It has become common practice to buy organic food and clothes from eco-friendly materials and it is only natural to do the same when cleaning your rugs at home, don’t you think? It is a well-known fact that the use of strong cleaning chemicals could have a negative impact on your health and that of people around you. Let’s find out why.
Why shouldn’t you use chemicals to deep clean your rug?
Having your rugs treated with strong chemicals may cause:
1) Fatigue and dizziness. A commonly used ingredient in chemical cleaning products is perchloroethylene which is known to cause nausea.
2) Some chemicals such as naphthalene can affect the central nervous system and are even considered to be cancer.
3) Rashes and allergies. Using strong chemicals may irritate the skin and be the cause of skin rashes or asthma symptoms.
Аnd no one wants that to happen.
Now you know how important it is to make sure you deep clean your rug in an eco-friendly manner. Think of how often your children or pets play on your rugs and breathe in the particles trapped inside. There isn’t a person who hasn’t spilled a drink or dropped food on a rug. No matter the type of your textile floor covering you use, whether it is a kitchen rug or even a wall rug, Rugs and Beyond knows how important it is to keep them stain-free while using eco-friendly methods.
We’ve all asked ourselves multiple times ‘What is the best way to clean my rug from stains that don’t involve any chemicals?’
To answer this question, we’ve prepared a few tips and techniques that don’t involve any chemicals and you can follow at home to keep your rugs clean and fresh at all times.
How to make your own stain remover at home?
Here is a cheap and easy to make a recipe for a universal stain remover you can make at home and use on most common stains.
What you need is:
1) A spray bottle, you can reuse an old one you have at hand, make sure its cap is removable so you can pour in the ingredients.
2) 2 tbsp of baking soda
3) 5 tbsp of liquid soap (dish soap works fine as well)
4) 10 tbsp of hydrogen peroxide
Mix all the ingredients in the spray bottle, close the cap and shake it well, then leave it to settle for an hour. Your homemade stain remover is ready to use! Now that you are armed with your homemade stain remover, here is our expert list of all the usual stains you can face at home which will help you clean them naturally:
How to clean the most common rug stains DIY and without chemicals?
Tomato or other fruit and vegetable types of stains.
Here, the almighty white vinegar comes in handy, use it right on the spot and wash immediately. Keep in mind that white vinegar also helps remove stains with a strong odor.
Here is how to remove ink from your rug:
1) Rub in alcohol onto the blot, you can use, denatured or isopropyl alcohol will both do the job
2) Let it soak for up to 30 minutes so the alcohol soaks in the fibers of the rug and dissolves the ink
3) Wash thoroughly with warm water.
4) An alternative way to deal with such stains is to use hairspray and wash it.
5) Stains from tea or coffee spillage.
Those are easy to deal with. If the stain is fresh, use boiling water to dilute it and then absorb it with a dry cloth
Red wine or stains from food coloring agents.
1) The way to take care of those is to mix a substance of half water and half hydrogen peroxide and wash the stain with it.
2) If your rug is light colored, you can use lemon juice mixed with salt to make sure the color of the rug remains intact.
Taking care of mud stains is easy.
1) If the mud stain is fresh, let it dry (never smear it while it is still wet)
2) Brush or vacuum as much of the dirt as you can.
3) Apply borax (also known as sodium borate)
4) Wash out thoroughly until there is no trace of the mud stain.
How to clean protein-based stains such as eggs, poop and even blood.
The most important thing to remember when cleaning those stains is to never use hot water. What you want to do is:
1) Damp the area with cold water and try to soak in as much of the liquid and other residues as you can
2) Afterward, dry up using cloth or paper towel.
3) Use a mixture of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to meticulously clean the spot.
And remember, a little bit of soap and water does wonders for most of the organic stains if taken care of immediately.
Here is an extra tip to keep your rugs emit heavenly scent for weeks:
When deep cleaning them with baking soda solution, add a drop or two of your favorite essential oil and stir the substance well. This is a great way to make your home smell amazing.
Choosing the right rug for you. Buying the right type, size and fluffiness of the rug is an excellent way to easily maintain your rugs and spend less time cleaning them in the future. If you are renting, placing a sleek rug or carpet will definitely increase the value of your property.
Think of it as an investment. A woollen, hand-made rug, for example, is much more durable compared to synthetic rugs. It also has the quality of holding in dust mites and allergens and doesn’t let them disperse in the air. A regular vacuuming of your woolen rugs will then keep the air in your home fresh and clean.
Take care of stains immediately.
Letting a stain soak in and dry up will make it much harder to remove later on. However, if you have an old stain you want to remove, rub in some salt into your rug then vacuum it and use a damp cloth to blot out the stain further.
Vacuum your rugs on a regular basis.
Proper rug maintenance includes much more than knowing how to treat stains. According to a specialist cleaning company, you should vacuum your carpets and rugs once every few days up to a maximum of a week between sessions. Doing so will ease your efforts on deep cleaning the fabric.
Also, it is extremely important to vacuum the surface at the right speed. Make sure you vacuum slowly enough to take out as much dirt and other debris as possible from the rug. Perform at least two passes over high-traffic zones. Two slow turns will help you remove more dirt compared to several quick ones no matter what the rug is made from. Last but not least - let fresh air in. Don’t forget to daily let fresh air circulate in your home so any bad smells or allergens are removed.
Read More: Mother’s Day Gift Guide: Area Rugs that she will love!