When you buy carpet for your home, you want it to look its best all the time. But, your carpet has a natural enemy – it’s you! You do your best to keep it clean on a regular basis by vacuuming it. However, time reveals that everything you did was for naught. The color of the carpet isn’t the same as it was when you bought it. And, spot cleaning it only reveals the extent of the color change and how dirty the carpet actually is.
You can use chemical-filled carpet cleaning products. They can help in bringing the carpet’s color back. However, they can also damage the carpet fibers, potentially leaving them worse for wear. There’s a better way to extend the life of your carpet and bring the color back at the same time.
Green clean your carpets.
How Do You Bring Your Carpet’s Color Back Without Damaging The Fibers
How do you do this? Well, you need just three ingredients:
· Borax
· Salt
· White vinegar
You’ll also need a vacuum and carpet steam cleaner.
Before you get into the heavy-duty cleaning, go ahead and do some spot cleaning. Once you do that, you can carry on with the real heavy-duty work.
· Vacuum
o The first thing you need to is vacuum. Be sure you go in three directions, taking your time. It’s imperative you don’t rush because you want to get as much of the hair, particles and dust that you can.
· Mixing The Ingredients
o In even 1/4 amounts, combine the vinegar, borax and salt. Apple the paste to the deep stains or parts of the carpet that are heavily stained. Allow this to remain on the carpet for quite some time. You want to it to be completely dry before you vacuum it up.
· Steam Clean
o Now, you need to use the steam cleaner. The best option is to rent a steam cleaner since using chemicals are optional. You want as new of a cleaning machine as you can since it boosts efficiency. If it doesn’t look its best when you get it, clean it before you use it.
· Forgot Carpet Shampoo
o Most people don’t realize it but hot water is enough to remove the dirt out of their carpet. The key is to ensure that it’s actually HOT water.
· Adding More Vinegar
o If your carpet is extremely soiled, pour an additional 1 cup of white vinegar to 2.5 gallons of water to ensure deep cleaning.
· Carpet Cleaning In 2 Modes
o The majority of carpet cleaners have two modes. The first time you press the button, hot water is released. The second time you press it, the machine sucks it back up. Make sure you spend most (3/4) of the time in the second mode. You want to soak the carpet, going over it at least three times to dry it out as much as you can.
· Steam Cleaning Round 2
o Be sure to steam clean the carpets twice to really get to the bottom of the fibers.
· Dry Carpets Completely
o When your carpets are nearly dry, you can move the furniture back into the room. It’s a good idea to place aluminum foil under the furniture legs to ensure there is no staining. Be sure they’re completely dry when you start walking on them.
· Remove Water From Machine
o Once your carpets have been cleaned, it’s time to eliminate the water. If you rented the machine, most will allow you to bring it back full of water so the carpet chemicals are not poured down your drain. If you own the carpet cleaner, consider calling the local water treatment plant to ask how you can get rid of the water.