12 Carpet Cleaning Hacks for Your Spring Clean

Spring is right around the corner, bringing warmer weather, longer days and the perfect opportunity to give your house a good spring cleaning.

Your Spring Cleaning will likely involve a thorough scrub down of your kitchen, bathroom, and other rooms in the home but remember to pay special attention to your carpets.

These Carpet Cleaning Hacks will help you take a proactive approach towards carpet maintenance and help keep them looking beautiful for years to come while improving the overall hygiene of your home.

Dang Good is seen as one of Calgary’s leading carpet cleaning companies. As a result, we are well-versed in what it takes to keep carpets in pristine condition.

No matter how clean the home is, if the carpet is dirty and stained, the house won’t feel clean. So, get ready for our best carpet cleaning hacks!

Warranty and Manufacturer’s Instructions. 

First and foremost, check your warranty as this may entitle you to a free cleaning or repair. Next, read the manual or instructions for your carpet or throw rug. It will detail what products are recommended for cleaning. Test drive these products on a small square in the corner or other less visible place first.

Stain Removal – Generally speaking.  

Address spills the moment they happen. Not addressing accidents as they happen may result in the stain sinking deep into the carpet and increases the risk of a permanent stain. When you have a spill:

• Blot and pat. Don’t rub. Rubbing sets a stain in.
• Beware of colour running; use some white paper towel or white cloth; otherwise, you can bleed the dye and make a bigger stain.
• Don’t soak the carpet. Instead, wring out the cloth or paper towel before blotting.

Generally speaking, as Carpet Cleaners, for most stains, we would recommend removing excess with clean cloths or paper towels immediately and then leaving it to a professional. Removing excess moisture immediately (to prevent the spills from going into the underlay), is essential especially if you want to avoid carpet wicking from occurring should a professional later clean your carpets using the Hot Water Extraction Method. 

What to use on Spills? 

Warning – use the cleaners and hacks outlined below at your own risk. Depending on the type and colour of the carpet, you can discolour or set the stain instead of removing it. Always do a test patch first and follow your manufacturer’s recommendations.

• Dove soap is a very popular choice since it is gentle yet effective on stains and grease.
• Is dish soap too concentrated? Simply mix ¼ teaspoon into 1 litre of water, then spray it on the stain. As an additional hack, you can keep this mixture in your laundry room and spray it on clothing stains too.
• White vinegar can help lift stains, but it is acidic, so be careful on colourful and delicate fabrics. The same goes for lemon juice, rubbing alcohol and isopropyl alcohol.
• For a heavy stain, use (with extreme caution) household ammonia. Keep this solution away from kids and pets, and use gloves. Blot off the excess with water.

Using Baking Soda. 

Baking soda is renowned for being able to clean a variety of surfaces, and carpet is no exception. While it isn’t quite as powerful at removing stains via steam cleaning, baking soda is reasonably effective at combating blemishes and discolorations. Simply sprinkle some baking soda over the stained area, finely mist it with some hot water and allow it to sit overnight. Then, in the morning, vacuum the dried baking soda up and hopefully, the stain should be gone!

Now for some Carpet Cleaning Hacks. 

Squeegee Pet Hair Hack. 

We couldn’t live without our pets, but there’s no denying that our four-legged friends are not great for our carpets. So if your vacuum cleaner struggles to pick up the pet hair lodged in your carpet, it might be time to try a completely different type of cleaning tool: a squeegee. Give the squeegee a good rinse to remove any existing grime, run it along the carpet and watch as it effortlessly pulls the hair from the carpet.

Embrace the Lint Roller. 

It’s no secret that lint rollers are great for removing loose fibres from your clothes, but you may not be aware that they can also be effective on your carpet to a level that most commercial vacuum cleaners can’t compete with. However, do keep in mind that it takes a fair bit of time and effort to lint roll your carpet (particularly if it’s a big area), so in some cases, it may be easier to opt for professional carpet cleaning in Calgary.

Fluff Your Carpet With Ice. 

Your carpet has probably developed unsightly dents if your furniture has been resting on the same spot for a while. The good news is that this is reversible. Place an ice cube in the dent, allow it to completely melt and then use a soft towel to gently blot up the water. Next, place the towel over the dent and run an iron across the towel until the carpet is nearly dry. Finally, let the carpet air dry and manually fluff up the fibres using your hands.

Pet Stains and Diaper Blowouts!  

Biohazardous fluids require gloves and masks. Put those on first. When it comes to excrement and urine, address the stains promptly to avoid breeding bacteria.

