As kids get older, they tend to spend more and more time outside of the house. Whether they’re playing in the mud, coming home from practice, or running inside from the pool, kids tend to bring the mess home with them when they come back. While this may not seem like a huge issue for tile floors, it can affect your carpet.
When your carpet gets dirty, it can have many effects that you may not think of.
Unclean carpets can make your home smell and can even transmit germs from the outside to your children, pets, and yourself.
A clean carpet is key to a tidy home. While it may seem like an impossible task to not use a professional cleaning to maintain your carpet, it’s easier than you might expect. Here are some tips on how to keep carpet clean with kids in the house.
1. Vacuum Often
Before you get rid of carpet stain or wet spots on your carpet, you need to remove the solid waste that builds up. For that reason, vacuuming should be a regular chore around the house when you have carpet. By getting rid of dirt, stray hairs, and other small pieces of solid material, you can keep the carpet clean.
To vacuum effectively, move the vacuum slow enough to pick up dirt and other objects, while passing over areas with heavy foot traffic twice. Be sure to have a clean bag ready when vacuuming. Having a full or dirty bag can cut your vacuum’s suctioning ability in half.
You’ll also want to ensure that you have the right vacuum for the job so that you won’t have to put in the extra work. Bissell vacuum cleaners are high-quality vacuums that can work wonders on your carpet.
2. Be Quick With Stains
Stains and children go together like peanut butter and jelly. If that peanut butter and jelly finds its way to the floor, it’ll leave a nice brown and purple stain on the carpet. It’s not uncommon for your little ones to drop their colorful fruit juice or their soda cup on the floor.
Stains on your carpet are inevitable. What you can avoid, though, is how much those stains end up affecting your carpet. If you are able to clean a stain soon after the mess happens, you can remove 99% of them. By removing stains, your floor won’t end up showing those stains for a long time.
When removing a stain, make sure to start with water. Press a dry, wet cloth over the stain and try to absorb the spill, continuing with this until the spill is gone. Be sure to blot the stain, rubbing it will smear the stain all over the carpet and create an even bigger mess.
If you’re facing a tough spot, consider using vinegar or club soda. While the scent may not be the best, they have proved to be efficient when mixed with water. If all of those don’t work, you may have to turn to a cleaning product. Be sure to test any cleaning products before using them, as there’s no telling what they may do to your carpet.
3. Shampoo the Carpet
As you already know by now, shampoo is not just for hair! Shampooing your hair is an efficient and effective way to keep your carpet smelling nice and looking clean.
In order to shampoo your carpet, you must first make sure you vacuum thoroughly and clear the area. The shampoo will not mix well with dust or solid particles removed with a vacuum. You’ll end up using dirty water to clean the carpet fibers because of the dirt already on the floor.
You will also need to rent a shampoo cleaner unless you choose to buy one. Prepare the solution, use the carpet shampoo, and make sure to cover the entire carpet. Remember to remove your shoes and have an exit planned so as to not make the carpet dirty.
Once you finish shampooing the carpet, allow it to dry. Set the air conditioning to 72-78 degrees Fahrenheit and don’t allow anyone to enter or walk through the clean room. The drying process may take anywhere from 6-12 hours, so be patient.
Once the carpet is dry, move all your furniture back and enjoy your new, fresh carpet.
4. Prevent Messes
The easiest way to keep your carpet clean is to prevent any messes from reaching the carpet. Though this may seem like an impossible task with young children, there are a few changes you can make to tilt the odds in your favor. This will ultimately lead to less work on your part.
For starters, be sure to keep carpets away from prominent messy areas in the house. You don’t want to have wall-to-wall carpets in your kitchen or dining room. The bathroom may be another room you’ll want to avoid.
You may also want to follow the examples of some countries, such as China and Japan, who remove their shoes once entering a house. Shoes are a prominent source of dirt and grime, especially on the sneakers of your children. Teaching them to remove their shoes when entering your home may cut your carpet cleaning work in half!
Now That You Know How To Keep Carpet Clean…
Be sure to use all these tips on how to keep carpet clean! Use these preventative measures to cut your work in half, and look into using a quality vacuum cleaner to remove grime. Every so often, give your carpet a good shampooing. Don’t forget to take care of stains quickly! These steps save you time and money.
For more articles like these which highlight tips that any woman can use in her day-to-day life, be sure to visit our blog!
