It is surprising how much difference your flooring can make to your home; clean, bright flooring tells a story of a well-cared-for, welcoming environment, whereas tired, scuffed, stained or grubby flooring tells the opposite tale. Last week, we took a look at some of the resources and techniques to prevent staining as well as some top tips from professional carpet and upholstery cleaners. This week, we take a closer look at how you can tackle some of those really stubborn stains; the ones that you barely notice any more as you have simply learnt to live with them.
Stubborn stains and wax
Get the iron out. You read right. When it comes to tough stains, your iron could be your best hope in getting rid of old or dried stains. It is always best to treat a clean carpet, so give it a good vacuum first before spraying a mix of ¼ white vinegar and ¾ water. Add a splash of lemon to avoid the chip shop smell! Leave the mix for 5-10 minutes and place a clean towel over the wet patch. Place the iron over the towel and apply pressure for ten seconds. This should be long enough for the stain to move from the carpet to the towel. If the stain remains, repeat, using clean patches of towel each time to prevent the stain transferring back to the carpet! Finish with a final once-over with the vacuum and you should have a good-as-new carpet.
Tackle oil with baking powder
Many people will consider an oil stain as untouchable, however don’t write it off until you have tried baking powder. Sprinkle a liberal amount of baking powder onto the oily patch and brush it deep into the carpet fibres. Leave for fifteen minutes; during this time, the powder will do its work absorbing the oil. Brush away the powder and apply washing up liquid to the area. Give it a good scrub with a toothbrush, and wash away with warm water.
Freeze gum out
You may or may not know that the best (if not only way) to get rid of gum is to freeze it. Of course, you can’t put your whole carpet in the freezer, but you can bring the freezer to it. Fill a sandwich bag with ice and seal it well. Place it on the gum for at least 30 seconds; this should be long enough for the gum to solidify and go brittle. Once brittle, remove the gum with a knife. If a stain remains, follow the iron tip above.
Shaving cream to the rescue
A secret weapon deployed by most professional cleaners is shaving foam. Not many people know that shaving foam is in fact a very strong soap. The cheapest stuff – that has no scent or colour – is incredibly effective in removing stubborn stains without using too much water. This makes it great for delicate fabrics that may not be entirely colour fast, as well as walls. Remember to test it in a discreet place before you use it liberally!
We hope that you have found these cleaning tips handy; for more advice from the professionals, follow Trust A Trader on Facebook or Twitter.