Why is there so much carpet in homes? Well, because those soft, fluffy carpets give your home a real warm, cozy, and welcoming feeling. The challenge, of course, is maintaining the health and appearance of that carpet, which needs more attention than those hard surface floors. That is where that nasty four-letter word comes in, W-O-R-K!
Like anything else in your house the better you maintain it the longer it will last and stay looking peachy because the cost of replacing it could certainly be better spent on one of those Carnival Cruise vacations or something like a tactical survival watch or kinetic sand end table. So let’s talk about where to start when it comes to showing your carpet some love.
The First Step to Cleaner Carpet
It all begins with that age-old thing called a vacuum cleaner. If you’re not familiar that’s a device that causes suction in order to remove dry dirt and other unwanted substances from within your carpet fibers. All you West Union, Iowa natives should be proud of your heritage as the home to the invention of the precursor to our modern vacuum cleaner. My personal favorite contributor to this emerging technology, Mr. Melvin Bissell, brought his new product to market in 1876 and haled from my old stomping grounds of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The evolution in technology has given us a myriad of choices including cordless and robotic vacuums that can leave many people in a comatose state trying to pick out what’s best. If you’ve made it this far reading congratulations, because I will now reveal my personal choice for the best dirt sucking, most versatile, and least egregious on the pocketbook vacuum cleaner to buy. It’s the Shark rotator-powered liftaway, of which there are a million and one models out there.
Choosing the Right Vacuum Cleaner
Your Google search needs to contain all the words “Shark rotator powered lift-away”. Don’t worry because you won’t have to break the bank to get one of these babies. I have found that refurbished ones on eBay work pretty much like new and can be had for a fraction of the cost, and you can even get a brand-spankin’ new one for under $200. Like I said there are a bunch of different models to choose from so look for one with the features you want and if you’re not sure just get a hold of your local vacuum aficionado (that would be me) to help with your selection.
Isn’t it crazy that we barely know each other and I’m already saving you valuable time and money? Once that bad boy is on the premises use it early and often as it can remove up to 80% of the gunk in your carpet. No, it’s not going to do any damage to your carpet unless you’re not paying attention because you’re so engrossed in listening to “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” by Wang Chung on your AirPods that you suck up a loose carpet strand that unravels a few rows of carpet fibers.
Don’t Panic When You See Spots on Your Carpet
Now that we’ve hopefully established the absolute necessity in routine vacuuming let’s move on to a few other basics that could leave us as lifelong friends but in more likelihood just make me your go-to for all things carpet. Next, I want to address how to treat spots (not stains I’ll explain) that will inevitably cause you to have a deep disregard and disdain for your carpet if left unattended.
Whether it’s your beloved pet Snickerdoodle, your perfectly well-behaved kids, Jack & Jill from next door, your husband (who may or may not be a slob), or unknown forces in our universe the reality is that you will eventually be confronted with some sort of spot or stain on your carpet. When that time comes I want you to be equipped with the necessary information and tools to be able to stay calm and party on.
Are All Carpet Spots & Stains Created Equal?
Now that you’ve demonstrated how much you really care about your carpet I’m going to reveal my second remarkable secret that will keep you in good standing with your carpet, but one housekeeping note before I do. What’s the difference between a spot and a stain? A spot is something that’s been added to the carpet like a muddy footprint and a stain is something that actually changes (or dyes) the color of the carpet like mustard or Kool-Aid.
What to Use & Not Use to Treat Spots on Your Carpet
The recipe we’re going to give you is for removing many common spots (not stains that have changed the carpet dye) from your carpet but let me first tell you what not to use, that being vinegar. I know if you’ve lived long enough someone has told you that vinegar is the way to go, but like my cousin Vinny says, forget about it. If you really feel the need go ahead and use it on any hard surface in your house but don’t you dare put that on your carpet.
The characteristics of carpet and carpet fibers are nothing like a one-dimensional non-porous surface like a countertop so let’s not go trying to clean them the same way. What we’re trying to do when cleaning those distressed carpet fibers is something called emulsification, which is a fancy way of saying we want to release the foreign matter from the fiber and suspend it so it can be removed.
The Carpet Spot Treatment Process
This takes us back to vinegar (which has absolutely no emulsification properties so isn’t a good solution to your carpet conundrum) and to our homemade miracle spot-eradicating solution. Start by getting yourself a clean white unbleached cotton towel and standard-size plastic spray bottle (can be found at your friendly local home improvement store) filled with good old-fashioned tap water. Take some of your magic elixir (that would be the water) and spray it on the spot and dab it with the towel. Lightly rubbing the carpet with the towel is usually ok but be careful or you can damage the fibers. For larger spills you can use a shop vac or small carpet machine (if you have one) to suck up the spill. The objective here is to “flush out” the spot with the water. If you’re still seeing some discoloration from the spot you can try a separate spray bottle with water and a few drops (half dozen) of dish soap followed by water (make sure you get all the soap out). If there is no more transfer onto the towel the carpet may be stained.
Access to a Professional Carpet Cleaning Service
My local customers have come to find that they can count on me for both service and information regarding cleaning and maintaining their carpet. All my valued customers receive a bottle of “Spot Out” and a 6-month spot and stain warranty after I have cleaned their carpet. If you’re not sure how to take care of your situation you can text me at 810-625-0305 and I will do whatever I can to lend a helping hand.
