Living rooms, bedrooms, class rooms, offices, retail stores. These are just a few places where we find carpets. No matter where it is, from foot traffic to accidental spills, there's going to be something that causes carpet stains.

Here at HSS, we have created a guide to cleaning and maintaining carpets to keep them looking fresh and clean.

What is the best way to clean carpets?

A vacuum is the best way to clean a carpet. Strong and thorough suction is the most effective way to remove the tiny dust and dirt particles constantly settling into the spaces between carpet fibres. You can thoroughly vacuum carpets by moving furniture and other obstacles and hoovering around them, vacuuming slowly and carefully & be sure to go over high traffic areas at least twice to really get the dirt out.

No matter what vacuum you have, it is essential to give it a regular run around your carpeted areas. If your current vacuum isn't up to the job, you can hire or buy a trusty vacuum cleaner from HSS.

How often should you hoover?

Once a week is fine but if you live in an exceptionally messy household it's best to do it more. Allowing dirt to build up potentially damage the carpet fibres, dull the colours and give smells time to develop. You'll also find that leaving dirt build up will become more challenging when you eventually get around to vacuuming.

Don't forget, even rooms you rarely use contain dust that will end up settling into the carpet over time so even the spare bedroom will need a weekly going over.

Deep clean twice a year

No matter how carefully and regularly you vacuum, dirt will always accumulate below the surface of your carpet. Only occasional deep cleaning can remove this and most experts recommend doing it twice a year. This intense cleaning process is essential to bring a carpet back to its best after months of being walked over, sat upon and enduring the occasional spillage. It will put the bounce back into the pile and the brightness back into the colours, giving your entire home a lift.

To deep clean your carpet, you could call in professionals to do the jobs but doing it yourself is just as easy with a little help from your local HSS team. Our small carpet cleaner is low priced & will breeze through the deep cleaning of all your carpets. We can provide the right carpet cleaning fluid if needed & best of all, it's designed to help your carpets dry quickly after the cleaning process.

Tackle spillages before they become stains

When any kind of liquid other than clean water hits your carpet, you'll need to act fast. Culprits such as mud, coffee, red wine or fruit juice will need blotting away with some absorbent kitchen roll or with a clean, dry, microfibre cloth as soon as the liquid spills to prevent the stain from setting into the fibres. What happens next depends on the nature of the stain you are dealing with. Use Google to find the best remedy for that specific problem.

 
Removing tougher stains in your carpet

Trodden-in mud, food, pet accidents and dried nail polish are among the many types of solid matter that are tough to shift once they've landed on your carpet. A simple way to remove this is by scraping it off with something blunt that will lift the sticky lump away. Work gently and patiently to avoid tearing the carpet fibres. Never try to remove solids by rubbing. This will simply push the dirt deeper into the fibres and make the staining much more severe. Avoid using hot water as well. Rather than shifting the solids, it will spread the grime and set into the carpet. 

Essential additional tools 

A lint roller is an essential product every home should have. These inexpensive little gadgets are perfect for cleaning up crumbs, dirt trodden-in from outdoors and the bigger bits of debris that accumulate on carpets.

A window-cleaning squeegee is another household tool that comes in handy on carpets, especially if you have furry friends in the house. By dampening the rubber edge, the squeegee will pick up pet hairs quicker.

An oscillating fan can help speed up the drying process after deep cleaning your carpet.

Remember not to walk on your newly cleaned carpet until it has completely dried. You wouldn't want to ruin all your hard work.

More carpet cleaning tips and tricks

• Distilled white vinegar - Mix one part vinegar to three parts cold water to remove many types of stain and absorbing smells. Add the mixture to a spray bottle & use it to spray the soiled area and leave for 5-10 minutes depending on how tough the stain is. Blot the area with a clean towel until the stain lifts and starts to dry. It's essential that you test it first on a hidden part of the carpet (under the sofa perhaps) to double-check that it won't cause damage or make the colour run.
• Baking soda (AKA bicarbonate of soda) is brilliant for removing oily stains and pet urine from carpets. Sprinkle plenty over the stained area and leave it to absorb the worst of the stain and smell. Afterwards, vacuum up the soda and whatever is left behind.
• Ice - Ice works wonders with chewing gum. If, unfortunately, you or someone else manages to get gum on the carpet, wait until the gum hardens then place some ice on it for around half a minute to freeze it. Once frozen, use a blunt object like a spoon to gently scrape off the gum.

If you need to hire a vacuum, a carpet cleaner or want to buy carpet shampoo or freshener, get in touch with our online live chat team or contact your local HSS branch who are happy to help with any information you may need.

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