DIY Carpet Cleaning Advice From Chicago Tribune and CRI

Carpet Cleaning Advice for do-it-yourselfers (DIY) ~ from the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) and Chicago Tribune

An article titled, “Carpet cleaning, removing stains without a pro”  from the Chicago Tribute contains a lot of good information. Much of it sounds familiar, perhaps because a good bit of it comes from the Carpet and Rug Institute website. No problem with that – we here at CRI are all too happy to share our carpet cleaning information!

"Carpet cleaning, removing stains without a pro" focuses on removing stains and using a rental machine like the Rug Doctor and offers the following carpet cleaning advice for doing it yourself.

“…the fibers of most modern carpets come with a stain-resist coating (such as Scotchgard), which minimizes staining if you quickly blot the spill. Use a white absorbent cloth or plain white paper towel. It's tempting to scrub the area, but that can distort and fray the carpet pile, leaving a noticeable blemish even when the stain is removed.

On set stains, test the cleaner following manufacturer's directions on a carpet sample or small section that's not in view.

Apply the cleaner and press a white cloth on it for 10 seconds or so to see if there is any color transfer. Then, to keep from spreading the stain, work from the edges toward the center — likely several times on stubborn stains — before rinsing with cold water and blotting repeatedly with paper towels until the area is dry.

With pet stains, after standard cleaning you may need to deodorize the spot so it doesn't trigger a repeat performance. As always, check the treatment, including proprietary products, on a carpet sample. Among many home remedies is foam shaving cream, applied and then gradually towel dried. Another is white vinegar diluted at least 2-to-1 in water. One of the most thorough treatments starts with a solution of two tablespoons of ammonia in one cup of water, then, after rinsing, a 1-to-2 solution of white vinegar and water.

Unlike stains, burns usually damage carpet fibers structurally and don't respond to conventional cleaning. On light-colored carpets, bleach may make a dark burn less noticeable. Or you can try clipping the burned ends even if it leaves a slight depression. If all else fails, consider a patch — cutting out a small circle and replacing it with a sample or a piece from a location where the carpet isn't seen. But even when you duplicate the pile direction, there's likely to be a slight mismatch because the covered patch won't show any effects of exposure and wear.
Deep carpet cleaning

When you can't bring a carpet to the washing machine, the solution is to bring a portable washer to the carpet. With chemicals or steam, they soak and agitate the fibers, then draw up most of the liquid along with the dirt. Manufacturers including Bissell, Hoover and Rug Doctor put their own twists on the basic cleaning system.

I tested a Bissell ProHeat 2X (about $200 with a 24-ounce container of cleaning fluid) on a large bedraggled and wrinkled rug and found it effective and easy to use. The machine heats water and cleaning fluid, brushes it into the pile, then sucks it up. (See a thorough demo at bissell.com/how-to-videos/proheat-2x/.)

With most cleaners, the drill is to clear the room, vacuum, and then stick to the instructions for deep cleaning. Adding extra chemicals or underdiluting a mix is counterproductive, and can leave discolorations instead of removing them. Work slowly to pull up as much of the cleaning solution as possible, and supply ventilation to aid drying, which often takes eight hours or more.”

Great article. Who has used a home use machine? How did it work for you? What carpet cleaning advice would you add?

~Bethany