We will tell you about all the methods of cleaning and washing carpets: what products to use, how to dry them properly, how to get rid of stains and unpleasant odors

We encounter dust and dirt all the time. We bring dust from the street, it settles on clothes and shoes.

Dust flies towards us through the opening of the window and remains on furniture, floors and floor coverings. It's no secret that the most difficult thing in this situation is to clean the dirt from the carpet.

If clothes can be washed in a washing machine, and furniture can simply be wiped with a cloth, then with floor coverings everything is much more complicated.

It is not always possible to turn to specialists, and then a logical question arises - how to wash a carpet at home?

And is it possible at all? In this article we will find out all the nuances of the procedure for cleaning and washing floor coverings.

Not recommended for washing

Do not wash the carpet with hot water. The maximum permissible threshold is 50 degrees. The fact is that many carpets use adhesive bonding and when interacting with hot water it will simply wash out.

It is clear that after such a test the carpet can simply be thrown away. In addition, high temperatures will spoil the colored and natural materials from which it is woven.

Hard brushes are also contraindicated for carpet, especially if they are used to treat the surface against the direction of the pile. Such procedures will also damage the product.

Soaking the carpet and leaving it wet in poorly ventilated or damp areas is also prohibited.

Even if you wash a small stain without treating the entire surface, the wet area must be thoroughly dried with a hairdryer on both sides.

Moisture has a bad effect on the structure of the carpet; it corrodes the covering and, as a result, holes may appear. You should not walk on it immediately after washing the carpet; let it dry.

Important! It is not advisable to use cheap powders and detergents when washing carpet. They spoil the floor covering and may not be completely washed out of the pile.

What products should I use when cleaning?

If one or two stains make you think of washing the carpet, then you don’t have to do this, since there are much simpler ways to get rid of stains without washing.

For dry and wet cleaning, you can use, for example, soda or salt. These products are very effective in combating all known stains.

Also, when dry cleaning, special powders and foams are recommended for use. When wet processing the carpet, you can also use improvised means: tea leaves, vinegar.

Preparing the carpet for washing

The first thing you need to do before washing is to check how the product behaves when interacting with the carpet.

To do this, you can apply the product to the pile in an inconspicuous place and leave for half an hour. If during this time nothing bad has happened to the carpet, the product can be safely applied to the entire surface, but a little later.

First, the floor covering must be thoroughly vacuumed to rid it of dust and debris.

Then we select a brush with which we will wash the carpet. It should be soft and have long bristles in order to wash the carpet pile as thoroughly as possible. The next step will be removing stains, and as you know, there are different stains.

Choosing a brush

A quality carpet brush will make the process easy. Types of brushes:

1. Mechanical. The rollers draw dust and debris inside. But you cannot remove the stain with such a brush.
2. Hand brushes are distinguished by the softness of the bristles and the size of the bristles. It is better to choose soft options. Hard lint can tear out some of the lint. For woolen or cotton products, only gentle options are selected.

Getting rid of different types of stains

Coffee and wine

If you have ever spilled coffee or wine on the floor covering, then glycerin will work well with such a stain. They need to lubricate the problem area and wash off with soap and water after 2 hours.

Blood and urine

If the carpet is stained with blood or urine, a soap solution will help. Moisten a napkin with it, place it on the contaminated area, then rinse the solution under running water.

If your rug is woven from a synthetic material, stains on it can be treated with regular alcohol. To do this, wet the sponge and rub the stain, then rinse with water.

Chewing gum and plasticine

Traces of chewing gum and plasticine can be removed by applying ice to the dirty area. The cold will harden the substances and make them easier to remove.

Wax and paraffin

If the carpet is stained with wax or paraffin from candles, then you just need to wait until the substance hardens, then it can be removed from the surface.

Several ways to wash a carpet at home

A carpet is a bulky thing; when it gets dirty, hand washing is not entirely convenient, and the question arises: is it possible to wash a carpet in a washing machine at home or in an apartment? But you should understand that washing rugs is significantly different from washing socks.

