While the humble carpet has been a flooring staple for decades, it’s care should never been taken lightly. A shoddy, poorly maintained carpet signifies dinginess and gives the home a drab appearance. 

If maintained well, a carpet can serve you for years, remaining soft, cosy and attractive. To help you keep your carpets looking as good as new, we have compiled a handy guide with our top 5 carpet cleaning hacks. 

The most careful amongst us knows that stains are inevitable and accidents will happen. Wine, coffee, oil, crayons, muddy paws – the list is endless. 

But fret not. Many carpet stains can be cleaned easily enough with simple household products. Although there are plenty of carpet cleaners readily available, the below solutions are a 100% natural way to clean carpets.

Detergent: Liquid stains, such as wine, respond well to detergent-based cleaners. Simply mix 1 tablespoon of detergent or dishwashing liquid with around 500ml of water, which you can blot or spray onto the stained area.

Vinegar: For more stubborn and greasy stains, vinegar is best, as it helps break down grease. Vinegar will need to be diluted with water to use as a cleaner, but how much will depend on the type of vinegar used and how bad the stain is.

Shaving Cream: Simply squirt a small amount right on the surface of the stain. You’ll need to leave it for 15-30 minutes before gently scrubbing or blotting. Dip your brush in warm water so that it is just slightly damp. Gently start moving the brush back and forth to lift the stain away.

Vinegar and Baking Soda: Combining vinegar with baking soda and spraying it on top of a stain can help to completely remove it. Leave the solution on the carpet for at least 15-30 minutes to help it soak in. Then gently scrub or blot to remove the stain.

Remember: Never let a stain linger on for too long on your carpet. The quicker you act, the better the stain removal.

Carpets, of course benefit from regular vacuuming. But steam cleaning every couple of weeks and deep cleaning every once in three months is a must to get rid of all the invisible dust and allergens that can collect in carpets.  

You will find a plethora of carpet cleaning solutions in the market, but if you wish to make your own, all you need is a mix of:  

Pour your homemade cleaning solution into the compartment of your steam cleaner. Then start steam cleaning gently, upwards and downwards all over your carpet. A fresh-smelling, sparkly clean carpet is the wonderful result of this simple exercise.

When you have carpets, it’s always a good idea to vacuum at least once a week since dust, hair and debris can collect over carpets easily. But if you have pets, it’s better to make that twice a week.  

But instead of a rushed vacuum run back and forth, make use of the attachments that came with your vacuum for best results – like extension, crevice attachments and dust brush.

The extension will help you reach backbreaking spots like under furniture, so you don’t have to drag them each time. The crevice attachment is flexible enough to help you reach those tricky corners with ease. You can use the dust brush to get rid of layers of dust lingering around on your furniture or baseboards. 

In households with pets, odours are a common occurrence. If you don’t take care of these odours on a daily basis, it will settle on your carpets and get stronger by the day, making it an unpleasant experience for all who enter your home.

Fortunately, you can keep your carpets smelling fresh with a simple homemade spray using:

Mix all these ingredients in a spray bottle and spray it on your carpets as often as you like. This solution has an added advantage of being completely natural and safe to use around pets and kids.

When it comes to floors, prevention is better than cure. You can prevent your carpets from getting dirty by simply placing mats and rugs strategically.

A doormat at the front and back door of your home will ensure that no dirt or mud will get to your main carpet, as everyone wipes off their shoes first.

Cleverly placed area rugs in common rooms can help your main carpeting from getting too grimy. Hallway runners in high-traffic areas are another great way to add an additional barrier against dirt. 

Although this might seem a bit drastic, having a ‘no shoes inside the house’ policy will go a long way to keep your carpets in good shape for a long, long time. 

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It’s also best to have on hand rubber gloves, lint rollers and a carpet rake to clean your carpets. A little TLC every day goes a long way in keeping your carpets performing well and looking great for years. 

If you need to know more about carpet maintenance, call our experts on 020 3004 6630 or email at [email protected]