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House Cleaning: Love Your Carpet (Part 2)
By
Courtney |
July 28th, 2009 |
Category:
Cleaning |
2 comments
On her website, Homemaker Hero, Courtney keeps things simple by blending the 1950s housewife with the modern housewife. She features tips and tricks of how things were done “back then” and applies them to modern living. You can also find Courtney on Twitter @HomemakerHero.
House Cleaning: Treating Carpet Stains
Are your carpets loving you back yet? Still have some stubborn stains? Try some of these tricks!
Most food stains can be cleaned by spraying shaving cream over the stain and letting it sit for 15 minutes. Rinse with a vinegar and water solution. For more stubborn food stains, pull out some brake cleaner. Yes. Brake cleaner. Brake cleaner contains the same chemicals professional dry cleaners use to clean the stains on your clothing. Dab some on a clean cloth and blot the stain. Rinse with soap and water. Do NOT pour brake fluid directly onto the carpet.
Did someone spill red wine during that awesome party last weekend? While club soda generally gets rid of red wine, to remove any red stain (popsicles, juice, etc), mix a 30/70 solution of peroxide to water. Peroxide is a bleach so be sure to test it out on a small area if you have colored carpet. Wait 30 minutes after applying the mixture and then blot to remove as much moisture as possible. Rinse with a vinegar/water solution. If needed, apply a little more peroxide to a new mixture and try again.
There is an over the counter product called Desolvit that works wonders on other carpet trouble. It works great for grease, oil, ink (including magic marker), and even gum. For gum, I recommend freezing the gum with ice cubes and break it away from the carpet with the dull side of a knife. Then Desolvit will take care of the rest.
Dripping candle got you down? Freeze the wax spill with ice cubes and chip it off using the dull side of a knife. You will need heat for total removal. Test a small area before using heat as some newer carpets are sensitive and can scorch easily. I recommend using a hair dryer on the hottest setting. If using an iron, set it to a low to medium heat. The less heat you use, the less scorching to your carpet. Take a white paper towel or paper bag with no writing on it (the dye can bleed into the carpet). Put the towel down on top of the wax and iron the towel for no longer than two seconds. Move the towel and redo if necessary. Generally once is enough.
Next week, check out Housekeeping Heaven for “How to Treat Pet Stains”. Make sure you don’t miss any of Courtney’s housekeeping and cleaning posts by getting our free updates now!
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