This is a much more complex process that will require a lot of effort, skill and time from you. If you do not have the desire and opportunity to deal with this problem, it is better to shift it onto the shoulders of a specialist.

Especially if you are not sure about the composition and quality of the floor covering. If you are determined to wash it yourself, then you need to pay attention to several factors:

1. Carpet composition. Natural materials do not like moisture. It is not recommended to wash items made of viscose, silk and wool, at least on your own. But products made from artificial fabrics are less capricious, but before washing them you need to follow a certain procedure, which will be discussed later.
2. If your carpet is a handmade product, it is better to entrust its washing to specialists, since by washing it yourself you run a very high risk of ruining it. Wet cleaning of such things without the necessary skills is also contraindicated. If the floor covering is synthetic and adhesive-based, then it is also not advisable to wash it, since after washing it will not last long.
3. Bright rugs made with cheap paints can easily lose their appearance after washing. Before you put such an item in the wash, you first need to make sure that it does not fade. To do this, check how the liquid product acts on the floor covering in an inconspicuous area.
4. An important point is the size of your carpet. It’s better not to wash a large rug yourself – it’s easier and safer to send it to the dry cleaner. On such a large item you can only remove stains yourself, but washing it completely is risky; it simply may not dry out. As a result, fungus or mold may develop, then the process of decomposition and an unpleasant odor will begin.
5. Another important factor is the length of the pile. If the floor covering has long, thick and large pile, then it is unlikely that you will be able to dry it yourself at home. In addition, when wet, the carpet will simply become unliftable, and it will take considerable force to, for example, turn it over.

If your carpet is not “problematic”, you can wash it in the bathroom, outside or right in the room. We will talk about this in more detail below.

Comparison table of characteristics

In the table below we once again list the main characteristics of the funds. By correlating them with each other, it will be easier for you to choose the brand that completely satisfies your cleaning and cleaning needs.

Product name	A country	Volume, ml	Type
KARCHER RM519	Germany	1000	concentrated liquid
Nordland foam	Italy	600	active foam
Selena Kovrol	Russia	250	concentrated liquid
Cinderella atomizer	Russia	500	spray
Carpet cleaner	Germany	500	spray
Dywanlux	Poland	500	concentrated gel
Vanish shampoo	Germany	450	shampoo

Washing small carpets in the bathroom

The most convenient option for compact products is washing in the bathroom, and here are brief instructions on how to wash a carpet:

1. The rug must be carefully folded or rolled.
2. Next, fill the bathtub with water and dilute laundry detergent in it.
3. Place the floor covering and leave for about half an hour. The pile should be saturated with foam.
4. Brush over accessible areas of the carpet, then turn it over and repeat the process.
5. Next, you need to drain the dirty water and get fresh water. There is no need to remove the palace.
6. After this procedure, you need to remove the remaining foam with a stream of water; for this, use the “shower” function.

We clean without leaving the room

Cleaning a carpet in a room does not imply a thorough wash, since it is simply not possible to completely wash it at home on the floor without unpleasant consequences.

Firstly, due to the fact that it simply will not dry out and there is a huge risk of ruining the floor covering, especially if it is laminate or parquet.

In addition, there is a risk of flooding your neighbors. You cannot completely wash a carpet on the floor at home, but you can wash out individual stains.

For wet cleaning of rugs on the floor, a washing vacuum cleaner is ideal; it can easily clean out the most problematic dirt and absorbs up to 90% of the liquid.

Dry cleaning

One of the easiest products to use for cleaning products is regular table salt. For this method, the salt must be evenly distributed over the entire surface of the rug and rubbed with a brush until the grains of the product begin to darken.

The salt thus absorbs all the dirt. After this procedure, you just need to walk through the carpet with a vacuum cleaner. This method removes dirt well.

The second method is cleaning with baking soda. The algorithm of actions here is the same as with salt with only one difference - after you rub the carpet with a brush until the soda darkens, leave the carpet for 5-10 minutes and only then vacuum it.

There are other dry methods for cleaning rugs. As we already mentioned, it can be put in order using, for example, a special powder or foam. Each manufacturer has its own instructions, but the options are almost the same.

