It’s almost springtime in Scarborough, Yarmouth, South Portland and other beautiful cities in Maine which means it’s time to clean up your home. No doubt you’ll be scrubbing, sweeping and wiping down all surfaces in your home. Don’t forget that your carpets take a significant beating every winter, bearing the brunt of your home’s foot traffic. Throughout the winter, your carpets are exposed to plenty of mud, snow and grime tracked in on boots and sneakers and animal paws. Here are a few tips and tricks from Maine’s most trusted carpet cleaning company – Bone Dry Carpet Cleaning to get your carpets ready for the change of season.
Vacuum all carpeted surfaces in your home. Vacuum slowly and thoroughly, going once over a carpeted surface quickly, then again more slowly and more concentrated. Be sure there are no particles left on the carpet. Take any stained areas, dampen a towel with a solution that’s one part vinegar to three parts water and place the flattened towel over the stained area of carpet. Use an iron (one you’d use on clothing items) to heat the towel over the stained carpet fibers. As you glide the iron across the towel, you should see the towel begin absorbing the stain. You can stop ironing once the stain is entirely removed.
Perform a deep clean on your carpet using a homemade deep cleaning solution. Mix together three-quarters cup of hydrogen peroxide, one-quarter cup white vinegar, two tbsp dish soap. two tbsp fabric softener and one gallon of hot (not boiling) water. Finally, add five drops of your favorite essential oils to add a fresh scent. Mix together these ingredients and use this cleaning solution in your rug cleaning machine in place of a store brand cleaner full of questionable chemicals. Once the carpets have been deep cleaned using your homemade solution, you should be able to smell the scents from the essential oils.
If your carpets are very obviously flattened from high foot traffic, there’s an easy way to fluff them up. One way to do this is (once you’re done cleaning the carpets and removing all stains) by holding a spoon on its side and running it along the carpeting to fluff up the fibers, encouraging those flattened ones to stand up straight. For dented areas of carpet that are flattened from being beneath heavy furniture, use ice cubes to melt the dents. After the cubes have melted completely, use a soft towel to softly blot up the water. Lay the moistened towel across the dented area of rug and run an iron back and forth over the towel. Make sure the iron is on cotton setting. Stop ironing once the fibers feel almost dry. Then allow the carpet to air dry before using your fingers to fluff the carpet and give it some volume.
You may stay on top of cleaning your carpets year-round, and so you think you don’t have to pay attention to them during spring cleaning. The truth is, your carpets suffer the most during the wet and cold winter months. Snow, mud and melted ice always find a way into your home and, before you know it, your once-pristine carpets are, once again, dirty and grimy. With some ingenuity and patience, you can get your carpets back to looking, feeling and smelling brand new, just in time for the warmer seasons.
