Area rugs work wonders to add a feeling of coziness and elevate the overall look of any room easily. Whether it is lying under your bed in the bedroom or is centrally placed in the living room, these rugs hold the center of attention in any part of the home.
But being the focal point also means that the area rugs hold every memory, or should we say, the entire mess of the room. If you have furry pets or kids in the house, you know that your area rugs go through occasional wear and tear!
Muddy footprints, traces of tiny paws, spilled juice, or some stains from the leftover pizza! If it’s hard to tell the actual color of your rug due to all this mess, then your area rug is in dire need of some cleaning.
Cleaning all the dirt can be quite intimidating, but with the right cleaning steps, you can transition your messy, stained rug to as good as new!
How to tell if your area rug needs cleaning?
While your rug might look pretty clean on the outside, the dust and debris start to settle inside the fibers. And by the time we notice our rug turning old and shabby, the cleaning process doesn’t do the carpet any good! So, while cleaning carpets might seem like one of the most tedious chores to do, it is better to clean your area rug every once in a while to keep it in good shape.
Here are some steps you can follow to check if your carpet needs cleaning or not:
- Rub your hand across the rug for at least 15 seconds. If your hand gets dirty with dust, then that is an indicator for cleaning!
- If you can’t figure out where that unpleasant odor in the home is coming from, then maybe those stains residing in your area are the culprits!
- Take some soap water, a brush, and scrub (gently if your rug has soft fibers) on one corner of the rug. If the color of the scrubbed area differs from the rest of the rug, that is an “I need cleaning” signal!
How to clean your area rug?
Now that you have figured out that your area rug definitely needs some cleaning, the next question lands upon how can you clean it? If you don’t want to ruin your precious carpet for the sake of cleaning it, here are some methods that you can try at home:
Use basic tools
Acting there on the moment is the key to save yourself from scrubbing the rug for hours later. So, if there is a spillage or temporary stains on the rug, try cleaning them up there and then. In case of debris, first, use a tool like a spoon to remove it from the surface. This saves the rug from getting stained by stubborn spots.
Next up, if the debris has left behind any traces or spots, use a detergent and dab it over the stains. Use a paper towel to scrub off the stain gently. Lastly, rinse off the detergent with water.
Here comes an important tip to extend the life of your rug: when rinsing, avoid using warm water as it damages the fibers of the carpet, especially woolen ones. Mild to cold water does the job well in contrast to the belief that warm water removes stains easily.
Don’t use a dryer or steam cleaner!
While it might be easier to deal with other stains, pet stains can really drive us up the wall due to the odor and odd-looking patches they leave behind. But we can’t blame our furry friends for that! It is always better to treat pet stains quickly to avoid any weird smell from spreading into the house.
As tempted as you might be to use a dryer to remove the odor, the heat only makes it worst by settling the stain and amplifying the odor.
Use solutions that are dedicatedly made for removing pet stains to save yourself from any hassle. Add a few drops of the solution to the stain, lightly dab it, and scrub the target area after a few minutes. The formula of pet-stain removing cleaners works quickly so that the stain goes away in no time!
Avoid scrubbing on soft rugs
If you have one of those “fancy” rugs made from delicate fiber or wool, then your area rug requires extra care when cleaning. Scrubbing works effectively on “rough and tough” rugs that can take anything that comes their way.
But, rubbing or scrubbing doesn’t pair up well with a soft-fiber area rug. For such rugs, you should dab the stain on the rug in repeated motions until the stain lightens and comes off. Dab, release and rotate the stain- this is the drill to remove the stain.
Use cleaning solutions only when necessary
Although cleaning solutions or detergents are an easy way out, not all stains require the use of these solutions. So, the first step is to check if the stain comes off by simply using water to minimize the risk of particles dispersal.
You can switch to a cleaning solution if the stain is stubborn and remains unaffected even after rubbing with water.
Get help from professional rug cleaners
The cleaning methods mentioned above are great for people who love DIY cleaning, but these methods don’t promise deep cleaning of the rug. Moreover, the sight of faded stains on your favorite rug is not pleasant at all!
So, if you don’t want to run the risk of ruining your area rug and want it to be “squeaky clean”, then It’s All Clean San Diego will save the day for you. At It’s All Clean San Diego, we ensure that your area rug is handled carefully and returned only after it is “all clean”.
We use effective and customized methods that suit well to the needs of your rug. All the methods work deep and gently into the rug, so all the dirt comes off without ruining its color. By trusting us with your area rug cleaning, you will get your area rug just as fresh and vibrant as when you bought it!
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