As a rule, it is recommended to distribute the product over the surface of the contaminated area, gently rub it into the pile and leave for about 1.5-2 hours, then the rug can be vacuumed. However, when using foam, damp spots may remain on the carpet; they need to be dried with a hairdryer.

All of the above methods are suitable for light cleaning with minor stains; they are not suitable for stubborn and old stains.

Wet cleaning

For more difficult stains, you should resort to wet cleaning. If we clean the carpet with salt, then for this we will need a kilogram of ordinary table salt and the juice of one lemon.

They must be mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained, then, spreading the mixture over the surface, leave for 20 minutes.

At the end of the procedure, sweep away the mixture with a broom previously soaked in hot soapy water. After this, the carpet can be dried with a hairdryer.

By the way, you can use citric acid instead of lemon juice.

In this case, 10-15 grams of powder are dissolved in one liter of water and a tablespoon of salt is added.

Before use, the mixture must be thoroughly mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained. Then we take a brush and, periodically dipping it into the resulting solution, remove dirt from the carpet.

With this cleaning method, wet spots will remain on the rug. We get rid of them using a hairdryer.

Table vinegar

Table vinegar removes stains well. By the way, it also eliminates unpleasant odors. The method of preparing the solution is not complicated - you need to dissolve a tablespoon of vinegar in a liter of water. Then we take a medium-hard brush and, dipping it into the resulting solution, removing excess moisture on the sides of the container, gently scrub off the stains.

Important! The vinegar cleaning method is not suitable for synthetic pile carpets.

Baking soda

The flooring can be cleaned with a mixture prepared from 0.25 cups of baking soda and three liters of water.

For convenience, thoroughly mixed liquid can be poured into a spray bottle and sprayed over the surface of the contamination. Then let the liquid soak for half an hour and after that the carpet can be vacuumed.

Tea brewing

Tea leaves also clean stains well. It doesn’t matter whether it was green or black tea. The only important thing is that this cleaning method is suitable for dark-colored floor coverings. However, collecting the required amount of tea leaves is quite troublesome.

Moreover, the tea leaves need to be dried and stored in a cool, dry place so that it does not become moldy. But if this does not stop you, then fill the prepared tea leaves with water, preferably warm, and squeeze.

Then spread it over the surface of the floor covering and leave the tea leaves for half an hour. After this, it must be removed using a damp broom or vacuum cleaner.

Household chemicals

It is believed that using special means to clean carpets is faster and more effective. They contain stain removers, as well as:

• degreasing;
• disinfectants;
• whitening;
• other components.

In addition, household chemicals often do not require rinsing.

Carpet shampoo 5+

One of the best among domestic budget funds. The average price is 160 rubles per 1 liter. The shampoo contains no fragrances or chlorine, it is hypoallergenic and safe for health.

5+ excellent:

• copes with old pollution;
• refreshes colors;
• eliminates unpleasant odors;
• removes almost any stain;
• removes static electricity.

The shampoo is used in diluted and concentrated form. Suitable for washing vacuum cleaners.

Drop of VOX

Budget cleaning product of domestic production. VOX drop:

1. Removes stubborn stains.
2. Removes difficult stains.
3. Gives a pleasant aroma.
4. Softens the pile.
5. Does not require rinsing.

The concentrate is used in diluted form. Foam and apply to the coating. The cost for a 500 ml bottle is a little more than 100 rubles.

Vanish

Popular shampoo for hand washing carpets. Produced in Poland. The average price is 300 rubles for 450 ml.

Advantages of the product:

• efficiency;
• economical consumption (1:9);
• removal of fresh stains and dirt, unpleasant odors;
• color refreshing;
• safety and hypoallergenic.

Vanish, after adding to water, is foamed and applied to the coating with a brush or sponge. After drying, the carpet is vacuumed.

We wash on the street

On the street, of course, it is easier to wash such bulky things as carpets - there is somewhere to unroll them and there is no fear of flooding the neighbors.

This type of washing is ideal if you live in a private house. Before laying the carpet on a surface (asphalt, earth will not work), make sure it is clean. Lay out the carpet with its front side facing the sun and pour plenty of water (preferably from a hose - it’s more convenient).

