Symbols of warmth and comfort, rugs can quickly become the centerpieces of decorating a cozy room. However, they are often installed in high traffic areas such as the bedroom or living room. It is therefore essential to clean and deodorize them regularly, which does not prevent them from still being exposed to accidental stains. Fortunately, you don’t always have to launder everything after every disaster or resort to expensive chemicals to remove stains from your carpet, even with stubborn or old stains.
Discover extremely effective and economical grandmother’s tips that highlight ecological household products and simple ingredients that we already have in our cupboards. You can also use these tips on stained carpet.
Removing Carpet with Baking Soda
Also called sodium bicarbonate, this white powder naturally has strong deodorizing and stain removing power. It is also compatible with all styles and materials of carpet, and can revive them if worn. To eliminate traces, and in particular smelly urine stainsstart by pouring a little sparkling water over the area to be treated (or the entire carpet) and rubbing a little with a sponge to make the liquid penetrate well. Then let it dry for a few minutes and sprinkle your bicarbonate. Finally, let it dry and vacuum it up with the vacuum cleaner.
White vinegar against encrusted stains
The king of natural cleaning products allows you to remove, degrease and deodorize difficult stains while sanitizing textiles. To obtain a good result, pour some onto a cloth and rub carefully. Then, leave it to act for a quarter of an hour before going over it with a brush soaked in lukewarm water and dishwashing liquid. Finally, rinse with clean water.
Black soap and Marseille soap: essential
With these traditional soaps, persistent stains and dirt offer no resistance! They actually have a unrivaled cleaning and degreasing effect. In addition, they are really very soft with the fibers without demeriting in terms of efficiency. Simply mix lukewarm water with a little soap and scrub the dirt with a sponge, a suitable soft brush or a soft, lint-free cloth such as a microfiber cloth. Finally, rinse with clean water and let dry.
Good to know: to remove blood stains, use Marseille soap and use strictly cold water.
Shaving foam: the unusual tip for removing carpet
White shaving foam (not shaving cream) is an excellent stain remover. If you don’t know how to remove difficult stains (red fruits, wine, coffee, tea, etc.), this could be a good option. To do this, apply this improvised maintenance product in a thick layer, leave to act for at least an hour (ideally overnight for a difficult stain), then rub and vacuum.
Powders to remove carpet
To remove liquid or greasy stains from a carpet, Sommières earth should be considered, particularly for remove a long pile carpet (also known as shaggy carpet) without soaking it. But of course it also works on short hairs. This powder has in fact high absorbency which allows dry cleaning and remove encrusted dirt, splashes, marks and old stains. Simply sprinkle it on the stain, leave for two hours, brush, then remove the excess with the vacuum cleaner.
Alternatively, you can test baby powder, or even cornstarch with the same technique if the stain is still fresh!
The iron: the unusual last-chance technique
For tough stains that resist all your cleaning attemptstry this method! It consists of letting the iron heat up to its highest steam level. Meanwhile, mix water and white vinegar (2 thirds water and one third household vinegar), and spray on the stain. Then, cover with a light cloth or a light towel, pass the iron back and forth for ten seconds. Like a blotter, the fabric will absorb the stain. Repeat several times by changing the part of fabric used until the stain completely disappears. If the stain is still fresh, you can also replace the vinegar water with talcum powder and use the same method.
Be careful, some carpets cannot withstand high temperatures! To avoid damaging them, avoid this technique.
Final tips for properly removing your carpets
-If it is a candle stain, apply an ice cube to the wax to solidify it. Then scrape with a dull knife and polish with rubbing alcohol. It also works with chewing gum.
-For vomit (child, pets, festive evening, etc.), brush with vodka.
-Make sure to quickly treat stains. This way, they will leave more easily.
-Always test your cleanser on a corner that is barely visible beforehand to ensure there is no fading, especially on a more fragile wool rug.
-Never pour a liquid cleaner directly onto the stain, but rather onto a cloth, brush or sponge!
-And above all, do not rub to dry. Let air dry or use a hair dryer.
For a silk rug, an old Persian rug or one with particular sentimental value, contact a professional instead. The dry cleaner will know how to clean it without damaging it.