Carpet Care 101: Cleaning and Maintaining Your Carpet😍

Did you know carpet contains 29 MILLION bacteria per square foot?! If you have kids or dogs, think about all the germs they are rolling around in and touching every single day, just from your carpet!!😱

This week we're giving you some of our best tips and tricks to getting stains out, and keeping your carpet odorless and fresh so you can get rid of all those germs and allergens you may be coming in to contact with everyday!!🤩

Your carpet will be looking brand new in no time!!😉

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Maintain, Maintain, Maintain!

Doing small things to maintaining your carpet every day will go a LONG way in keeping your carpet fresh and beautiful!✨ Here are some basic things you can do to maintain your carpet:

VACUUM!!

I know this may seem like a given, but really, vacuum at least once a week (potentially more in high-frequency areas!). And remember to vacuum in every single direction to ensure you get ALL the debris out of it!🔄 Additionally, try to use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to ensure you are effectively trapping all the dust and allergens! For a full, in-depth guide of all our favorite vacuums, click here!🥰

No Shoes Policy

Implementing a policy that doesn't allow shoes on any carpeted areas will drastically help maintain the lifespan and cleanliness of your carpet!!🤩 Shoes are home to all sorts of dirt, debris and germs that will just get tracked all of your carpet if you don't remove them! If you have guests that would prefer not to take their shoes off (totally reasonable!!) then consider investing in shoe covers!👟 We recommend these mopping slippers as they can be used for shoe covers + many other different purposes! Check out this video to see all the ways you can use these!😉

Grooming

Invest in a nice carpet rake to frequently "groom" the carpet! This helps lift the carpet fibers to keep it looking fresh and not matted down! It also does WONDERS in pulling out pet hair that a vacuum might not be able to get up!🐶 My favorite is this one because it also has a squeegee on it to aid in cleaning patios or windows! We love dual purpose!!🤩

Regular Deep Cleaning

We recommend deep cleaning your carpet at least once a year. You can hire a professional surface, rent a machine, or even consider buying one so you can do it more often yourself!!😉 I have the Tineco Carpet One and it does WONDERS on my carpet. It cleans, sanitizes and dries your carpet in one fell swoop. It has an LED screen to let you know exactly what sections are the most dirty and will alert you to when it has been sufficiently sanitized!🫧 It's perfect for pet lovers as it has a smaller attachment so you can spot clean and clean upholstery easily and quickly🥳

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Oh no, I spilled some wine!🤦‍♀️

Getting stains out of your carpet can be a huge hassle. Especially if it's tough stains like wine or coffee☕️ But it's bound to happen to all of us at some point. So here are 3 ways to efficiently remove stuck on stains from your carpet in no time!:

(If you want to see all of these methods in action, click here! We did an entire video detailing how to do each method and the results each method produced on a red wine spill🍷)

Club Soda

Plain, unflavored club soda can actually be fairly effective for removing fresh stains like coffee and wine from carpet and upholstery!! The carbonation and mild acidity in club soda helps break down and lift stains from fabric! 🤯 Just blot the stain, pour club soda on it to saturate it completely, and the blot again! Keep repeating this process and watch as the stain disappears😉 When the stain has been removed, ensure you rinse the area well to ensure no club soda remains!🥤

Note: This method can be very effective, however, depending on the type of material, how long it has sat, and what was spilled, it may not be completely FOOLPROOF. Use at your own discretion‼️

Commercial Cleaner

There are many commercial cleaners on the market so it is hard to know which one is the best. However, I have always recommended Resolve Carpet Spray because I have found that it works best for me!!🥰 Remember to always blot the stain to soak up any excess liquid. Then, spray the cleaner over the spot completely and let it sit for about 3 minutes (or however long the bottle recommends). Dab it up with a colorfast towel and then repeat the process until the stain is out! 🤩

Bissel Pro Spot Cleaner

I HIGHLY recommend investing in a nice spot/upholstery cleaner!! It gets stains out in minutes and the carpet will look as good as new!😍 It's also a great upholstery cleaner for day to day cleaning in your home and in your car (especially if you have pets!!!)🐕 I highly recommend investing in a good spot cleaner... The Bissel Pro Spot Cleaner is my favorite, I use it weekly!!

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Foul Smelling Carpet?!

Carpets can often begin to have a musty smell if you have fallen behind on vacuuming or cleaning, or if you have pets that lay on them a lot.🤧 If you notice your carpet has begun to smell a bit, first and foremost, ensure you do a thorough deep cleaning! Then, there are a few different methods you can try if your carpet has a lingering odor:

Baking Soda

Baking soda is one of the number one ways to absorb odors! You can use it in open containers in places like your fridge or trashcan to negate foul smells, and you can use it on your carpet!😌 Just sprinkle it evenly over areas that need to be treated and let it sit for at least 15 minutes (you can even leave it overnight if necessary!). After you feel it has absorbed the odor, just vacuum it all up!!🤩 (This method can also be used on upholstery and mattresses if you need!!🛏️)

White Vinegar

White vinegar is another option you can use to deodorize carpets. Mix equal parts water and white vinegar in a good spray bottle.💧Spritz it around your carpet, but avoid saturating it too heavily. As it dries, the vinegar smell will dissipate taking the odors with it! You can try opening a window for some fresh air to speed up drying and get rid of the odors more thoroughly!🪟

Enzymatic Cleaners

For specific stains, like pet accidents or anything else that may leave an odor, you want to ensure you are using enzymatic cleaners to combat the foul smell immediately😷 The Rocco & Roxie Stain & Odor Eliminator was a life saver when going through the potty training phase of my dogs! 😅

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We hope you learned something to implement into your carpet care routines!! I know cleaning and maintaining carpet can be a pain in the ***... but it is so worth it in the long run (especially if you rent!!😅). Let us know in the comments if you have any other good tips and tricks you use on your carpets😉

Happy cleaning!✨

See you next week!

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