Rugs enhance the look of your room’s style and décor, but they are also held guilty for attracting immense amount of dust and dirt. According to microbiologists, rug fibers tend to be a home to millions of microorganisms such as dust mites, mold spores and pollen particles. This makes regular rug cleaning an essential part of maintaining a healthy and clean environment at home. We bring you some of the most popular home hacks to help you keep your rugs feeling and smelling good as new! In order to keep the rugs at your home clean, fresh and in top condition, there are a few things you need to prioritize.
This one’s fairly obvious but the frequency makes a huge difference and can make your rugs go a long way. Rugs need to be vacuumed at least once a week to ensure all the dust, debris and dirt is removed. This prevents the dirt from being trodden deep into the fibers, which makes it hard to remove. Before giving your rug a vacuum cleaning treatment, it is essential to shake it to dislodge any loose dirt or grit that is trapped within the fabric- these can then be picked by the vacuum cleaner. It’s best to go for the suction only section on your vacuum cleaner, rather than using an upright vacuum cleaner or a rotary brush, as this damage your rug and result in fiber shedding. We recommend using the nozzle attachment to vacuum the rug lightly. You can also sprinkle anti-bacterial powders onto the rugs to kill any germs but make sure to test on a small area first just in case it may damage the fiber. Also, it is imperative to vacuum the rug’s underside as well- at least once a month.
Some rugs have fibers that have a greater resistance towards stains than others. Manmade rugs, for example, are the most repellent and easy to maintain whereas nylon rugs have to be steam cleaned once stained. A mixture containing equal parts of white wine vinegar, washing liquid and warm water is an effective solution to remove stubborn stains like red wine, coffee and mud. However, in case of mud stain the best thing you can do is to let it dry and vacuum before cleaning.
You can reduce the damage inflicted by your pets by choosing the one that is specifically made for dog and cat owners. One of the best choices you can make is going for short pile rugs that have a dark color to hide any chew marks or scratches.
Soak up the liquid immediately as soon as it gets spilled onto a rug. This ensures that it does not penetrates the yarns. The best way to do this is to dampen a white, cotton cloth and blot the affected area gently. Keep dabbing until all the liquid gets absorbed. Once the spillage is cleaned up, allow the rug to dry completely before placing it on the floor. This shall usually take 3-4 hours. In addition to these tips, you may also like to get your rugs a professional deep cleaning treatment at least once a year to really enhance their appearance and cleanliness.
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Upholstered furniture takes up most of the beating after carpets and rugs. Giving you upholstery a proper cleaning treatment every once in a while, is imperative and recommended. But this also means you may end up damaging your furniture by doing it the wrong way. Don’t Scrub Stains This drives the dirt further into the fabric fibers. Start by blotting the fresh stain in order to draw out the dirt. This will also prevent it from soaking through into the foam beneath. An old stain would require you to use an upholstery spot cleaner or a steam cleaner. If you end up indulging in excessive scrubbing, it will damage the fabric fibers, weakening the spot. Oversoaking Upholstery with Water Oversoaking in water can leave marks on your upholstery. Soaking a spot to dilute a stain or remove a mark is not recommended. Once it gets dry, it will leave a permanent mark in the area that was soaked. It is recommended to use minimal water or a steam cleaner if you need to clean large areas of upholstered furniture. Using Quality Cleaning Tools You should use soft microfiber cloths that don’t shed lint when spot cleaning or blotting. It is a good idea to brush off loose dirt, but use of hard bristle brushes with a lot of force can damage the delicate fabrics of your furniture. There are specialized brushes available for cleaning fabrics like suede. Choosing the Right Cleaning Solution Instances when the formulations utilized for upholstery cleaning are outrageously inappropriate and may cause irreparable damage to your furniture shall be avoided at any cost. This includes using All-purpose cleaners that are used to clean other surfaces around the house and are not necessarily suitable for the upholstery cleaning. The common DIY solutions, like ammonia, lemon alternatives, lemon and bleach-based products which typically come in handy for cleaning stubborn stains can create a mess when used on your sofa. The several kinds of material, in the natural and synthetic materials, to the leather upholsteries like aniline, semi-aniline and nubuck, each assorts to a specific product that can be utilized for cleaning purposes. Using Fabric Protectors Correctly Fabric protectors help extend the life of your upholstered furniture and prevent future stains by shielding them from wear and tear. Such situations call for skill and experience to determine how to take care of dirt and stain problems. Incorrect application of these fabric protectors or using the wrong type of protector, will have an opposite effect on your furniture. Therefore, it’s recommended to have a fabric protector applied professionally. Avoid Using Too Much Heat
Certain fabrics like silk or blends that are made from silk, can’t handle high heat. It’s always great to use steam for cleaning and disinfecting but this may as well cause damage to these types of fabrics. Therefore, if you are not sure if your upholstered furniture or sofa can handle steam cleaning, you should consult the manufacturer to enquire about the best cleaning method. Hence, taking the DIY route can result in more harm than good. The risks may far outweigh your potential savings, as it may often end up with repair expenses and hefty replacement, which negate the initial purpose behind the whole process. Are your allergies elevated and all those sneezes and coughs are preventing you from spending quality time with your family? Keeping your upholstery squeaky clean all around the year and in a perfect working order is imperative and here’s why. Maintaining A Healthy Environment Have you ever noticed that when your car is clean, it performs better? Similarly, when you keep your furniture clean and shiny, your home will seem more inviting. Furniture cleaning will keep germs and allergens at bay. Just imagine the number of hours you spent today on your couch! Usually you may spend a few hours bonding with your family, watching TV, cuddling with your spouse or even have dinner on your couch. Your furniture is a gathering place, which means that if it’s not cleaned on a regular basis, it could turn into a hotspot of germs, dirt and spills. Also, no one wants to sit on dirty furniture! Savings In The Long Run Does your furniture seem as attractive as it was when you purchased it? Your upholstery furniture makes one of the most popular spots in your home and therefore keeping it clean is important. This will freshen up even the most faded parts of the furniture and restore it-as well as your home- making it look “just like new” again. Improves Air Quality Every time, you sit, plop, or lie on your upholstered furniture, you’re unconsciously spreading dirt, dust, mold spore, grime, dead skin, and bacteria into your surroundings as well as your furniture. This can negatively impact the quality of air in your home. While household plants and good air filters are available to help filter out those germs and allergens, eliminating them entirely from the upholstery means you get to save on those air filters as there won’t be any allergens and dust to begin with. Eliminates Any Odors If you have a toddler, the couch transforms into a feeding station and changing table. Also, the living room furniture is usually the favorite spot for children to complete their homework or running at home business and we bet it’s your pet’s favorite spot to wait for you while you are away from home. It is evident that a lot happens on your furniture, and sometimes it gets too obvious because of the odor. Plus, cooking odors make their way from the kitchen into your living room and stay on your upholstery, hence contributing to an unpleasant smell. Upholstery cleaning, therefore, helps remove all these odors by removing the source. Eliminating Signs Of Water Or Smoke Damage
Accidents are sometimes out of our control. A minor stove fire or a roof leak can cause water or smoke damage. This may also have damaged the upholstery of your furniture and this may incline you to throw out your furniture and start all over! But you will be surprised when you see the wonders a good upholstery cleaning can do! Finally, the family sectional is the area where a lot of life happens. Maintaining the health of your upholstery means that you are keeping the health and safety of your family a top priority. |