Next, you need to distribute the detergent over the surface (for example, you can wash it with vanish) and follow the instructions.

Brush the lint. Then you need to thoroughly rinse the carpet with a stream of water. It is advisable to make the pressure as strong as possible in order to thoroughly “knock” the detergent out of the carpet, while you can “help” yourself with a mop.

After the carpet has been washed, you need to leave it to lie outside for 2-3 hours and only after that you can place it on a crossbar or fence to dry.

Cleaning with snow

This method has probably been proven over centuries. It is effective and simple, but has one significant drawback - it can only be used in winter, if the winter is snowy.

The rug needs to be taken outside and placed in the snow with its pile, then let it lie for a while, but not for long, since the thing should not get very wet, otherwise the effect will be rather the opposite from such cleaning.

Then the carpet can be turned over to the other side and laid on clean snow. The amount of dirt and dust left on the snow will greatly surprise you, especially when you knock out the rug.

Another way to clean with snow is to lay the carpet on the snow with its pile facing the sun and throw snow on top of it.

After the “winter” procedures, dirty snow can be removed with a broom, and of course, after this the carpet can be beaten out.

Features of carpet cleaning by color, type of pile and material

Carpets are completely different. They differ from each other according to many criteria, but before you start cleaning the floor covering, you need to know what exactly we are cleaning.

Short pile

Such floor coverings are usually the most unpretentious. The contaminants formed on them can be dealt with using ammonia, vinegar, and turpentine. This rug is suitable for both dry and wet cleaning.

Long pile

With such things things are more complicated, and many housewives will notice this immediately - a regular vacuum cleaner cannot cope with such a carpet and you shouldn’t even try, otherwise you can ruin the pile. Here other means are used, for example, soap suds and a steam cleaner.

Carpets made from synthetic raw materials

It is not difficult to use carpets made of such material in everyday life - you can easily and quickly vacuum it, and it is clean again. However, such floor coverings have a big drawback - synthetics quickly lose their “marketable” appearance.

Important! If tea or any other liquid gets on a synthetic carpet, it must be removed immediately, otherwise it will be more difficult to remove the stain later.

Carpets made from natural materials

Care must be taken when cleaning carpets made from natural fabrics. It is best to use soda and starch as a cleanser.

You can also wash the floor covering with a washing vacuum cleaner, for example, a Karcher. If the carpet is made of silk, you cannot use moisture at all when cleaning; you only need to remove dirt using the “dry” method and very carefully.

The nuances of cleaning light and dark carpets

It is not advisable to clean dark carpets using light-colored products such as baking soda and potato starch.

On a dark carpet, these products may leave marks in the form of streaks. Therefore, when tidying up dark-colored carpets, it is better to use various stain removers based on turpentine, vinegar or ammonia.

As for light carpets, and especially white ones, it is better to remove stains from such products with soda, starch, salt or a solution based on laundry soap.

Important! You should not use lemon juice when cleaning a white carpet, as it leaves yellow stains.

Light and dark

White carpets get dirty quickly and are more difficult to remove stains from, so they need to be cleaned regularly. Chlorine and hydrogen peroxide bleach lint well . When it comes to household chemicals, it is better to choose products with optical brighteners.

Before cleaning a white carpet, all stains must be removed. You cannot remove them with pure bleach or peroxide. The stain will lighten, but will not disappear and cannot be removed by other means. And if it does go away, then this area will become different from the entire canvas.

Dark carpets are not so picky in terms of stains, but they may leave stains. If it is not possible to remove them from the floor, then it is better to use weak soap solutions for cleaning . Or, after the procedure, walk again with a broom or brush, wetting them in clean water.

Carpet washing services

If there is no desire or opportunity to clean the carpet yourself and if there are doubts that doing it yourself can ruin the carpet, then it is better to turn to specialists. Moreover, in any city there are similar services.

Car wash

Did you know that you can wash your carpet at a car wash? But you should know that this option is not safe, because it will be cleaned using the same products that are used to wash cars, and they do not provide a gentle regime for soft tissues.