• Use a paper towel or bag over your hand to pick up substances like hard poop. Flush the poop down the toilet and discard the cloth or bag after wrapping it in another bag. Please put it in the outdoor bin to keep the smell out of the home. In addition see our blog post on how to keep carpets smelling fresh.
• If the mess is a cat stain, use an enzyme cleaner from the pet store to discourage the cat from using that same stop again.
• For regular poop, mix 4 oz of water and one tablespoon of ammonia. Apply, blot, repeat. Do not soak. Then use a dish soap solution. Apply, blot, and repeat with a clean white cloth. Continue until there are no stains left on the fabric. Rinse the dish soap with water and then blot dry with a white paper towel. Weigh down the paper to remove excess moisture.
• For diarrhea, cover the stain with baking soda and let sit for 15 minutes. The stain will be absorbed into the powder. Vacuum up the baking soda. Repeat until no mess is left. Next, make a solution of 1 tablespoon of dish soap, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 2 cups of cold water. Apply the solution and pat the stain with a clean white cloth. Repeat until the stain is gone. Then rinse with water and blot dry.
• Good Housekeeping has some great additional tips for removing excrement stains.
• Oprah Winfrey also shares her wisdom in this Video on Cleaning up Dog Poop.

Ink Stains. 

We love Cleanipedia’s advice for getting ink stains out of the carpet.

• Do not smear it. Blot only.
• Water-based inks can be removed with warm water and a teaspoon of detergent.
• Permanent inks can be removed with water and ammonia.

Grease and Oil. 

• Start by blotting.
• Next, absorb what you can by using cornstarch or another dry non-clumping powder.
• Break up the stain with a stiff brush.
• Remove the stain with the detergent/water method.

Nail Polish. 

Nail Polish is very difficult to get out.

• Remove as much of the gunk as you can with a spoon or knife.
• Apply pure nail polish remover (no oil additives) directly on the stain, using a clean white cloth.
• Then remove the nail polish remover with a dish soap solution, and blot.
• Rinse with a water spray, then blot dry.

Rust Stains. 

Rust needs an acidic solution, but care needs to be taken not to damage the carpet.

• Apply lemon juice and salt to the stain.
• Leave for a few minutes.
• Clean up with a white cloth.
• Remove the lemon juice with a dish soap solution.
• Rinse with a spray bottle of cold water – do not soak.
• Blot dry with a paper towel weighted down to soak up the moisture.

Paint Stains. 

The HouseWire has some great tips for paint stains, starting with the need to identify if it is water-based or oil.

• Scoop up the excess paint with a spoon
• Apply a solvent. Do not rub.
• Use a brush to break up the stain.
• Blot up, rinse, and pat dry.

Makeup Stains. 

Most makeup is water or oil-based. If it is clumping, for example, lipstick, follow the paint or oil tips above. Or see this video from the Spot Removal Guide.

If it is a dry powder, like an eyeshadow, vacuum up what you can first. See more makeup stain tips on the Merry Maids website.

For Mascara, use a dish soap solution. Dab the stain, don’t rub. Rinse with water spray and blot dry.

Whatever you do, take care not to rub the makeup into the carpet. 

Berries and Chocolate Spills. 

The delight of eating fresh berries or enjoying chocolate sauce over ice cream turns to horror if the bowl tips over and the goodies spill onto the carpet.

• Quickly pick up what you can, be they the berries or spooning up excess chocolate.
• For berries, use the ink stain removal method on what is left behind.
• For chocolate, there can be oils in the stain. Use the oil or grease method. Again, don’t rub, dab.

Red Wine Stains. 

The going wisdom for red wine stains is club soda. The fizzing action helps break up the colour. But did you know white wine will do the same?

• Dilute the red colour with club soda or a moderate splash of white wine.
• Blot the stain to remove the excess moisture and colour. Do not press into the carpet.
• Once the carpet is as dry as possible, apply plenty of salt to cover the stain thoroughly.
• Leave salt for 6-8 hours to allow the salt to absorb the stain.
• Remove any clumps and then vacuum the remainder of the salt.
• If there is any stain left, apply a 50% white wine vinegar and 50% water solution and repeat the steps above until gone.

A Dang Good Stain Removal Service. 

It is worth repeating that the best thing to do with any carpet stain is to quickly pick up what you can, blot and pat dry, then give the professionals a call, especially for pet stains, excrement or urine. A professional clean can get deeper into the carpet and remove far more than any home hack.

DIY methods are a great way to keep your carpets healthy but watch for Carpet Cleaning Mistakes to Avoid. Ideally, for best results, you should Call in the Experts.

If you live in Calgary, Airdrie, Chestermere or Okotoks, Dang Good is here for your spring, emergency, routine or maintenance carpet cleaning.

We won’t guarantee complete stain removal because some stains are, unfortunately, permanent. But we are Dang Good at removing most of them, and if we can’t get it out, it’s not coming out. 

For more information, Contact Dang Good today and find out why we’re the leading provider of carpet cleaning services in Airdrie, Calgary, Chestermere or Okotoks. 

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