Carpet Cleaning Tips & Advice

Prevention Is Better Than Cure!

Prevention is always better than cure! Always remove outdoor footwear before entering the carpeted area of the house to avoid bringing dirt in.

Doormats and entrance mats will help to prevent soil build up around doorways. It will also reduce the amount of soil entering your home.

Vacuum regularly. This reduces the soil and dirt that builds up near doorways and the roots of the carpet. Vacuum in several directions to help pick up all the dirt. Adding a little baking soda to the bag in your vacuum helps to fight odours.

Get your carpets professionally cleaned once per year – this will help prolong the life of your carpet.

Carpet Problems

Unfortunately accidents will always happen, so these tips may help you should the worst happen:

The quicker you act, the better chance you have of removing any staining. Once a stain has dried it is much more difficult to remove.

For liquid stains carefully blot the stain from the outside working in towards the middle using an absorbent cloth, kitchen roll works well. Remove as much of the spill as possible. Never rub the stain – this might spread the problem to a larger area and damage the carpet pile.

For bulky staining, such as food spills, scrape up the excess with a blunt knife or spatula, then blot.

Always start working from the outside edge of any stain and work your way inwards (whether it is a carpet stain, upholstery stain or fabric stain). This will help to prevent stains from spreading.

Before using any cleaning solution, test your carpet in an inconspicuous area to make sure the cleaner won't damage or discolour it. Also read the instructions carefully to ensure the cleaner you have is appropriate for the type of stain. If in doubt call a professional carpet cleaner who will be able to advise you.

Stains that are not treated will often reappear at the surface of your carpet. You may have thought you've cleaned the stain, but soon after you'll see the same stain making its way to the surface of your carpet. To prevent this, cover the stain with a thick cloth and weigh down with something heavy overnight, allowing the cloth to absorb the stain, then, clean as above.
Never use an iron or a hair dryer to dry a carpet stain; this will only seal the stain permanently.

How To Remove Some Common Stains:

Candle Wax: Press an ice cube against the wax stain. The wax will harden and can then be pulled or gently scraped off.

Chewing Gum: Chewing gum can be a sticky mess, so harden it by pressing an ice cube against the blob of gum. Once hardened, the gum can be pulled off.

Crayon: Scrape away excess crayon or remove it by placing a sheet of brown paper over the crayon stain and pressing it with a warm iron until the paper absorbs the melted crayon. Move the paper frequently so that it doesn't get oversaturated.

Wine: Whatever cleaning solution you choose to try, the first step is to blot up any excess wine with a clean white cloth, such as a towel or kitchen roll, as soon as possible. Do not scrub since this can work the wine further into the fibres. Instead blot with the towel, and then fold the towel so a clean area is exposed to the stain. Blot again, continuing this practice until the towel no longer soaks up any wine when you apply pressure. If you cannot clean the stain immediately, sprinkle some salt on the stain when it is still wet. The salt will also help absorb some of the wine. Once the stain dries, the salt can be picked up with a vacuum before a cleansing treatment is used.

Be Careful: For any cleaning solution, it is wise to test it in an unseen area of the carpet before using it to treat a stain. Carpets are made of various fibres and use different dyes and manufacturing techniques so there is no one thing that is completely safe for every type of carpet. Test potential cleaning methods on a spare carpet scrap or along the wall in a hidden area in case the carpet is discoloured by the treatment.

Professional Advice: If in any doubt of how to remove a stain, keep the area damp and call Richfords on 01209 72522 for professional advice or carpet cleaning services.

Removing Depressions Left In Carpet By Furniture

To raise depressions left in a carpet by heavy furniture, try steaming. Hold a steam iron close enough for steam to reach the carpet, but don't let the iron touch the fibers, especially if they are synthetic, because they could melt. Lift the fibres by gently brushing them with a clean brush to lift the pile.