Moreover, the rug can get even more dirty during transportation. However, if the carpet is dark, not natural, and if in case of failure it can be thrown away, then it’s worth the risk.

Dry cleaning

The safest and least troublesome way to return your carpet to its original appearance is to send it to the dry cleaner. There, when processing such surfaces, safe products are used and there are special devices for washing such bulky items.

What will you need?

Choosing the right tools and products will help you clean your accessory efficiently and without damaging it. The following can be used as cleaning products:

• wet wipes or cleaning product for office equipment;
• non-aggressive detergents: shampoo, laundry soap;
• monitor cleaning spray;
• alcohol.

Necessary tools and equipment:

• soft sponge;
• microfiber cloth;
• roller for cleaning clothes or stationery tape (optional);
• plastic scraper (optional);
• cotton pads.

List of means and devices that cannot be used:

• sharp objects: scissors, metal scrapers, knives, blades, files, etc. – they can easily damage the coating;
• aggressive and abrasive products: washing powders, household chemicals for cleaning plumbing and kitchen appliances;
• hard brushes, metal sponges that scratch the surface and erase the design.

How to dry a carpet

The best option for drying carpet at home is to dry it outside. It can be hung on a balcony, on a fence or on a horizontal bar.

If none of these options are suitable, then using an air conditioner will help quickly dry the product.

The carpet must be laid out as close to the split system as possible and the heating function must be installed on the air conditioner, with the blinds directed downwards.

A fan used by dry cleaners will also help dry the carpet quickly.

Proper drying

After cleaning, the mat must be dried properly. This will protect the product from deformation, delamination, loss of functionality and color.

There are several rules to follow when removing excess moisture:

• Do not dry the product with a hairdryer, on a heater, radiator or near an open fire;
• You can remove excess moisture with paper or regular towels, dry wipes, or a soft cloth. It is better not to use a fabric with lint, as it will remain on the rug;
• It is necessary to dry the accessory for 2-3 days until the liquid has completely evaporated;
• You can place the product on a horizontal surface covered with a highly absorbent fabric, or hang it on a clothesline, securing it with clothespins.

If the carpet stinks

Everyone has the question “what to do?” if the carpet suddenly has an unpleasant odor after washing. But first, it’s worth figuring out why the palace “stank.”

Musty odors occur if the carpet has been dried in an unventilated or damp area.

The source of the odor is fungus and bacteria, which actively began to grow in a humid environment.

Carpets made from natural materials are most likely to develop an unpleasant odor if they are not dried properly.

But it is better to prevent the smell than to deal with it later.

After washing, the carpet must be completely dried, otherwise the smell will not be long in coming. If there is high humidity in the room where the carpet is used, you need to ventilate it as often as possible.

By the way, some dry cleaners provide services for treating carpets against fungus and bacteria.

Urine smell

If the unpleasant odor comes from cat urine, then you can get rid of the smell using any of the proven methods.

Laundry soap is an indispensable assistant in everyday life, but in this case it will only cope perfectly with the consequences of puddles left by small children.

In the case of “cat odors,” hydrogen peroxide will help; it even removes old traces. Take 100 g of the product and mix it with a tablespoon of dishwashing gel - the solution is ready.

It must be applied to the problem area with a soft sponge, lightly rubbed and then rinsed with water.

If you don't have peroxide at home, then regular vinegar will do. Mix it with water 1 to 5 and spray with a spray bottle onto the previously cleaned problem area. Then wash the carpet with water.

Soda with vinegar

Vinegar not only removes various types of dirt well, but also removes unpleasant odors. Soda, in turn, is an excellent antimicrobial agent. In tandem, these two products create an environmentally friendly yet powerful tool for fighting dirt.

Tip : Before you start cleaning, put rubber or latex gloves on your hands.

Carpet cleaning is carried out in two stages. At the first stage, only dry soda is used (the method is described above). After the powder has been removed from the carpet, spray the vinegar solution:

• 1 liter of warm water;
• 1 tbsp. table vinegar.

Now wait until the soft coating is completely dry. Then go over it with a vacuum cleaner a third time.