Our carpet is a large part of our household, so when the carpet looks clean the rest of the house seems to sparkle just a little brighter. Unfortunately, the carpet is also where a lot of the spills and dirt seem to end up. The good news is that many of the stains you find on your carpet can be cleaned up in a jiffy with normal household products that we all generally have on hand. Before using any type of cleaner, even homemade carpet cleaners on your carpet, make sure you test for colorfastness on a small area of your carpet that is normally hidden from view. If you have the manufacturer’s instructions on how to care for your carpet, read these over as well before attacking any of your stains with homemade carpet cleaners. One of the biggest advantages to homemade carpet cleaners is that you know exactly what you are putting on your floor, unlike the chemical compounds you may encounter with commercial cleaners. And you might be surprised to learn that something as simple as white vinegar might be able to handle a tough job just as well as the commercial big boys, as long as you get to that stain quickly.

Homemade Carpet Cleaners You Probably Have On Hand

Two items that you can keep on hand that make effective homemade carpet cleaners are white vinegar and ammonia. Detergent is also essential for these solutions, but if you wash clothing regularly, it should be a given that detergent is in your cleaning cabinet! A solution of one tablespoon of white vinegar to detergent solution will work wonders at removing alcohol, coffee, chewing gum or shoe polish. Scrape lightly at the excess with a dull knife, then spray the vinegar solution and work from the outside of the stain in. Make sure you blot the spot completely dry when you are finished. Another good homemade carpet cleaner is made with one teaspoon of ammonia to one cup of water. This solution is good for really stubborn stains, such as blood, chocolate or glue. You can follow up both of these procedures with a solution of four parts water to one part vinegar. Spray the spot where the stain was and continue blotting the spot with dry, clean white paper towel until the carpet is completely dry.

When using any homemade carpet cleaning solution, always remember to scrape up solid spills and blot up liquids. Never rub the stain since this can cause damage to your carpet fibers. And always, always make sure that your carpet is completely dry before leaving the stain alone. In the event that your homemade carpet cleaner does not take out the stain to your satisfaction, you will pave a smooth way for a professional to come in a finish the job by following these simple procedures.

Most of us can’t afford to call a professional carpet cleaner every time company is expected. When that spot just has to come out, the following tips might help. Remember to try these ideas on a hidden spot to make sure they don’t cause permanent damage! Be especially careful with any solution containing ammonia, which should never be used on a wool carpet. Vinegar can affect dark colors, so always test.

For oily spots:

Try mixing one tablespoon of mild detergent, one-third cup of white vinegar (not apple cider or fancy salad dressing vinegar), and two-thirds cup of water. Gently blot the stain with a clean towel dipped in the solution. Next, lay several layers of paper towels on the wet spot and press down to dry the carpet as much as possible. Then blot with plain water to remove the solution, and dry with paper towels a second time.

Another trick that may work on grease is to spread foaming shaving cream over the stain. Gently work it into the carpet, allow it to dry, and then vacuum the spot.

If the grease stain is brand new, try pouring baking soda over the area and rub it in. Give the baking soda about an hour to soak up the grease, and then vacuum.

For protein spots, such as blood, eggs, or milk:

Mix one cup of water, two tablespoons of ammonia and one tablespoon of mild detergent. Blot and dry as recommended above.

Protein spots are incredibly difficult to get out of carpets, so you may prefer to call in professional help.

For "mystery" spots:

Use one cup of warm water with a small squirt (about a quarter teaspoon) of dishwashing soap.

Any detergent or soap used on carpets should contain no bleach, and should be rinsed out of the carpet to avoid re-staining.

Red wine:

Use these tips with a lot of caution! You can sometimes remove red wine stains if you catch them quickly enough. Before the red wine has dried, pour white wine on the spot. This may stop the red wine from causing a permanent stain, but it’s also possible that it will simply make the stain bigger.

Another option for new red wine spills on carpet is to cover the area with salt to soak up the red wine, remove as much of the salt as possible, and then blot with club soda. Always rinse with clean water and blot dry with clean white paper towels.

Coffee stains:

Blot the stain with a solution made from a half teaspoon of mild detergent mixed in two cups of clean water. If that doesn’t work, mix up a batch of ? cup of water and ? cup of white vinegar.

If in doubt, always call in a professional carpet cleaner.

Your little one just finished his bowl of spaghetti, now it’s time to clean up the mess that he left behind. How do you know what carpet cleaning equipment to use? With so many choices of carpet cleaning equipment, one might get stuck in the muck of choosing the right tool for the job. A rule of thumb in choosing the tool for attack is to know your stain. You need to know what the stain is and how big it is. The smaller the stain, the smaller the equipment you will need.

Home Remedies For Small Stains

For really small stains, home remedies should do just fine. There are also some of the home steam cleaners that have small attachments that will clean small spots in a jiffy.

Another big factor in choosing the right carpet cleaning equipment is how old the stain is. The older the stain, the tougher the job will be. At the first spill, you will want to blot out as much as you can to soak up the spill then treat it with some type of solution so the stain will not set in. Try to take care and not scrub right away as this will break down the fibers in the carpet. Next you will want to decide which carpet cleaning equipment is right for the job.

Some home remedy solutions in and carpet cleaning equipment that you may want to keep on hand for those smaller jobs may include: hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol as well as store bought carpet cleaning solutions. You will want to make sure you have plenty of paper towels on hand and a spray bottle of some sort, this makes the application of water or chemicals distribute more evenly. Carpet cleaning equipment can range from paper towels to high tech commercial machines; so make sure you know your stain so you can make the right choice.

