stepping all over the rug. Which means I am constantly spot cleaning that thing. (Because it always seems to make much more sense to wet and dirty the rug then risk getting our socks wet and dirty from puddles on the wood floor.) My go-to method requires only two ingredients and two tools; a small spray bottle (ok, three tools) with one part vinegar/two parts water, a rag, and an iron. Spray the spot, lay the towel over it, and apply the hot iron for a few seconds to a half minute depending on the stain. Blot with the towel, repeat if necessary until the stain is gone. (If you’re using family friendly cleaners, use your vinegar/water mix bottle that is already in your cupboard.) This spot clean method is obviously not the most effective way to clean mass areas. That is easiest done by vacuuming a powder agent or renting/buying a steam clean machine. A rental is around $40/day, 32
THE
FAMILY MAGAZINE | March 2014
Tips and Shortcuts: • Gum Removal: Spray gum with compressed air can (like what you would use to clean your keyboard) until frozen. Use an object (like a wall scraper) to carefully separate the gum from the carpet. Dab any remaining residue with a type of oil to remove. • Club Soda can help remove and prevent fresh spills from setting. Pour over stain and blot it away. • Candle Wax: Use a hairdryer to melt the wax and then scrape the wax away from the carpet using a butter knife. • Dents: Mist with plain water and blow it with a hair dryer while using your fingers brush up, or fluff, the carpet.
and a new one can vary depending on brand and size, but $150 is about what you can expect to pay for a midgrade steamer. If you go the route of using a steamer, you can save yourself a few bucks by not purchasing the commercial brand shampoos. It’s easy to make your own right at home and depending on how…loved…your carpet is you might find that simply mixing clear liquid dish soap and water (1 tsp per 1 cup water) in the tank will clean your carpets nicely. However, if your high traffic carpets need something a little more potent, try the vinegar solution (1:2). Dirt is attracted to any residue left in your carpets after cleaning, which is why you should keep the room well ventilated and open windows or set up fans to help the carpet dry quickly. You can still have fresh carpets without using a steam machine. To give your carpet a quick pick-me-up, the easiest way to do this is by sprinkling a light coating of baking soda over the surface, let sit