3 Ways to Ruin Your Carpet While Cleaning

You spill something on the carpet and you freak out. You know that you’ve got to get on that stain as soon as possible before it sets, but stop. Take a breath. What you do now could wind up damaging your carpet far worse than the stain. Here are some surefire ways to DAMAGE your carpet even as you try to save it:

1. Scrub the stains. When you get a spot on your tile or linoleum floor, you just grab a rag and scrub it up. The same principle doesn’t apply with carpet. See, carpet is made by using twisted fibers. Those fibers are set with heat so they stay in place, but when you scrub them, it can cause them to lose their shape. We call this “blooming” the carpet, and it’s a bad thing. Instead of scrubbing, think blotting. Lay a white cloth or paper towel over the stain and apply gentle pressure. You aren’t trying to rub the stain out, but rather absorb the liquid before it can further stain your carpet.
2. Use a harsh chemical cleaner without testing it first. Almost every bottle of carpet cleaner comes with a warning to test in a small, inconspicuous area before you use it on a large area. This advice isn’t just for fun—you really need to test before you go spreading it on a big stain. Used improperly or on the wrong type of fiber, many off-the-shelf chemicals can take the stain and the color right out of your carpet. Test in a small corner first, or even better, use a combination of 50% white vinegar and 50% water. It won’t affect your carpet dye and may just work better than off-the-shelf cleaners.
3. Don’t call for professional help. We’ll be honest with you: not every stain needs a professional carpet cleaner to come take care of it. Some can be solved by following the steps above. But there are some tough cases, especially when stains have had a long time to set in, that just need a qualified professional and his professional equipment. The longer you wait to call in help, the more time-consuming and expensive it will be to get rid of the stain. So if blotting and a household chemical didn’t do the job, don’t waste time. Call in Langenwalter

Do you need the professionals? Call us today to schedule your carpet cleaning appointment.