Finding the right carpet-cleaning equipment does not have to be a scary ordeal. Remember that it is just a stain and that there is a tool out there that will take away even the toughest stain. You just have to remember a few simple things: know your stain, know the stains age, and how big the stain is. Armed with this knowledge, you will be able to choose the right carpet-cleaning equipment to take care of even the most stubborn of stains.

There’s no question that your daily or weekly vacuuming makes your carpet look fresh and newer but it’s not enough to protect your carpet from dirt, debris, and oily film deposits that go with this debris. You can’t avoid the oily debris. It comes from cooking vapor, the air, the bottoms of your feet, your pets, and a host of other places. So you’ll need to clean your carpets regularly. Follow these carpet cleaning tips to get the best job done.

Clean Frequently

Carpets should be cleaned every 12 months. This ensures that the oil film doesn’t get so thick it discolors your carpets. If you live by yourself or there’s just two of you then every 18 months will probably be suffice. If there is more than 5 of you then you’ll probably need to do your carpets every 6 months.

Hiring A Professional

You should consider hiring a professional to clean your carpets. A professional cleaner is trained, that’s why he or she is a professional and they will know which type of cleaning is best for your carpet. The professional will come with a heavy duty hot water extraction system which will be used to spray your carpets with water and detergent and then to suck back the water and oil into a tank in their vehicle.

Do It Yourself

If you decide to rent a steam cleaning machine and do your own carpets you need to realize that the rental equipment is not nearly as powerful as the pro’s equipment so you won’t get as deep a clean. You also need to realize that some of these machines can damage your carpet so be sure you know what you are renting.

Powerless Retail Rentals

Choose your retail rental carpet cleaner carefully because many of these lack power meaning you might land up with a carpet that’s too wet and not enough power to suck the water up. This could end up damaging your carpet. Make sure you do your research and that you know what you are renting

Easy On The Water

Pretend like there’s a water shortage and use water sparingly. If you use too much water and your carpets are wet for more than 24 hours you can develop mold and mildew growth which is bad for your health. Never mind those interesting odors that seep out of the carpet.

Leave No Trace

Choose a solution that leaves no or little residue behind. The PH of the cleaning solution should be around 9 and it should always be less than 10. If you are left with that sticky residue your carpets will pick up more residue and pick it up quicker.

Wool Carpets

Wool carpets are different than the synthetic blends. They require a special solution that is designed for wool and the natural fibers. Make sure the solutions PH is no higher than 8 and no lower than 5.

Stop The Stains

If your carpets are already treated with a stain resistant treatment you need you use a cleaner that’s designed to work with this treatment. Any other cleaner will destroy the stainguard treatment already on the carpets which could cause discoloration and void the warranty.

Less Dry Time

After you’ve cleaned your carpet places fans around the room to push air across the carpet. This will reduce the time it takes to dry the carpets and the risk of mold and mildew. If you have a dehumidifier use it to pull the moisture out. An air conditioner will also pull moisture out. Your carpet should be dry in 12 hours or less.

Following these carpet cleaning tips will have your carpets looking fresh and clean and it will extend their life. Carpets are expensive so the longer you can make them last the better!

John Murray makes it easy to go through the carpet buying process and provides tips to keep your carpet lasting long. To learn more and receive your free mini-course visit the carpet rugs website.

You can use all the carpet cleaning tips in the world, and guess what? You still probably can’t get your carpet as clean on your own as a professional carpet cleaner can. On the other hand, who needs perfection? The tips here will help you get that carpet clean enough.

Heat helps! Above 118 degrees fahrenheit, every 18 degrees higher changes chemical reactivity by 100%. Hot water extraction cleaning is done between 150 and 200 degrees. Is that too technical? The point is not only that hot water extraction, or "steam cleaning" is far superior to "dry cleaning," but that if you do it yourself, use heat!

Actually, there are three inter-related factors at work when you clean carpet. Heat, Dwell Time, and Agitation. To some extent, if you can’t maximise one of them, you can make up for it with the others. In other words, if you can’t get the cleaning solution hot enough, let it "dwell" a bit longer in the carpet, and scrub harder.

Secret Carpet Cleaning Tips

Detergent attracts dirt. This is why it’s important to rinse out any cleaning solution thoroughly. This is another reason why hot water extraction gets carpet cleaner than the "dry" methods. The bottom line is that you need to rinse well when you clean carpet.

One way to clean stains is with the use of a shop-vac. No, you can’t just suck out the stain, but you can repeatedly wash and rinse the area, and suck out the solution each time. This is a more effective method than blotting up the water with cloth, mostly because you won’t have the patience to wash, rinse and extract enough times using paper towels or cloth.

Another little secret of the carpet cleaners is putting rugs outside and inside the front door. They can catch much of the dirt that people bring in on their feet. This isn’t just about less vaccuuming, though. Dirt is like thousands of little blades that cut carpet fibers. The damaged carpet stains more easily then, and it’s harder to remove the stains. An even better practice is to take off your shoes in the house.

Ready to clean? Vaccuum first. Then, if you use one of those portable machines, at least get the water as hot as you can. Dry the carpet quickly, using fans to move the air around. You can at least lengthen the time between expensive professional cleanings, by using these carpet cleaning tips.

Steve Gillman has worked in the carpet cleaning industry for years. For more on carpet-care, carpet stains, and specific stain-by-stain removal instructions, visit http://www.HowToRemoveCarpetStains.com