on October 23, 2018
Carpets get dirty, and depending on the color and patterns of yours, this dirt can often go unnoticed for months on end. By the time this dirt becomes noticeable, grime would have infiltrated into the smallest crevices available. And as luxurious as carpets often seem, not everyone can afford to hire professionals to clean them or buy the machines needed to clean them. So if you fall into this category, keep reading to learn how to shampoo carpet by hand. Note – there’ll be a ton of kneeling involved, so strap your knee guard, grab your elbow grease and get ready to scrub.
Cleaning A Carpet By Hand
Steam cleaners are a delight and would make carpet cleaning a lot easier. Unfortunately, they can be pricey – even to rent. Here are a few techniques you can use to get all that grime out without spending too much. The best part is, most of these techniques can be done with homemade cleaners, so you don’t need to go out and buy super expensive carpet cleaners from the store.
1. Scrub The Carpet With A Brush
One sure way to get rid of dirt is to use a brush to scrub off all traces of soil, dust, and pet residues. All you’ll need is a brush and your elbow grease. You want to agitate the carpet as much as you can to loosen up clumps of dirt. Afterwards, run your vacuum cleaner across the surface to pick up the loosened dirt. Try to do this every week to prevent dirt from accumulating.
2. Carpet Cleaning With Vinegar
Vinegar is one of those home remedies that can be used for literally everything. It’s especially useful because it has antimicrobial properties that kill odor causing bacteria. So if your carpet stinks, all you need is vinegar, a brush
and more elbow grease. You’re not to use the vinegar as it is, but a diluted form. When vinegar is used undiluted, its acidic nature can ruin the texture and color of your carpet. For 1/4 cup of white vinegar, add about a litre of warm water to the mix.
To clean, just dip the scrub brush into the solution and start scrubbing. Even though vinegar dries off without leaving any pungent odor behind, you can scrub the entire area again with clean water. Ventilate the room properly so the carpet dries, use a fan if necessary.
3. Hand Cleaning The Carpet With Baking Soda
Baking soda is another universal home remedy can be used for both cooking and cleaning. It’s especially effective against getting pungent odors out of surfaces like carpets. Because how of inexpensive soda is, this is one of the cheapest means of getting your carpet clean.
Mix soda with water and pour it into a spray bottle, then spray it on the carpet. Let it sit for about three hours so that it can absorb the odor and dirt. After 3 hours, the entire carpet should have dried. You can then use your vacuum cleaner to get the dried baking soda off.
4. Cleaning Rugs By Hand
Rugs can be extremely delicate to handle, which is why Cosmopolitan Carpet mentions that cleaning them requires special care. You can still use diluted vinegar, but first you need to test a small portion of the rug. Due to the acidic nature of vinegar, your rug can be ruined if you don’t know how adaptable it is to vinegar’s harsh compounds. Mix some vinegar with water and salt, then apply on a small part of the rug to test its reaction to it. If it doesn’t show an obvious reaction, then go ahead and clean the whole rug with the solution.
Next Steps
Hope you’ve learned a few tips on how to shampoo carpet by hand, for days when the money just isn’t there. Most of the techniques discussed here can be applied to different types of carpets, regardless of where they’re placed.